There is a lot of talk about the recent special election in Massachusetts being a referendum on health care reform. It was not. In fact, Massachusetts has already moved comprehensive reform and 98% of Massachusetts residents have health insurance as a result. It was a referendum on a particular candidate in a climate in which people, hard pressed and frustrated by the economy, are impatient for change.
And nothing has changed.
People still need quality, affordable health care. Our friends and loved ones are still being denied care for pre-existing conditions. We still need to address the health care crisis, and cannot continue to allow medical expenses to bankrupt our country's families and businesses.
It's time to finish reform right. There are two things you can do right now to help:
Passing health care reform will save you money. Not passing it will save millionaires money. Will your Representative choose the millionaires or you?
The health care reform bill being voted on in the House this week will save you an average of $2,800 per year.1 That bill says those who make more than a quarter of a million dollars a year should help pay for reform by rolling back Bush's tax cuts by just 1%.2
If you would rather call, please use our toll-free number 1-877-264-HCAN or click here. One of the excuses that some Members of Congress use is that this bill raises taxes on small business. They couldn't be more wrong.
According to the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxes, 96% of small businesses will have access to more affordable health care under the House bill.3
That's why small business owners all across America are supporting this bill.
Please use our toll-free number 1-877-264-HCAN or click here to call Congress today. This bill guarantees us quality, affordable health care. It will cover the uninsured and lower the costs for those of us who have insurance. Let's pass this bill, so we can all have quality, affordable health care.
To your health,
Tom Swan, CCAG Executive Director and John Olsen, CT State AFL-CIO President
Health Care for America Now -- Connecticut Co-Chairs
On June 25th, thousands of activists came to Washington, DC to tell Congress that health care can't wait. On July 4th, while Members of Congress were back at home celebrating the holiday, thousands more across the country declared independence from the insurance industry.
This week the Senate HELP Committee, under the leadership of Senator Chris Dodd, is marking up a draft of health care reform legislation that includes a public option.
Can you call Senator Dodd to thank him for including a strong public option in the draft legislation and to ensure that it passes out of committee? Click here, or dial 1-888-436-8427 to be connected to Sen. Dodd's Washington D.C. office.
We are at a really important stage of the process with the Senate HELP committee finalizing their proposed legislation. Senator Dodd needs to hear from you to make sure this legislation provides:
Coverage we can afford;
Comprehensive benefits we can count on;
Choice of a private plan or a national public health insurance plan ready on day one; and
Equal access to quality care.
We are closing in - Members of Congress in both the House and the Senate are working to champion these goals. Call today to thank Sen. Dodd for standing with us and tell him we are counting on him to pass a bill consistent with these goals out of the HELP Committee!
Click here or dial 1-888-436-8427 to call Sen. Dodd at his Washington D.C. office.
You are the real champions of the health care debate, and we are getting close to the finish line. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for making the call today,
John Murphy CCAG Political Director
Disclosure: I am the Online Organizer for Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)
If you want to cut to the chase:There is a health care rally at the State Capitol on July 7 that will take place rain or shine, veto or sign. Get details and RSVP by clicking here.
Things are moving quickly on health care in 2009 -- especially in Connecticut -- and so I have posted below an abbreviated timeline of events to show how far we've come since January:
The Universal Health Care Foundation's President Juan Figueroa said in a press release Wednesday that passage of both the pooling bill and SustiNet "reduce costs and increase choice."
He said the two bills complement each other and put Connecticut ahead of the pack in the race for federal resources.
"As we begin to craft a national health care reform bill, Connecticut's progress will provide real examples of how important reform is to our nation," US Rep. Chris Murphy said in a press release.
"Few elected leaders ever get such a perfect opportunity to enact major reform," Juan A. Figueroa, president of Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, said Saturday in a press release. "The House, the Senate, and the people of Connecticut have delivered one such defining moment to Governor Rell."
