LA House Votes to Nullify Federally Mandated Health Insurance

LA House Votes to Nullify Federally Mandated Health Insurance

Louisiana lawmakers want to exempt LA citizens from the federal mandate requiring all citizens to purchase health insurance. 

The House of Representatives voted 59-15 today to declare that Louisiana residents should not be subject to the looming mandate to buy health insurance, an anchor provision of President Barack Obama's recently enacted health care overhaul.

Both the debate and the vote fell along party lines, with a handful of Democrats joining Republicans to forge a majority. Several other Democrats chose not to vote, a tacit admission of the political difficulty, particularly for white Democrats, of associating with a president who is overwhelmingly unpopular among white Louisiana voters.
House Bill 1474 states that every Louisiana resident "is and shall be free from governmental intrusion in choosing or declining to choose any mode of securing health insurance coverage without penalty or threat of penalty."

Interestingly, the one argument that Republican legislators don't seem to be making in support of their bill (HB 1474) is that their constituents cannot afford such a mandate, which does lead one to wonder why that objection was raised so loudly before the health reform initiative passed?

What Insurance Reform Means for Louisiana

 What Insurance Reform Means For Louisiana

Organizing for America (OAF) wants you to know what health insurance reform really means for us, right here in Louisiana. Together with President Obama's administration, they created this video to put some real numbers in front of the promise that reform is right for Louisiana.

After decades of struggle and a year of debate, health reform is now law in America.

What does it mean for you? It means an end to the worst insurance company abuses, new rules that treat everyone fairly, and more choices and affordable health insurance for millions of Americans.

According to the video, the new health insurance reform law will:

• Provide 95,881 Louisianans (including me) with pre-existing conditions access to affordable health insurance options that were not previously available to them.
• Provide tax credits to 588,000 Louisianans.
• Provide tax cuts for 51,000 small businesses in Louisiana.
• Save nearly 7000 Louisiana families from bankruptcy due to medical debt in just one year.
• Will provide insurance to 894,000 Louisianans who previously had none.

Keep this information handy, because it will be pretty hard for insurance and pharmaceutical special interests to argue against these kinds of reforms for our (and every) state in the future.

Yes he did.

Congress Passes Health Care Bill

As of roughly 10:00 p.m. this evening, Congress passed a bill which, upon becoming law when President Obama signs it, will enact sweeping health care insurance reform. Perhaps not exactly the way many were hoping (there is no public option) this act will nevertheless provide options for millions of Americans who currently have no options at all. People who live the way my family lived for nearly 5 years after I lost my own job as a social worker due what became a chronic, debilitating medical condition - with no health insurance, mounting medical bills, and an ever growing debt that promises to crush our family for much, if not all, of the rest of our lives. I am blessed to have people in my life who have helped me survive and begin to build a new kind of life. Yet with the years of social work experience behind me, I know that I am only one of many, and luckier than some. What in my opinion has been the worst disservice the contemporary American government has done to its citizens - denied them the right to affordable and lifesaving medical care - has been corrected this evening. As of when this bill takes effect, I can finally rest easy that even if I lose my current insurance, I will still be able to find some kind of health insurance, the kind that won't drop me the moment I need it the most.

And the great thing is, even if you don't agree me, so will you.

Congressman Joseph Cao To Host 5th AAA Health Fair March 20

Congressman "Joseph" Cao Hosts 5th AAA Health Fair for Louisianans on March 20, 2010

Let's hear it for Congressman Cao, who continues to put his money where his mouth is on the issue of health care for Louisianans. Below is a copy of the press release issued today by his office:

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 3, 2010
CONTACT: 
D. Clayton Hall (202) 225-6636
 

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

Cao to Host 5th AAA Health Fair

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, March 20, 2010, Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao (LA-02) will host his 5th “Affordable, Accessible, and Accountable” (AAA) Health Fair at Craig Elementary School from 10:00am to 2:00pmCST.

Cao said: “While those in Washington continue to argue over the politics of a health care reform bill, I want to help the constituents of Orleans and Jefferson Parishes with immediate health care assistance.”

Cao added: “Our health care system should be affordable, accessible, and accountable.  I host AAA health fairs for people to actively engage in preventive care.  I invite everyone in the 2nd Congressional District to take advantage of these free services and vital information.”

Who: Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao and certified health officials

What: AAA Health Fair (Affordable. Accessible. Accountable.)

Where: Craig Elementary School – 1423 St. Phillip St., New Orleans, LA

When: Saturday, March 20, 2010

Time: 10:00am - 2:00pmCST 

The Louisiana Department of Insurance will be available to answer questions about insurance coverage, products, and rates. The U.S. Census Bureau will be on site to answer questions about the 2010 Census.

Provided services will include screenings, education, and/or referrals for the following items:

• Assistance with Prescription Medicines
• Children’s Health Insurance Enrollment (LaCHIP)
• HIV/AIDS
• Eye Exams
• Oral Health
• Mental Health
• Diabetes
• Blood Pressure
• Home Care
• Pregnancy Testing
• Stress Management
• Acupuncture

  For more information about the AAA Health Fair, click here.

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If this issue matters to you, please take a moment to contact Congressman Cao or his staff to say "thank you" for his dedication to the issue of affordable health care for all Louisianans. 

