Health Care
 Kudos to Senator Maria Cantwell, AIS pledge signer, whose leadership pushed the inclusion of an amendment in the health care bill that would push for a public option similar to Washington state's Basic Health Plan. Please contact her office and tell her thank you. Here is the release from her staff:
WASHINGTON, DC - Today the Senate Finance Committee passed an amendment to the
America's Healthy Futures Act of 2009 sponsored by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
(D-WA) that will for the first time provide states with the ability to negotiate
with health insurers in order to provide high quality health care coverage at a
lower cost. Rather than handing tax subsidies to insurance companies, Cantwell's
amendment directs this money to the states, and lets them use their purchasing power
to negotiate with private insurance carriers. Modeled after Washington state's
Basic Health Plan, which has a 20-year track record of reducing costs and providing
quality care, Cantwell's plan could provide coverage to 75 percent of the uninsured
population.
"We know that the individual insurance market doesn't work for people making less
than $50,000 a year," said Cantwell. "This proposal is about giving federal dollars
to the states and putting them in the driver's seat. It is a public plan, but
negotiated with the private sector. We are going to everything we can to drive down
the costs of insurance for the citizens of this country and at least this amendment
is a start."
Under the original Chairman's mark, people with income between 133 and 200 percent
of the poverty level would have been eligible for tax subsidies to help them afford
individual insurance coverage. Cantwell's plan, redirects these revenues to the
states so they can negotiate and cover this group in a more cost effective way, all
without sacrificing the level of benefits.
Right now, these people are the most disadvantaged in the individual insurance
market and would be left to fend for themselves against the insurance companies.
According to data released in July 2009 by the Commonwealth Fund, a private
foundation: adults with low incomes who sought coverage on the individual market
were the least likely to enroll in a health plan; 85 percent of adults with incomes
under 200 percent of poverty who tried to buy coverage on the individual market,
never purchased it; and, more than one-third of adults who had ever sought coverage
in the individual market were turned down by an insurance carrier, charged a higher
price, or had a specific health problem excluded from their coverage.
The states' negotiators know the number of people they need to cover and the benefit
packages they need to get, and therefore are able to bargain on behalf of this group
with insurers to get premiums as low as possible. Insurance providers are apt to
negotiate with states because it provides them with a new pool of customers.
An independent trust would be established in each state to handle the funds. States
would be encouraged to negotiate with multiple providers, including any public
option choice that becomes law, so individuals would have a choice of multiple
state-negotiated coverage plans. Any money left over after negotiations would not
be transferrable into the state's general fund; and this proposal is not an
expansion of the Medicaid program.
"Hard-working Americans deserve choices for better coverage in the private insurance
system," said Cantwell. "My proposal in no way substitutes a robust federal public
option, which I will continue fighting for, but clearly demonstrates how powerful"
the government can be in negotiating on behalf of consumers."
Published Thu, 10/01/2009 - 4:02pm
 For years, activists and organizations have been calling for reform in health care. For too long people have been dying, going bankrupt or seen their quality of life negatively altered because of lack of insurance, access and spiraling costs have kept Americans ill. AIS has hosted town halls, met with our elected leaders and been a voice for working families on this issue.
Finally, things are starting to move. Five active bills are working their way through the Congress to change the way America does health care. But there is noticable resistence from the insurance, pharmaceutical and big business lobbies who could see their outrageous profits cut to right-wing Republicans who see this as a poltical opportunity to stall Obama. Recent town halls have beem mobbed by "tea-baggers" intent on disrupting democracy and discourse.
Published Wed, 08/05/2009 - 10:51am
Affordable health care for all Americans is one of the goals of America In Solidarity. Every time we meet with a member of Congress, this issue is brought up as it alones bankrupts, kills or severely disrupts the quality of life for thousands of working families in Washington State. HR 676 is the gold standard of progressive legislation proposed in Congress that would provide a single-payer national plan for every American. This past Monday, there was a message left on our voicemail that stated "Congressman Dicks has signed on to be a cosponsor of HR 676, thought you should be one of the first to know."
