Report on SEIU/Change That Works
Health Care Affordability Summit
By Caroline Vernon
Washington, DC - On January 13th, SEIU/Change That Works and health care reform coalition partners mobilized labor members and health care advocates from across the country for a national day of action, calling on legislators to adopt 3 essential aspects of the House & Senate bills; The 3 A’s: Affordability, Accessibility, and Accountability.
Before a crowd of 150, many pro-reform legislators spoke passionately about the need to make health care more affordable, as the conference committee decides the fate of meaningful health care legislation.
Everyone in attendance agreed, our #1 priority should be making real reform affordable for working families and setting premiums and out-of-pocket costs at levels that are fair and reasonable. Adequate subsidies are seen to be essential to the fundamental goal of guaranteeing quality affordable health care to all Americans. SEIU and coalition partners, PICO, Families USA, and other community groups called on legislators and the Obama administration to adopt the following 5 components of the House & Senate bills:
• The safety net for the most vulnerable in our communities is stronger in the House through an expansion of Medicaid to those making 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or less.
• The House bill offers lower premiums and caps out-of pocket costs at levels that lower income families earning less than 250% of the FPL (less than $41,000 for a family of 3) can better afford.
• The Senate bill makes care more affordable for families who are between 250% and 400% of the FPL.
• The House surtax impacting only the wealthiest Americans, is more favorable than the Senate’s excise tax that would adversely impact millions of middle class families, resulting in benefit cuts, increasing premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
• The House approach to ensuring employers share responsibility and contribute to the coverage of part time workers. If not, employers will have a strong incentive to reduce the number of hours for full time workers so they are not penalized for not offering coverage – there must be accountability.
Reformers also advocated on behalf of seniors having expanded access to affordable medications by closing the gap or “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Overall, the House bill makes coverage much more affordable for working families. To give you an example of the difference, a single worker earning only $17,500 per year will pay 16% of their annual income for health insurance ($2,801) under the Senate bill, while paying only 8% ($1,416) of their annual income for insurance under the House bill – a very substantial difference. Additionally, under provisions found in the Senate bill, a low income family of 3 that earns $41,000 a year would pay an annual average of $7,000 or 17% of their annual income on healthcare; $2,134 more than under the House bill. The same family could pay a maximum of $9,000 a year on healthcare; $2,175 more than the maximum under HR 3962.
SEIU members who were interviewed during the day of national action spoke about why they and their families need affordable, comprehensive coverage as a part of reform. Their personal accounts are truly moving. Watch it here.
Some of the Congressmen and women who spoke at the Health Care Affordability Summit included, Congressman Ensign from New York, Donna Edwards from Maryland, Christopher Murphy and Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut, and Congressman Dingle from Michigan who put the fight for health care justice in historical perspective by reminding us, the fight to enact Social Security and Medicare in this country was as intense and controversial as our current struggle to pass meaningful health care reform legislation in 2010. Congressman Dingle, has been a member of Congress for 54 years.
After the summit, advocates lobbied their members of congress on affordability. SEIU Iowa President, Cathy Glasson, and I had an opportunity to meet with Congressmen Loebsack and Braley who both said they were in agreement and supported adopting the 5 key components we had outlined from the House and Senate bills that would make health care more affordable. Both Congressmen indicated they had met with President Obama just the day before to discuss compromises in the House and Senate bills. When we addressed the issue of favoring the House surtax over the Senate’s excise tax as a funding mechanism, both congressmen expressed disappointment that the president was “bent” on adopting the Senate’s version which would place the burden on working families rather than the wealthiest Americans. As you may recall, this is NOT what Obama campaigned on.
Since our visit, we know organized labor has fought for acceptable compromises which would tax cadillac plans costing over $8,900 rather than $8,000 as outlined in the Senate bill.
I also addressed the need to fix the 2 year waiting list for individuals who qualify for Social Security Disability with our Iowa congressmen. As it stands today, recipients are told they must wait 2 years before becoming eligible for Medicare. This is nothing short of cruel. Why would anyone deny disabled individuals access to healthcare? I have to wonder, what was Congress thinking? Why would anyone intentionally withhold health care from people who have met all the many difficult requirements to demonstrate they have a serious medical need which resulted in disability? Is it their hope that folks will just die off or what? Do they not understand what kind of impact this has on people’s lives or the amount of damage that can ensue if a chronic condition goes untreated for 2 years? Neither the House or Senate bill addresses this issue. I ask you to please raise your voice and advocate on behalf of these individuals who arguably have the greatest need for care.