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Senators Need A Push To Pass Health Care Reform Bill

Senators Need A Push To Pass Health Care Reform Bill

Today from MoveOn:

Breaking news: congressional leaders are presenting a new plan to finish comprehensive health care reform—but it's already meeting resistance from some rank-and-file Democrats.¹

News reports say "it's unclear that they will have the votes to move forward."²

So we're launching a massive nationwide call-in effort today to send an overwhelming message to Capitol Hill: giving up on health care reform is not an option. Voters want their elected representatives to stand up and deliver, and the first step is passing real, comprehensive health care reform this year.

We've set a goal of making 45 calls to Senator Mary Landrieu from MoveOn members in New Orleans today—can you join in?

Here's where to call:

Senator Mary Landrieu
Phone: 202-224-5824

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSLA_1&cp_id=1237&id=18719-17452410-veyD4cx&t=1

Thanks for all you do.

Update: We called Senator Landrieu's office today and - Hallelujah! - we got through! The Senator's aide stated that "as of right now, Senator Landrieu is all in" to support the bill.  But don't let that keep you from calling...remember, the Senator withheld her support until virtually the last minute, so she needs to know that you want her to stick with it!

National Folic Acid Week

National Folic Acid Week

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has posted the following information on National Folic Acid Week, January 4 - 10. It's no "Talk Like A Pirate Day," but I suppose it's still a worthwhile effort. So if you or someone you know has a bun in the proverbial oven, take a look:

NATIONAL FOLIC ACID AWARENESS WEEK IS JANUARY 4-10, 2010

LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HOSPITALS STATES,
IT TAKES A HEALTHY WOMAN TO PRODUCE A HEALTHY BABY
Folic Acid Taken Daily -One Year Before Pregnancy Greatly Improves Birth Outcome


Baton Rouge, LA – In efforts to increase the awareness of Folic Acid, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals stresses the importance for women to be healthy prior to pregnancy and how Folic Acid can help. The risk of birth defects can be reduced by nearly 70% if a woman consumes at least 400 micrograms of Folic Acid a day. Women who consume the recommended amount of Folic Acid supplement daily, one year before pregnancy occurs are shown to have fewer complications, in terms of preterm birth, low birth weight and birth defects, Folic Acid may also reduce their risk of miscarriage. Neural Tube Defects are birth defects effecting the spine and brain and typically occur in the first 28 days of pregnancy – before most women even know they are pregnant. In addition to these compelling reductions in risk, Folic Acid benefits the mother by strengthening skin, hair and nails, as it allows cells to rapidly reproduce, helping our bodies repair themselves faster.

According to Louisiana data, nearly 70% of women reported that they heard or read that taking folic acid can help prevent some birth defects and yet only 30% of these women admitted to taking folic acid daily in the month before their pregnancy. To help address this gap, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals offers folic acid vitamins to all of its family planning clients in parish health units statewide.

“Our goal is to make people to understand that it takes more than 9 months to have a healthy baby. Women in their childbearing years should begin taking Folic Acid at least one year prior to pregnancy,” says Dr. Joan Wightkin ,Maternal and Child Health Administrator for the Office of Public Health. Dr. Wightkin continues “Being healthy and prepared in the years preceding a pregnancy greatly increases the chances of having a healthy baby.”

Where can Folic Acid be found? Vitamin supplements are a great way to get the recommended daily amounts of Folic Acid, however, another source is a vast array of delicious foods. It is found in fruits such as oranges and bananas, veggies such as broccoli, spinach, kale and asparagus, dried beans and nuts and many grain products, including fortified cereals.


Partners for Healthy Babies is funded by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health and WIC Programs. The program began because about 10 percent of all babies in Louisiana were born small and weak. These are called low birth weight babies (less than 5.5 pounds) and many of them die before their first birthday. Our goal is to link pregnant women to the services they need to help them be healthy, and have healthy babies. 1-800-251-BABY - www.1800251baby.org

Click on www.1800251BABY.org for the official website and more information.

A Healthy New Year For Louisiana

A Healthy New Year For Louisiana

While we wait and watch to see what Congress will actually decide to put forward in a health insurance reform bill, here are some links to help you keep your families healthy in the coming New Year:

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals:


Anyone wanting to "apply for LaCHIP, LaCHIP affordable, and other Medicaid programs" can go to the Franklinton Health Unit - 120 Eleventh St., Franklinton on December 29, 2009 from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm. If you can't attend the program that day, remember you can always apply for Medicaid online.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals will be sponsoring free Health Fairs on the North Shore on January 16 and January 23, 2001. Vaccinations for the H1N1/swine flu virus will be available. Click on the dates for more information.

Louisiana Rebuilds - Hospitals and Clinics


Click HERE or see below for a list of health clinics currently operating in the New Orleans area.

Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans

http://www.dcsno.org

The DCSNO offers inexpensive healthcare to residents of the greater New Orleans area. Medicaid, Medicare and commercial insurance are welcomed. A financial assistance program is available based on income and eligibility. Health centers are located in Carrollton, Metairie, and St. Cecilia on Rampart. Services offered include primary care, chronic illness care, behavioral and mental health services, and pharmacy services. Visit the website for more information including phone numbers for appointments.  less

Map of Open Clinics

http://www.gnocommunity.org

This online service is dedicated to helping individuals find a quality healthcare center that fits their needs This site lists over 80 healthcare center sites, 40 of which offer primary care services. These centers are funded in part by the Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant, a program designed to meet the increasing demand for quality healthcare services in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parish. Other services include mental health and substance abuse services, dental care and more. Individuals can search for healthcare services on the website or call (504) 872-0750.  less

Tulane Community Health Clinic Mobile Units

http://www.gnomobileunits.org/tchmobile.html

Updated

Tulane Community Health On the Road offers comprehensive primary care and behavioral health services to children and adults in a mobile setting to meet each neighborhood’s unique needs. Services are provided irrespective of insurance status or ability to pay. Services include comprehensive primary care, women’s health, blood pressure and diabetes management, health education, health screenings, Medicaid enrollment and case management. In additional to its regular schedule, the mobile unit also provides services during health fairs and community events.