[Governor] Rell's spokesman Chris Cooper said Tuesday afternoon in a phone interview that the governor will review the bills in their final form before making a decision. He said Rell has expressed concern about the "hefty price tags" of these bills, but will review them like all legislation she receives.
He said she has 15 days to decide whether or not to sign them.
Lawmakers like Speaker of the House Chris Donovan and Sen. President Donald Williams said the state is already paying a hefty price for health insurance in the state and that these two proposals would help save the state money.
Today is the 10th day since the two health care bills have been delivered to Governor Rell's office. She has until the 15th day -- July 8 -- to do one of the following: (1) Sign SustiNet and/or the Healthcare Partnership Bill; (2) Veto SustiNet and/or the Healthcare Partnership Bill; or (3) take no action and let both SustiNet and the Healthcare Partnership Bill become law.
We have worked long and hard for quality, affordable health care we can all count on, and the clock is ticking for Governor Rell to do the right thing and sign SustiNet and the Healthcare Partnership into law. Join us at the Capitol on Tuesday July 7 to let Governor Rell know that we can't wait for health care reform!
There is still much work to do before we have quality, affordable health care for everyone, such as protecting the public option in national-level health care reform efforts, but your presence at the July 7 rally is critical because our efforts in Connecticut are being closely watched throughout the country. What happens here will have an impact on the national health care reform debate. SustiNet and the Health Care Partnership would put Connecticut in an excellent position relative to other states when it comes time to implement federal reforms.
Disclosure: I am the Online Organizer for Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)
For years, candidates for, and members of, Congress told us that we needed to elect and re-elect them in order to lower health care costs and provide universal coverage. And so, for years, we dutifully worked our collective asses off, delivering wide majorities for Democrats--who said they would lower health care costs and provide universal coverage--in both branches of Congress.
Now, when it comes time for them to deliver on health care by providing a public option--the bare minimum required to reduce costs and provide universal coverage--what we are getting instead are backroom deals, flip-flops, and cop-outs.
We know what time it is. We have waited long enough. Now is the time for quality, affordable health care we can all count on.
The insurance industry knows what time it is too. So in pursuit of real health care reform, we find ourselves wading into muddy waters. Insurance companies--the opponents of real reform--have gone to great lengths to dress up their counter-proposals to appear beneficial to the health of the American people rather than to the health of corporate bottom lines. They say they want reform, and create "grassroots" organizations to push for it, but what they really want are profit protections.
This makes Lieberman the only member of Connecticut's Congressional Delegation who does not support the public option. More than anybody else, Joe Lieberman needs to hear from his constituents. Send him an e-mail asking him to explain his opposition to the public option to you himself.
The Senate is poised to be--in the words of Chris Bowers--"the biggest hurdle on health care." We need to find out where our Senators stand on the public option now, so that we know who to thank, and who to persuade. In the extended text, you can see all of the tools for contacting your Senators.
SustiNet has passed the state House and Senate and will arrive on the Governor's desk very soon. Please add your name to the call for Governor Rell to sign SustiNet into law.
We need your signature on the petition, but we also need you to reach out to your friends, family, and networks and ask them to sign it as well. Time is short -- we want to have all of our signatures ready by Monday, June 15.
Once Governor Rell has the bill, we will deliver your signatures to her office. Tell Governor Rell -- Connecticut needs health care we can all count on!
And this Thursday, June 11 at 9:00 AM, folks from the Universal Health Care Foundation will be on WNPR's Where We Live to discuss SustiNet. Listen live here.
Disclosure: I am the Online Organizer for Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)
For those of you who are not on the HealthCare4Every1 campaign mailing list, I wanted to pass along this message and call to action that the campaign's manager, Lynne Ide, sent out early last week:
Dear MLNer,
As you know, SustiNet has passed the House (107-35) and Senate (23-12), and will now head to the Governor's desk. It is likely to take some time for the bill to be transmitted to Gov. Rell's desk.
In the meantime, I want you to know that we will be in close, ongoing communication with Gov. Rell and her top aides. Given the high stakes involved for Connecticut's families and businesses, we trust that her administration will review SustiNet on the basis of it's merits and policy -- and NOT make a decision based on politics.