Congressman Braley also shared with us his concerns that pro-reform advocates have not countered the “tea baggers” or anti-reform protestors who he and others see everyday on the steps of the Capitol and outside House and Senate offices. Unfortunately, they also garner ALL of the media’s attention, since there is no “visual” pro-reform presence on the Hill. Congressman Braley expressed frustration over the fact that progressives and pro-reform advocates have not mobilized a massive demonstration and show of support for health care reform, countering anti-reformer claims that they are in the majority.
I know there are so many of you who have worked long and hard on meaningful health care reform but NOW is the time to step up the pressure on our elected leaders and hold them to their word -- that includes President Obama. I believe it is also long past time to demonstrate a massive show of support for our elected leaders who continue to work hard for health care reform on behalf of ALL Americans.
I call on organized labor, people of faith, community groups, grassroots organizations, and all other health care advocates to come together and organize/mobilize a Health Care for All March on Washington this Spring; if meaningful legislation is already passed, we can thank our leaders for making it happen, if not, we can address what we need in order to ensure meaningful health care reform. Either way, it’s a win-win and an opportunity to show media pundits and the American people that WE ARE the majority of Americans who overwhelmingly voted for CHANGE in November of 2008. So far, it’s been politics as usual. We need a change we really can believe in…
What do we need? HEALTH CARE! When do we need it? NOW!!!
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Tuesday, January 19
Report on SEIU/Change That Works Health Care Affordability Summit
by
Caroline Vernon
on Tue 19 Jan 2010 01:56 AM CST
Sunday, January 17
Senator Grassley, Iowans and the Mainstream Media
by
paul deaton
on Sun 17 Jan 2010 05:00 AM CST
Senator Grassley, Iowans and the Mainstream Media
 by Paul Deaton"...as long as the mainstream news media fails to cover the influence of powerful interests, there will be a need in society for citizens to participate in its events..." Attending a Senator Chuck Grassley town hall meeting is a gift for people interested in what is going on in Iowa. Grassley refers to his town hall meetings as “representative government.” There are two sides, the people and the elected official representing the government. He said, “We gotta have these sessions for representative government to work.” After attending his Williamsburg, Iowa town hall on January 12, I can report that the 125 people in attendance (by the Senator’s count) are getting a lot of their information from the mainstream media. Rather than informing the citizenry, the mainstream media is distracting people from what is more important to them. That’s what is going on in Iowa. The issues raised by citizens in attendance are many of the same ones that get attention from MSNBC, FOX, CNN, and the broadcast networks: immigration, ACORN, Al Gore, polling data, cap & trade, health care, banker bonuses and the tea bag movement within the Republican Party. If we had more than the hour allotted we would have covered them all. The question is, do these issues come from the people, or are they reflections of distorted information fanned by the bluster of the mainstream media? When public opinion is formed by a media that serves to make a profit rather than inform the citizenry, these are the results. One citizen expressed outrage about the national discussion over climate change and called for a bill to investigate Al Gore. Another citizen said “Democrats are intent on destroying our medical care. Can’t we persuade someone to change their vote?” Another suggested that Republicans should delay everything in the Senate by demanding that every bill be read aloud. We respect the right of people to make these statements and the town hall meeting enabled them to express their emotions. It’s all good from an emotional release standpoint. The speakers all seemed to be decent people. The challenge of a society with a for-profit news and entertainment media is that it is difficult to hear real issues amidst all the noise. It is also difficult to know what represents truth and what represents exaggeration or falsehood. Some truth came out of this town hall. A dairy farmer recently “retired” because the government’s dairy policy was bankrupting him. He said, “When the government helps dairy farmers, things get worse.” He indicated that changes in milk prices related to Washington dairy policy led to his losing $9,000 per month and going out of business. The exchange between Grassley and the citizen was a slice of reality right in front of us. Grassley asked the former dairy farmer why dairy producers like him send their lobbyists to Washington with policies that are bad for dairy farmers. “We were doing what the dairy association wanted,” said Grassley. This is an example of the disconnect between citizenry and government. It also exemplified an issue largely absent from the national discussion in the mainstream media, the dairy lobby. Maybe the Senator took a note to discuss the situation with the dairy association, but the whole notion of “representative government” Grassley-style seems fatally flawed. At some