The units are stationed regularly in Gentilly, Algiers, Westwego, Central City, and Mid City. Click the link for locations and schedules. Call (504) 994.0054 for more information.  less

Tulane Community Health Center at Covenant House

http://www.tucovenanthealthcenter.org/

Updated

The Tulane Community Health Center at Covenant House offers healthcare services, mental health counseling, reproductive health services, and geriatrics care. Medical services are available Mon & Thurs from 8am to 7pm and Tues, Wed & Fri from 8am to 5pm. Call 504-988-3000 for more information or to make an appointment.  less

Excelth, Inc. Primary Care Mobile Medical Unit

http://www.gnomobileunits.org/excelth.html

The Excelth Mobile Medical Unit provides pediatric and adult primary care, women's health, podiatry, behavioral health, case management, care management, medication assistance, Free HIV counseling and testing, focusing on the uninsured and underinsured. Once initial services are provided, patients are linked to a Medical Home with an assigned, consistent, provider within the network which includes Daughters of Charity and New Orleans Health Department clinics (fixed sites).

The unit is stationed regularly in Gentilly, New Orleans East, and the Lower 9th Ward. Click the link for locations and schedules. Call (504) 444.7071 for more information.  less

Free Prenatal Care - Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center

http://www.gnomobileunits.org/docmobile.html

The Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center offers prenatal services to women throughout the community. There are two units in the Greater New Orleans area to serve the needs of the uninsured and underinsured. Prenatal care is available for everyone regardless of your ability to pay. Services include regular prenatal visits with a nurse midwife, lab-work, and health education including topics such as vitamins, and folic acid, other important health information. The mobile unit is stationed regularly in Kenner, Mid-City, Arabi, Chalmette, Central City, and the Lower 9th Ward. Click the link for locations and schedules. Call (504) 231.8193 for more information.  less

LSU Neighborhood Health Clinics (.pdf)

http://www.lsuhospitals.org/Documents/community-clinics.final.v6.pdf

These LSU community health clinics located throughout New Orleans offer comprehensive primary health care and access to specialty care with an emphasis on prevention. Download the .pdf for clinic locations, contact information, and type of care offered.

The Lower 9th Ward Health Clinic

http://www.l9whc.org/

This clinic at 5228 St. Claude Ave. offers healthcare services in the Lower Ninth Ward. Walk-in hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 8am-4:30pm; Tuesday, 10am-6pm. Appointments only on Fridays. Starting June 1, 2008, the clinic will use a sliding fee scale for payment of services; however, no one will be turned away. Call 504-309-0918 for more information.  less

St. Anna’s Medical Mission

http://www.gnomobileunits.org/stannamed_sched.html

St. Anna’s Mobile Medical Unit travels to various areas in and around New Orleans to provide healthcare to vulnerable populations, with a focus on uninsured, homeless, and immigrant adults. The unit serves the Treme Neighborhood, the St. Roch area, the Lower 9th Ward, 7th Ward, Downtown, Metairie, and Arabi.

Click the link for locations and schedules. Call (504) 232.4403 for more information.  less

Louisiana Spirit’s directory of free and low-cost resources and services listed by parish

http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/publications.asp?ID=231&Detail=2468

Find information for recovery and urgent needs resources such as free food and clothing, healthcare, senior services, and shelters is available on the Louisiana Spirit website. Visit the website to choose a parish and access a list of resources in that area.

Louisiana Spirit also has a toll free number with crisis counselors that can make over-the-phone referrals for services and counseling help. Call 1-800-273-8255.

In This Together, Inc.

http://www.inthistogetherinc.org/index.html

ITT was formed in late 2004 to address health disparities with an emphasis on the Treme' area. ITT's initial focus has been in the area of HIV/AIDS. The clinic provides HIV Case Management, and housing locater assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS. It is an active LA Medicaid application site.
1661 Canal Street, Suite 3107
504-962-3245  less

Take Charge: Free Family Planning Services

http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/?ID=291

Free family planning services are available to uninsured women ages 19-44 who do not have Medicaid and want to avoid unintended pregnancy. The program is available through Lousiana Family Planning Waiver Services. For more information, call 877-252-2447 or visit the website.  less

New Orleans Musician's Clinic

http://www.neworleansmusiciansclinic.org/index.php

The New Orleans Musicians Clinic offers free healthcare services and prescriptions to local musicians. The clinic is located at 2820 Napoleon Avenue, Suite 890 in New Orleans. Call (504) 412-1366 for information or an appointment.  less

Louisiana Public Dental Clinics

http://www.lsusd.lsuhsc.edu/LSUSDClinics.html

A listing of public dental clinics compiled by the LSU School of Dentistry. Also see their student clinics  less

"Smile Again New Orleans" Mobile Dental Van

http://www.gnomobileunits.org/lsumobile.html

“Smile Again, New Orleans” is a HRSA Special Project of National Significance (SPNS) initiative to provide oral health care services to the HIV positive population of Greater New Orleans on a mobile dental van . It is a collaborative effort with the LSU School of Dentistry, MCLNO, and the HIV Outpatient Program/HOP. Partners include the NO/AIDS Task Force and N`R Peace. The “Smile Again, New Orleans” clinical team consists of a dentist and a dental assistant that provides oral healthcare services in two chairs on the mobile van.