But right now, we need to celebrate our victories in the House and Senate, and thank our legislators for voting YES on SustiNet! We ask a lot of our legislators, so it is important that we take time to show our appreciation!
Lastly, I want to personally thank all of you for your hard work on this Campaign. We would not be where we are today without all of your phone calls, emails, and meetings.
Sincerely,
Lynne Ide Campaign Manager healthcare4every1 Campaign
The legislators who voted to give quality, affordable, health care to every person in Connecticut should hear how much we appreciate that act.
Governor Rell vetoed the health care partnership bill last year, but this year we want her to hear from us. The phone line at her office is only open between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM on weekdays, so let's light it up!
Call Governor Rell and Tell Her to Sign the SustiNet and Healthcare Partnership Bills into Law!
Call (860) 566-4840 or (800) 406-1527 between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM
After you've called Governor Rell and told her to sign SustiNet and the Healthcare Partnership bills into law, please help us spread the word by...
...recommending this diary.
...sharing this action alert with your family, friends and neighbors.
The people of Connecticut are ready for quality, affordable, accessible health care. Let's make sure that Governor Jodi Rell hears from us -- call now!
Tell Rell to Sign the SustiNet and Healthcare Partnership Bills into Law!
Call (860) 566-4840 or (800) 406-1527 between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM
I've posted our latest action alert below the fold. Be sure to leave a comment after you've made your call, and thanks for doing your part to get health care that we can all count on.
We've been talking about it for a few weeks now, and it is finally here. Congress is meeting now to work out a final version of the Budget and they will decide whether to include funding for Health Care Reform. As you know, this is a very important first step in passing legislation that creates quality, affordable health care for all.
Can you make one more call to Congress? We have come this far-don't stop now!
Let Congress know that you want quality, affordable health care that you can count on, and ask your representatives Congress to support the budget that includes health care reform in 2009.
A budget that includes funding for health care is necessary to win real health care reform this year.
Do you want to call, but need an idea of how to voice your support? Here is a sample script to inspire you:
Hi my name is [Your Name] and I want quality, affordable health care that I can count on, and that everyone in America can count on too.
Please tell [Name of Congressperson] to continue supporting a budget that includes health care reform in 2009 and not to allow a Congressional minority to block it.
Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is the leading national grassroots campaign in America for health care reform, comprised of more than 850 organizations in 46 states representing 30 million people. President Obama and Vice President Biden; Members of Congress John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes, Chris Murphy and over 190 of their colleagues signed onto the HCAN principles.
HCAN is dedicated to winning quality, affordable health care we all can count on in 2009. Everyone benefits from healthy communities, where we all have access to affordable, quality health care from a provider of our choice, at the time we need it, at a cost we can afford. Our mutual goal is affordable, quality health care for everyone in America and for our nation.
Connecticut Co-Chairs Tom Swan, Executive Director of CCAG and John Olsen, President of the Connecticut AFL-CIO invite you to one of three health care reform forums throughout Connecticut. Even if none of these are in your area, please be sure to forward this invitation to family and friends who do.
Special Guest Congressman Chris Murphy
10:00 AM to 12 Noon (Doors open at 9:30 AM)
Pulaski Club
89 Grove Street, New Britain 06053 [Google Map]
NOW is time to fix our health care system. Come and share your story about how and why our health care system needs to be reformed, and hear about the latest reform proposals before Congress. Learn how you can get involved in bringing health care reform to America now!
Tom Swan nails it at Friday's press conference. With the exception of CTNewsJunkie, the state media essentially ignored this event on credit card reform (not surprising), but we won't. This is video from the event mentioned in an earlier diary.
It's worth hearing what Swan, the director of the Connecticut Citizens Action Group, has to say about CCAG and the plan to "work with" Senator Dodd and to "push" for reform:
For those of you who didn't make it to the event last Friday, I think you'll enjoy the videos below. Those who have followed the HealthCare4Every1 Campaign are probably familiar with the perspective given by Juan Figueroa, but might find some new material in videos from the other speakers. Check them out, share them, and leave your comments!