level, Grassley’s office appears to exist to serve the needs of trade associations rather than citizens, as this example suggests. The presumption is that these powerful interests represent what individuals want. By failing to cover the story of the influence of powerful interests like the dairy associations, the mainstream media is failing the citizenry. Perhaps this is because there are not enough news gathering people in the media. Perhaps it is because reporters have to rely on corporate public relations staff to get their stories. Perhaps it is because citizens have been conditioned to consume news broadcasts the same way we consume the sugary drinks, salted snacks and medicine they advertise. I don’t know the reason, but as long as the mainstream news media fails to cover the influence of powerful interests, there will be a need in society for citizens to participate in its events and report back to their family and friends with hope that someday, someone in this country will stand up to the powerful interests. ~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County. Check out his blog, Big Grove Garden. E-mail Paul Deaton Wednesday, January 6
Support The Fallon Forum, Iowa's Progressive Talk Radio Show
by
Trish Nelson
on Wed 06 Jan 2010 05:00 AM CST
Support The Fallon Forum, Iowa's Progressive Talk Radio Show
 Ed and Lynn Fallon are celebrating the three-month anniversary of The Fallon Forum, an hour of local, progressive talk, broadcast each evening, Monday through Thursday on the publicly owned airwaves at 983wow-fm. If you live outside of central Iowa, you can still livestream the show at 983wowfm.com. An oasis of rationality in the conservative talk wasteland, The Fallon Forum has successfully added much needed balance to the talk radio landscape in Iowa. Iowa progressives can support their efforts by listening, calling into the show, donating, and supporting its sponsors - businesses and organizations. Here's an update from Ed and Lynn. ~ We’re three months into our effort to help make local progressive talk radio a sustainable feature on Iowa’s airwaves. It’s a good time to thank the small business owners who make The Fallon Forum possible through their support as advertisers. Please join us in patronizing these businesses – and tell them you heard about them from us! Community CPA & Associates, who are not only buying ads for The Fallon Forum but sponsoring the show for a month. Owner Ying Sa does a lot of great work for our community, too, helping to promote minority-owned business opportunities. Food: One of our favorite [Des Moines restaurants] is India Star, owned by Baba Singh. Baba has served North Indian cuisine to central Iowa for over twelve years. Newly opened in Des Moines’ East Village is Open Sesame, owned by our friend Mario Gazali and offering a wonderful array of Lebanese food. For lunch, Proof has become a place we often choose in downtown Des Moines. We are thrilled that owner Carly Groben is committed to purchasing Iowa-grown foods in season. Nagi’s Mediterranean Grocery is a new store at 42nd and University in Des Moines, offering ethnic options you won’t find in many other places. Critters: Story County Veterinary Clinic is our first sponsor to come from outside Polk County, and we appreciate Dr. Houlding’s support. Kids: Tanya Keith runs Simply for Giggles, an East Village shop that provides a range of products for kids – everything you’ll need to decorate, educate or entertain your little ones. Warmth: Our friend Leonard Tinker (Leonard Tinker Heating & Cooling) will add further warmth to your life with his stimulating and provocative conversation. Home & Office: There’s some great new office rental space opening up on the east side of downtown, under the auspices of East Village Office Suites. Rent includes a receptionist, secretary, internet, phone, conference room, tech support, fax and copying services, cleaning and utilities – and a great ambiance to connect with like-minded professionals. If it’s a one-bedroom apartment you’re looking to rent, Michael Renovations manages a beautiful Tudor revival-style building at 4526 University in Des Moines, with apartments renting at $585 per month. And if it’s historic renovation you need for your home or business, check out the work of Preservation Resource Group. Music: Shon and Chris with S & P Piano Services not only move even the biggest pianos but they’ve got an impressive selection for sale as well. Cars: Graham Gormley at Sargent’s Garage just north of downtown Des Moines on 6th Avenue has serviced three generations of Fallon-mobiles. We would also encourage you to support our organizational sponsors and supporters: Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa (PCCI) 1000 Friends of Iowa, Sierra Club (Iowa Chapter) Des Moines Social Club, A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy (AMOS) Drinking Liberally Primary Health Care Be sure to tune in to this week’s Fallon Forum, airing live from 7:00 - 8:00 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. (We’ve been bumped for the ballgame on Tuesday – Go Hawkeyes!). Check out The Bradshaw Show, too, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. We’re on 983 WOW-FM, and both shows can be live-streamed at 983wowfm.com. Listeners are invited to call-in at (515) 312-0983 or toll free at (866) 908-TALK. Ed and Lynn Fallon |
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