Diagnostic services, preventative services, and simple restorative procedures are provided, and referrals are available for complicated restorative. The mobile dental van will travel to sites identified as having a significant population of those that are HIV positive and in need of oral health care services.

The van is regularly stationed in Downtown/Mid-City and New Orleans East. Click the link for locations and schedules. Call (504) 292.2519 for more information. 

If you need help finding the right resource to meet your needs, you can dial "211" from any land line phone. 211 is a 24 hour non-emergency information and referral service, providing comprehensive community resource information and referrals. Counselors can provide referrals for food banks, utility assistance programs, medical care, job training, elder care, disability assistance, after-school programs, tutoring, and more. If you don't have a land line, you can call the numbers below.

New Orleans
800-749-2673

Baton Rouge
877-923-2114

Lake Charles
866-310-4636

Lafayette
866-778-2618

Shreveport
866-823-9615

Monroe
800-644-9886  less

Here's wishing all Louisianans a happy, healthy new year!

Comparison of House and Senate Versions of Health Reform Bill

BusinessWeek.com published this comparison of the House and Senate versions of the health insurance reform bill:

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The Senate Democratic bill (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act):

WHO'S COVERED: About 94 percent of legal residents under age 65 -- compared with 83 percent now. Government subsidies to help buy coverage start in 2014. Of the remaining 24 million people under age 65 left uninsured, about one-third would be illegal immigrants.

COST: Coverage provisions cost $871 billion over 10 years.

HOW IT'S PAID FOR: Fees on insurance companies, drugmakers, medical device manufacturers. Medicare payroll tax increased to 2.35 percent on income over $200,000 a year for individuals, $250,000 for couples. A 10 percent sales tax on tanning salons, to be paid by the person soaking up the rays. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Forty percent excise tax on insurance companies, keyed to premiums paid on health care plans costing more than $8,500 annually for individuals and $23,000 for families. Fees for employers whose workers receive government subsidies to help them pay premiums. Fines on people who fail to purchase coverage.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS: Almost everyone must get coverage through an employer, on their own or through a government plan. Exemptions for economic hardship. Those who are obligated to buy coverage and refuse to do so would pay a fine starting at $95 in 2014 and rising to $750.

REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYERS: Not required to offer coverage, but companies with more than 50 employees would pay a fee of $750 per employee if the government ends up subsidizing employees' coverage.

SUBSIDIES: Tax credits for individuals and families likely making up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, which computes to $88,200 for a family of four. Tax credits for small employers.

BENEFITS PACKAGE: All plans sold to individuals and small businesses would have to cover basic benefits. The government would set four levels of coverage. The least generous would pay an estimated 60 percent of health care costs per year; the most generous would cover an estimated 90 percent.

INSURANCE INDUSTRY RESTRICTIONS: Starting in 2014: no denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions. No higher premiums allowed for pre-existing conditions or gender. Limits on higher premiums based on age and family size. Starting upon enactment of legislation: children up to age 26 can stay on parents insurance; no lifetime limits on coverage.

GOVERNMENT-RUN PLAN: In place of a government-run insurance option, the estimated 26 million Americans purchasing coverage through new insurance exchanges would have the option of signing up for national plans overseen by the same office that manages health coverage for federal employees and members of Congress. Those plans would be privately owned, but one of them would have to be operated on a nonprofit basis, as many Blue Cross Blue Shield plans are now.

HOW YOU CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE: Self-employed people, uninsured individuals and small businesses could pick a plan offered through new state-based purchasing pools. Would generally encourage employees to keep work-provided coverage.

DRUGS: Grants 12 years of market protection to high-tech drugs used to combat cancer, Parkinson's and other deadly diseases. Drug companies contribute $80 billion over 10 years with the majority of the money used to limit the prescription coverage gap in Medicare.

CHANGES TO MEDICAID: Income eligibility levels likely to be standardized to 133 percent of poverty -- $29,327 a year for a family of four -- for parents, children and pregnant women. Federal government would pick up the full cost of the expansion during the first three years. States could negotiate with insurers to arrange coverage for people with incomes slightly higher than the cutoff for Medicaid.

LONG-TERM CARE: New voluntary long-term care insurance program would provide a basic benefit designed to help seniors and disabled people avoid going into nursing homes.

ANTITRUST: Maintains the health insurance industry's decades-old antitrust exemption.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: Would be barred from receiving government subsidies or using their own money to buy coverage offered by private companies in the exchanges.

ABORTION: The bill tries to maintain a strict separation between taxpayer funds and private premiums that would pay for abortion coverage. No health plan would be required to offer coverage for the procedure. In plans that do cover abortion, beneficiaries would have to pay for it separately, and those funds would have to be kept in a separate account from taxpayer money. Moreover, individual states would be able to prohibit abortion coverage in plans offered through the exchange, after passing specific legislation to that effect. Exceptions would be made for cases of rape, incest and danger to the life of the mother.