Senator Chris Dodd kicked off his Connecticut Prescriptions for Change listening tour at Goodwin College in East Hartford, where he was joined by a number of special guests:
Senator Dodd's office released a statement following the event:
"The response today was overwhelming," said Dodd. "The discussion we had affirmed how deeply committed and passionate people in Connecticut are about seizing the moment that President Obama spoke about this week to transform our health care system. The stories, experiences, and concerns people shared with me today will be a tremendous resource as we get to work to craft a reform package that makes health care affordable and accessible for every American."
You can view Senator Dodd's remarks at the event in the video below. For more information about the Connecticut Prescriptions for Change tour, contact Senator Dodd's office at 860-258-6940 or email ctrx4change@dodd.senate.gov
Below is an e-mail action alert that went out Thursday. If you want to be the first to hear about upcoming actions and events, sign up for CCAG Action Alerts here.
On Friday January 23, Senator Chris Dodd is coming to East Hartford because he wants to hear first hand from the people of Connecticut about their views and ideas for reforming our nation's health care system.
Will you join us at Goodwin College to tell Senator Dodd what a solution to the health care crisis should look like?
Representative John Larson will also be joining the discussion and hearing your voices on Friday. Both he and Senator Dodd will carry your words and ideas back with them to Congress. This is your chance to influence two of our nation's leaders as they work on health care reform.
A report issued on the same day the government released its latest unemployment data shows most laid-off people are likely to lose their health coverage.
The average national premium costs for family COBRA coverage consume almost 84 percent of average unemployment benefits. COBRA - Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act - gives workers and their families the right to continue health benefits following job loss by paying the full cost of insurance.
[...]
"COBRA health coverage is a great concept but lousy in reality," said Phil Sherwood, deputy director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. "For the vast majority of workers laid off in Connecticut, they and their families are likely to join the ranks of the uninsured. There needs to be a safety net."
Sherwood called it "egregious that we have a health care system that if you get laid off you lose your health care. A better system would be one that's portable, that moves with you from job to job, so when there's an economic downturn Americans aren't left unable to afford protection."
[...]
"The right to COBRA health coverage is a tragic ruse for millions of families whose breadwinner was laid off," said Ron Pollack, Families USA's Executive Director. "Unemployed workers need either premium subsidies to help them afford COBRA benefits or temporary health safety-net coverage through Medicaid."
Scott's article continues with a brief description of plans from three of Connecticut's federal legislators Sen. Chris Dodd, Rep. Chris Murphy, and Rep. John Larson.
As a state, we can lead the nation on fixing our broken health care system. We are faced with a daunting economic crisis; times are tough and money is tight, but to paraphrase our newest congressman, we can't afford not to pursue health care for everyone.
Disclosure: I am the Online Organizer for Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)
Congressman Chris Murphy, who represents Connecticut's 5th Congressional District, showed his support for the Health Care for America Now! campaign's principles at the Community Health Center in Meriden. Immediately below is a brief video from today's event:
Congressman Chris Murphy has recently been named to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is one of the two House Committees that will guide national health reform efforts. He was joined in Meriden by Richard Hirsch, who is the campaign manager for Health Care for America Now!
The full event today, including all guest speakers:
Disclosure: I am the Online Organizer for Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)
(HCAN is doing important work to create awareness and widespread support for necessary health care reform. These signing events, promoted by CCAG, are terrific ways to show appreciation to Congressmen like Chris Murphy, Jim Himes, and the rest of the CT delegation who've signed on for health care reform. - promoted by CaptCT)
Below is an e-mail action alert that went out Sunday. If you want to be the first to hear about upcoming actions and events, sign up for CCAG Action Alerts here.
Congressman Chris Murphy has recently been named to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is one of the two House Committees that will guide national health reform efforts.