Published Fri, 06/19/2009 - 9:43am
Nearly 400 people rallied in Tacoma, joining cities across the
nation, in a call for affordable health care. America In Solidarity
joined a wide range of faith, labor and community groups in the rally
and march that took place on May 30th. Among the speakers were Tacoma
Mayor Bill Baarsma, City Councilmember Marilyn Strickland, State
Representatives Tami Green and Dawn Morrell, and Congressman Adam Smith. The
45-minute rally at First United Methodist Church was followed by a
short march to People's Park where the marchers were greeted by music
Published Wed, 06/10/2009 - 6:14pm
 Join hundreds of your fellow residents of Tacoma and Pierce County to
let our elected leaders know that 2009 is the year that the United
States gives the right to accessible and affordable health care to all
of its citizens.
Rally and march on May 30th at 9:30am at First United Methodist Church.
For more info, go to the official rally website.
Published Sat, 05/02/2009 - 4:09pm
America In Solidarity sponsored a community forum called “Health Care and the Economic Crisis” on March 2nd at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. The forum looked at proposed health care cuts, asked for input from attendees, and concluded with a community vote on the importance of each program.
There were approximately 25 attendees and represented a variety of ages from college students to retirees; also present were nearly a dozen people who work in the health care industry as either providers, advocates or management. We provided a list of 11 potential cuts as stated by Governor Gregoire’s proposed budget. When asked to vote upon programs to cut, there was much resistance as one person proclaimed “Who am I throwing out of the lifeboat?” Several attendees refused to vote on a cut, instead writing on the side: No cuts to health care.
After a few short presentations, a lively discussion followed with many participants agreeing with the comment, “It is a shame we are looking at a list like this.” Some of the discussion points and anecdotes include:
Published Sun, 03/08/2009 - 2:55pm
When: 7pm, Monday March 2nd, 2009
Where: University of Puget Sound Rotunda (1500 S. Warner Tacoma, WA)
Admission: Free. Public is welcome.
Contact: Todd Iverson at 253-471-1123 or todd@americasolidarity.org
Background:
Governor Gregoire’s proposed biennium budget cut an estimated $900 million from various health care programs that serve the people of Washington State. Since then, the estimated budget deficit has increased from $6 billion to $8.3 billion meaning further cuts could be instituted. This forum will ask attendees to help legislators determine priorities in protecting and eliminating programs. After a discussion period, participants will be asked to vote on which programs to cut and which to save.
Published Fri, 02/27/2009 - 10:38am
With a nearly $6 billion projected deficit, there is going to be a lot of tough decisions when it comes to Washington State's budget. In the area of health care, it will be a battle to maintain the progress made in recent years. Details and certainly revisions will follow in the next couple of months, but Robby Stern from the Healthy Washington Coalition recently sent out an email with some of the highlights when it comes to health care: First some good news:
-
The budget maintained dental,
vision & hearing for Medicaid adults and kids (up to 250% of poverty).
Mental health parity was retained for medicaid adults and kids.
Published Thu, 12/18/2008 - 4:24pm
Here is the email sent out by Healthy Washington Coalition chair Robby Stern following a health care forum on July 1st: Last night's Caucus in Tacoma exceeded our expectations. Organizers found ourselves pulling chairs out of th convenient storage room as the 150 seats that had been set up proved to be insufficient. All seats were filled(except a couple in front; for some reason, many people don't like the front row!) and people were standing around the wonderful hall provided to us by Temple Beth El. There were more than 200 people
and maybe as many as 250.
The program was appreciated by those in attendance. Dr. Jeff Smith set the context with his presentation of the problem; Damiana Merryweather explained the legislative process that is underway and how the Coalition is moving forward and Yunhee Choi told her story of having to choose between higher education and health care. Then more than 30 participants expressed their views on the most important values that should serve as a foundation for a reformed health care system. The participant speeches were thoughtful, moving and appreciated by those in attendance. All the values are important but the top four proved to be:
Published Mon, 07/07/2008 - 7:50am
Some 4,000 registered nurses began a 10-day walkout Friday at 10 Bay
Area hospitals operated by the Sutter Health chain in a dramatic
protest over patient care conditions. More than 95 percent of the RNs
struck the hospitals. Guaranteeing safe RN staffing at all times --
especially ensuring that Sutter RNs are able to take rest breaks and
meals -- is one of several key patient safety issues that is at the
center of the dispute. See the California Nurses Association site for more details.
Published Tue, 03/25/2008 - 7:43am
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