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The House bill (Affordable Health Care for America Act):

WHO'S COVERED: About 96 percent of legal residents under age 65 -- compared with 83 percent now. Government subsidies to help buy coverage start in 2013. About one-third of the remaining 18 million people under age 65 left uninsured would be illegal immigrants.

COST: The Congressional Budget Office says the bill's cost of expanding insurance coverage over 10 years is $1.055 trillion. The net cost is $894 billion, factoring in penalties on individuals and employers who don't comply with new requirements. That's under President Barack Obama's $900 billion goal. However, those figures leave out a variety of new costs in the bill, including increased prescription drug coverage for seniors under Medicare, so the measure may be around $1.2 trillion.

HOW IT'S PAID FOR: $460 billion over the next decade from new income taxes on single people making more than $500,000 a year and couples making more than $1 million. The original House bill taxed individuals making $280,000 a year and couples making more than $350,000, but the threshold was increased in response to lawmakers' concerns that the taxes would hit too many people and small businesses.
There are also more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid; a new $20 billion fee on medical device makers; $13 billion from limiting contributions to flexible spending accounts; sizable penalties paid by individuals and employers who don't obtain coverage; and a mix of other corporate taxes and fees.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS: Individuals must have insurance, enforced through a tax penalty of 2.5 percent of income. People can apply for hardship waivers if coverage is unaffordable.

REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYERS: Employers must provide insurance to their employees or pay a penalty of 8 percent of payroll. Companies with payrolls under $500,000 annually are exempt -- a change from the original $250,000 level to accommodate concerns of moderate Democrats -- and the penalty is phased in for companies with payrolls between $500,000 and $750,000.
Small businesses -- those with 10 or fewer workers -- get tax credits to help them provide coverage.

SUBSIDIES: Individuals and families with annual income up to 400 percent of poverty level, or $88,000 for a family of four, would get sliding-scale subsidies to help them buy coverage. The subsidies would begin in 2013.

HOW YOU CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE: Beginning in 2013, through a new Health Insurance Exchange open to individuals and, initially, small employers. It could be expanded to large employers over time. States could opt to operate their own exchanges in place of the national exchange if they follow federal rules.

BENEFITS PACKAGE: A committee would recommend a so-called essential benefits package including preventive services. Out-of-pocket costs would be capped. The new benefit package would be the basic benefit package offered in the exchange.

INSURANCE INDUSTRY RESTRICTIONS: Starting in 2013, no denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions. No higher premiums allowed for pre-existing conditions or gender. Limits on higher premiums based on age.

GOVERNMENT-RUN PLAN: A new public plan available through the insurance exchanges would be set up and run by the health and human services secretary. Democrats originally designed the plan to pay Medicare rates plus 5 percent to doctors. But the final version -- preferred by moderate lawmakers -- would let the HHS secretary negotiate rates with providers.

CHANGES TO MEDICAID: The federal-state insurance program for the poor would be expanded to cover all individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $33,075 per year for a family of four. The federal government would pick up the full cost of the expansion in 2013 and 2014; thereafter the federal government would pay 91 percent and states would pay 9 percent.

DRUGS: Grants 12 years of market protection to high-tech drugs used to combat cancer, Parkinson's and other deadly diseases. Phases out the gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage by 2019. Requires the HHS secretary to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.

LONG-TERM CARE: New voluntary long-term care insurance program would provide a basic benefit designed to help seniors and disabled people avoid going into nursing homes.

ANTITRUST: Would strip the health insurance industry of a long-standing exemption from antitrust laws covering market allocation, price-fixing and bid rigging. The bill also would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to look into the health insurance industry at its own initiative.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: Would be barred from receiving government subsidies but permitted to use their own money to buy coverage offered by private companies in the exchange.

ABORTION: Private companies in the exchange could not offer plans covering abortion if those plans received federal subsidy money. Most plans in the exchange would be affected, because most consumers in the exchange would be using federal subsidy money to buy coverage. The new government plan could not offer abortion coverage. Insurance companies would be permitted to offer supplemental abortion coverage in separate plans that people could buy with their own money. Use of federal money for abortion coverage would be limited to cases of rape, incest or danger to the woman's life.

Fix The Senate Health Care Bill

 Fix The Senate Health Care Bill

For those of you following the continued drama surrounding the health care reform bill(s) floating around Washington, here's a summary of progress to date. In order for this bill to become law, both houses of Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives) put forward their own preferred versions of the bill. Once each house of congress passes its individual version of the bill, the two versions will be sent to a committee comprised of members of both houses, from both Democratic and Republican backgrounds. This committee will determine which parts of the proposed bills to include in the final bill, and which parts to discard. In other words, the committee will compose the final bill.

Currently the House of Representatives has put forward a version of the health reform bill that aggressively tackles issues such as the U.S.'s lack of public insurance options, and the fact that insurance companies are currently exempt from the usual anti-trust laws by which other industries must abide. The Senate, after much debate and a spoiled filibuster, is in the final throes of putting forward its own, significantly less progressive, version of their bill.

Below are five main ways that the Senate version of the health reform bill differs from the House version.