Richard Kirsch, Health Care for America Now (HCAN), Campaign Manager, will be joining us as Congressman Murphy publicly signs the HCAN pledge. Rep. Murphy has already been hard at work organizing his peers in Washington DC for health care reform.
Please join us to encourage Representative Murphy to continue this vital work in his new role!
This Thursday, Dec. 4th CCAG will be holding a special event to celebrate all of the contributions that our friend Chris Donovan has made to Connecticut and its communities over the years. The main program at the event is a "This is Your Life" style tribute to Chris Donovan, but that's not all that we have in store.
A clip from the 1000th episode of the This Is Your Life television show:
Starting at 6:30 at the Four Points Sheraton in Meriden we'll have live music by Funk Brokers Inc.--voted best funk band in the 2008 Hartford Advocate Grand Band Slam--and a cash bar. If you want something to snack on, there will also be some hearty hors d'oeuvres on hand. Best of all (aside from the main program, of course), is the silent auction. You can preview a handful of the items at the CCAG website. One item is an MLN favorite: a signed print of Bob Englehart's Joe the Plumber cartoon!
Obama's transition team recently started the first of a series of online discussions to get our input on the issues that we face in America. The first discussion is about health care, making it clear that this is a priority for the new President.
Health Care for America Now is commonly abbreviated as HCAN
President-Elect Barack Obama, by starting this conversation on his transition website, has sent a clear message that he wants to hear our thoughts and concerns about the health care system in this country. It's important that he hears a call to fix the broken health care system from all of us, because the insurance and drug company lobbyists are already swarming Congress to protect their profitable business models.
HB5601, An Act Banning Children's Products Containing Lead, Phthalates or Bisphenol-A
HB5145, An Act Concerning Environmental Justice Communities and the Storage of Asbestos-Containing Material
HB5600, An Act Concerning Global Warming Solutions
SB217, An Act Mandating Employers Provide Paid Sick Leave To Employees
To find your legislator's overall score, just visit the legislative scorecard page on the CCAG Website. From there, if you would like details about the specific votes for each legislator and a description of each bill used in the scoring, follow the link to download the full scorecard and newsletter in .pdf format.
Disclosure: I am the Online Organizer for Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)
This message went out to our members this morning, but I know that members of the MLN community are as eager to take action as anyone. Call Joe today!
Call Sen. Lieberman and Demand Quality, Affordable Health Care for All
Dear Friend,
The insurance industry is pushing for less regulation. They want more leeway to drop people with pre-existing conditions and deny you care. Today, people around the country are standing up and calling Congress to stop them.
Call Joe Lieberman and stop the insurance lobbyists! Dial 1-888-436-8427
For months now the insurance industry has been on tour, pushing for more industry-friendly policies. And even though massive deregulation is what caused the current financial crisis that threatens our economy, the insurance industry wants more deregulation so they can take more of your money and give you less in return.
The industry has said that they are fundamentally against the real solutions we need: A guarantee of quality, affordable health care for everyone in America. So today across America, we're engaging all of our partners and supporters to have thousands of people call Congress and demand real health care reform. The insurance industry has made it clear where they stand, but do your Members of Congress know where you stand?
Give Senator Joe Lieberman a call. Demand quality, affordable health care for all! Dial 1-888-436-8427
With health care costs rising and wages falling, causing one bankruptcy every nineteen seconds, it's clear any solution to America's economic crisis has to include health care reform. Even if you've called your Members of Congress before, please do so again. So far, we have over 100 Members of Congress on board (and four from CT) with our effort, but that isn't enough to win health care reform yet.
We need your voice!
Congress works for you! Call Senator Joe Lieberman today and demand health care reform. Dial 1-888-436-8427
We are not going to allow our health care system to the point that our banking system did. Please make your voice heard.
To Your Health,
Phil Sherwood
Deputy Director, CT Citizen Action Group
P.S. Please forward this action alert to your family, friends and neighbors.
Disclosure: I am the Online Organizer for Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)
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