Five Critical Flaws in the Senate Health Care Bill

The Senate bill would:

#1—Deny Americans the choice of a public option. In contrast, the House bill contains a national public option, the key to real competition, greater choice, and lower costs.¹

#2—Leave insurance unaffordable for some lower income and working people. Both bills require virtually all Americans to buy insurance. But even with the subsidies provided, some families could have to pay up to 20% of their income on health care expenses.²

#3—Impose dangerous restrictions on women's reproductive health care. Unfortunately, both bills do this and the House provision is worse. Both versions would be a dangerous step and neither should be in the final bill.³

#4—Tax American workers' health coverage to pay for reform. The Senate would pay for part of reform by taxing the hard-won benefits packages of some working Americans. The House, on the other hand, pays for reform with a small surcharge on only the wealthiest Americans—a far better approach.⁴ 

#5—Allow insurance companies to remain exempt from anti-trust laws. Under current law, insurance companies are actually exempt from laws designed to prevent monopolies and price-gouging. The House bill would fix this, but the Senate bill leaves it in place.⁵

Of course, these aren't the only problems with the bill. Most glaringly, both the Senate and House bill would leave millions uninsured,⁶ a far cry from the vision of universal coverage so many of us have fought for. That remains a long-term goal.

But these five things need to be fixed immediately—and we need to spread the word to make sure House and Senate leadership and the White House get the message we're counting on them to craft a final bill with these key fixes...

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Sources:

1. "Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Public Plan," The New York Times, December 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85859&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=5

"The House Bill and the Senate Bill," The Now! Blog, December 21, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85861&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=6

"Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580516633344953.html

"Why a public health insurance option is key to saving costs," Economic Policy Institute, June 25, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85866&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=7

2. "Assessment of Affordability Provisions in the Exchange in House (H.R. 3962) and Senate (H.R. 3590) Health Reform Bills," Health Care for America Now

http://hcfan.3cdn.net/46590729111c307ccc_lom6b3a6r.pdf

"Finishing Reform Right: Fixing affordability before the President signs a health care bill," The Now! Blog, December 22, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85867&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=8

"Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Individual Mandate," The New York Times, December 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85860&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=9

"The House Bill and the Senate Bill," The Now! Blog, December 21, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85861&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=10

"Senate health bill is launch pad," Jacob Hacker, December 22, 2009

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30871.html

3. "Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Abortion," The New York Times, December 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85862&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=11

4. "Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Paying for the Proposals," The New York Times, December 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85863&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=12

5. "Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Insurance Regulations," The New York Times, December 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85736&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=13

6. "H.R. 3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act," Congressional Budget Office, November 20, 2009

http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10741

"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," Congressional Budget Office, November 18, 2009

http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10731

"REPORT: How the Senate Bill Compares to Other Reform Legislation," Think Progress, November 19, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85670&id=18398-17452410-dLeI9Ux&t=14

Above list and sources supplied by MoveOn.org

Scary New Health Care Tax = Small Tax on Cosmetic Surgery

Should Congress Tax Elective Cosmetic Procedures To Help Pay For Universal Health Care?

Now that Senator Landrieu and Congressman Cao have given their support to the health insurance reform initiative, let's talk about some of those BIG SCARY TAX INCREASES that have someone (read:. "insurance companies") splashing all kinds of silly misinformation all over TV and radio commercials.


For example, perhaps Cousin Sally was just diagnosed with leukiemia. But Sally is widowed and works two part time jobs to keep her kids in shoes and food, and neither of her low-wage jobs provides her with health insurance. On the other side of the tracks, Banker Joan has traded her youthful years to become a wealthy businesswoman, and wants to finally enjoy her single retirement. So she would like to get nice, natural looking  facelift and peruse the single life in her golden years. The Question:  Is it wrong for Congress to suggest that a small tax on Joan's fully elective, cosmetic procedure is in order to help Sally afford to get medical  insurance, which will help Sally work longer, and ensure that she is around and healthy enough to take care of her kids for as long as medically possible?

It's a question of priorities. Every special interest group in our nation has political action committee (PAC), and guess whose PAC is spending lots of money to tell you that this kind of taxing priority is wrong, wrong, wrong? If you guessed the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (if you've misplaced your thesaurus, "aesthetic" translates as "pretty") then you are a winner! These are the doctors who are being paid (and have a personal financial stake) in telling you that Congress is trying to raise health care taxes - they just don't happen to mention that the tax is relatively small for each individual, and is only applied to non-medically required, purely aesthetic, elective cosmetic procedures.



These are the kinds of priorities that Congress is currently debating with a health insurance reform bill. What they are NOT debating is a "government takeover" of health care (remember, this is insurance reform, not doctor/patient reform; no matter what version of the bill passes, you will be able to keep your own doctor and your current insurance if you can afford and prefer it).



And since we're on the topic of priorities, let's discuss this proposed "cosmetic tax." What are the doctors who specialize in cosmetic procedures claiming is wrong with such a tax? Why, they say it is discriminatory. So apparently they're under the impression that people who can afford to pay out of pocket to have purely cosmetic procedures are some kind of protected class in our society...while apparently impoverished parents and children who suffer and die due to lack of insurance should be just swept aside as a national "oops, my bad."

Look, as a former policy specialist and an aging woman myself, do I think that this tax is likely to be primarily paid by women? Of course. Women are by far the largest consumers of elective cosmetic procedures (although men are gaining on us). But the key word here is "elective." If you really don't want to pay tax on a cosmetic procedure, don't get the procedure, or get it elsewhere (although you'll probably just end up paying for another nation's taxes if you do so). If you want the procedure enough to pay tax on it... well then you can probably afford your health insurance anyway. Consider yourself fortunate to be financially (and medically) stable in a time when millions of your fellow Americans are not.

Americans are by and large a compassionate, caring group of people. If 9/11 taught us nothing else, it taught us that when the shit really hits the fan, we as a nation want to be one community that cares for its own. So I really believe that once we learn who is truly in the business of trying to buy our votes - either with money, or with hyperbolic emotional half-truths and scare tactics, then we as a nation will do the right thing for our communities and our country. So keep an eye out, and remember to always ask the question: Who stands to benefit from this commercial, or that speech, or the other emotion-laded, fist-pounding diatribe? And once you find out who that beneficiary is, ask yourself whether they're really concerned with the best interests of you and your family, or simply with their own pocketbooks. Then you'll have an educated base from which you can confidently decide your own priorities.

Senator Landrieu Supports President's Reform Bill

Senator Mary Landrieu Finally Puts Her Weight Behind President's Health Insurance Reform Bill

 

NOLA.com reported this morning that Senator Mary Landrieu, the Democratic holdout to Congressman Cao's unexpected cross-party vote supporting the President's health insurance reform plan, has finally come out in support of the proposed senate bill.

"Time is short, the political maneuvering tense and the ultimate vote will be tight, but Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., emerged from a White House meeting with President Barack Obama on Tuesday as a full-throated enthusiast for the Senate health care bill Democrats want to enact by Christmas.

Times-Picayune archive'Senate Democrats have developed a consensus that combines the best blend of private and public approaches to reduce cost, expand coverage and increase choice and competition for Americans,' U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu said Tuesday."While many of us expressed cost and bureaucracy concerns about early drafts of health care reform legislation, it is clear that the product the Senate is debating is a dramatic improvement," Landrieu said Tuesday evening.

"Senate Democrats have developed a consensus that combines the best blend of private and public approaches to reduce cost, expand coverage and increase choice and competition for Americans."

Landrieu's statement, issued under the headline, "Now is the Time to Pass Health Care Reform," is the most positive she has issued about the health care plan, which has been the subject of intensive negotiations in recent weeks. It came a few hours after Landrieu and nearly all Senate Democrats met with the president at the White House to talk about what he described as a historic opportunity they dare not squander.

"And from the discussions we had it's clear that we are on the precipice of an achievement that's eluded Congresses and presidents for generations -- an achievement that will touch the lives of nearly every American," Obama said after the afternoon meeting."

With all due respect, Madame Senator, it's about damn time.

We'll deal with Senator Vitter's ridiculous response to these developments at a later date.

Happy Holiday Wishes

Organizing For America asks that you remember our senators when you send out your holiday greetings this year. Let Senators Landrieu and Vitter know that your wish is for effective, affordable health care reform for all of our friends and family this year. Below you can see their message, and click to send a card to our senators.

This year, when you're writing holiday cards to your friends and loved ones, there are two more people who need to hear from you: Senator David Vitter and Senator Mary Landrieu.


With the Senate deep in final negotiations -- and a compromise just introduced that increases choice and drives costs down -- your senators need to understand how urgent reform really is.

So we've come up with a unique way for you to get the message across -- by sending your senators a card with your holiday wish for the season.

Send a holiday card to your senators, telling them that your wish this season is for them to pass health insurance reform.

Since the full Senate began debating reform just over two weeks ago, approximately 224,000 Americans have lost their health insurance, while spiraling costs have forced countless more into bankruptcy or foreclosure.

That's a big number -- it's as many people as live in a city like Baton Rouge, and more than live in Reno.

This crisis affects everyone in our community. It could be a father down the street who now won't be able to pay for care when his son breaks his leg playing soccer, or a daughter who must watch helplessly as her newly-uninsured mother gets a breast cancer diagnosis she can't afford to treat.

Every day brings thousands more stories of heartbreak and struggle that just shouldn't be in a nation as blessed as ours.

So please take a moment to cut through the noise in D.C. with your simple holiday wish: affordable, quality health care for every American family.

Send your holiday card for health reform today:

http://my.barackobama.com/HolidayCard

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Video Challenge Winner - "I Deserve Health Care'

Video Challenge Winner

"I Deserve Health Care"

For those of you who have been following the president's video challenge, we have a winner! Watch the winning video below or click here to see the video on the Organize For American website.

The Ballad of Joseph Cao

The Ballad of Joseph (Joe) Cao

Vote For Your Favorite Health Care Video

Vote For Your Favorite Health Care Video

In keeping with it's dedication to grassroots and viral advocacy, the Obama Administration issued a challenge to the YouTube generation: Send us your best video supporting health care reform, and we'll put you on the air. The winning video will become a national commercial.

The results have been impressive: scores of home made videos that run from funny to touching, and express - perhaps better than we could - the depth of our nation's need for health insurance reform.

Take a look at some of the top contenders below, and view all videos and vote for your favorite on the Challenge website!

(FYI - a friend of ours made this "Boogeyman on Health Reform" video, so if you like it, don't forget to vote for it!)



Here's one that highlights something we were amazed to learn in our research - that not only is medical debt the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the U.S., but also the majority of those bankruptcies occur even though the person HAD health insurance!



This one reflects our own view that, as Americans, we have the RIGHT TO LIFE!



This video does a great job of appealing to the innate capacity for compassion that makes us human, and reminds us that just because we don't always see all of the tragic effects of lack of health insurance, doesn't mean that we can ignore the issue. If it were right in front of us to do something to save another human being's life, would we not do everything we could? I believe that most people would - and reform is something we CAN do.



Other top contenders:

Why the Pro-Life Movement Should Support Health Care Reform

Why the Pro-Life Movement Should Support Health Care Reform

Much has been made of Congressman Cao's recent cross-party vote to support the health care reform bill that was passed by the House of Representatives this week, but Cao has been on the side of our health ever since his election. In fact, as a recipient of his e-mail newsletter (you can sign up on his website), I have personally received no less than 5 messages in the last 2 months from his office directly related to health care issues in our community, including information about local health fairs, instructions on where LA residents can get H1N1 flu vaccines, his work to re-open Charity Hospital, and more. Critics can say what they will, but no one can deny that health issues have been a priority for Cao's office ever since his election.

So why is Congressman Cao so willing to take on an issue that has most Republican (and not a few Democrat) officials quaking in their political boots? There could be many reasons, but for my money, I'll say it's because he is unusually far-sighted for a congressman, especially one from our neck of the woods. Cao's priorities are far from hidden. He wants Charity Hospital re-opened. He wants Louisiana residents to have access to affordable health care. And he wants the Right To Life platform to put its money where its mouth is and take charge of the issue. And ultimately, that may prove to be his most notable battle.

Our Declaration of Independence states that we are endowed by our Creator with certain "unalienable" rights, including the right to life. Lawyers may argue that the Declaration, being a separate document from the Constitution, does not itself endow any rights upon U.S. citizens, and that therefore the failure to save a life when we have the ability to do so does not necessarily violate the legal principles of our nation. I disagree. In a nation where we have both the money and the technology to save hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people who would otherwise die simply due to lack of health insurance, I believe that we have a moral and ethical, if not historical, obligation to provide that life-saving insurance - whatever the cost.

Indeed, if any political movement of our generation should be backing the call to reform health care, it is the "Right To Life" movement. It doesn't take a genius to see the connection between fighting to maintain the life of a fetus and fighting to maintain the life of a fellow citizen. Or have we reached some sad social benchmark where we care more for the life of a potential person than an actual one?

What Congressman Cao has done with his vote is not only support the right of our citizens to have access to effective, affordable medical care; he has also united the good intentions of the Right to Life movement with the stark realities of a nation which has failed to provide the most basic necessities to maintain the lives of  the citizens it already has. What the Health Care Reform movement may not have taken into account when it began is what the liberal voting base may have to give up in order to see successful reform enacted. Congressman Cao has very likely struck the first blow in a battle that could ultimately determine the way we as a nation proceed with both issues. Ultimately, it is possible that neither the Right to Life movement nor the Health Care Reform movement can come to fruition without the other. The question now is, what is the liberal voting base prepared to give up in order to see real health care reform enacted? And what is the conservative voting base willing to lay on the line in order to to advance the pro-life agenda? If we follow both arguments to their logical conclusion, it seems to me that they unfailingly end up in a place where we must either place the ultimate value on all lives, or none of them.

For those of you who are wondering, yes, my inner feminist is actively screaming bloody murder at the very thought of losing ground on the battle for women's rights, especially in a nation that has not even been able to pass an Equal Rights Amendment. Yet I cannot deny that my perspective on the matter of health care changed when I lost my own health insurance due to a chronic illness - just as my perspective on the matter of right to choice might change if our nation could ensure that any unwanted child born would, at the very least, have access to the basic health and medical care needed to ensure her or his healthiest possible life - no matter what. So if the Right to Life movement wants to gain votes, here is its best chance. Let the Right to Life advocates fight as hard for the lives of our fellow citizens now as they have for the lives of the unborn in the past, and - for the first time in my life - they might in return see my vote and my check headed in their own direction.

Louisiana Congressman Crosses Party Lines to Support Health Insurance Reform

Louisiana Congressman Anh "Joseph" Cao Crosses Party Lines to Support Health Insurance Reform

Congressman Anh "Joseph" Cao has a history of listening to the concerns of his constituents.

History is being made in our very midst, Louisiana.

Yesterday at 11:15 p.m. the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass their version of the health insurance reform bill. For those of you who are counting, this is the first time in the history of our nation that either chamber of Congress has passed a comprehensive health insurance reform bill. Among the 220 votes supporting the bill (215 voted against it) we find our very own Louisiana Representative, Congressman Cao (pronounced Gow). As if the House vote weren't historic enough, Congressman Cao crossed party lines to throw his political weight behind the reform bill - the only Republican to do so.

As ever, the price for making history is steep. Obviously Congressman Cao runs the risk of alienating his largely conservative constituency by crossing traditional Republican party lines to support health insurance reform. And the news for his liberal constituents isn't perfect either - Cao was instrumental in removing any portion of the bill that would provide government subsidized funds for abortions. Critics of the Congressman will likely opine that he hopes to have his cake and eat it too (does that expression make sense to anyone?). But we here at HFL take a different view, and we'll tell you why:

Over the past several months, we have lobbied each of our representatives in Congress heavily regarding health insurance reform, and that means lots of e-mails, letters, phone conversations, and direct meetings when possible. Any member of Congress will send a return form letter if you write to them, but Congressman Cao has been by far the most responsive politician that I, personally, have ever dealt with. Not only was his response letter immediate, but it was also clear, well-written (you wouldn't believe the kind of crap that some representatives put their name on), and thoughtful. Regardless of one's own position on the matter, it would be difficult to read that letter and not feel that Cao has put tremendous energy and thought into the issue of health care in America.

Congressman Cao's aides are also intelligent, polite, and well-versed in political issues AND on his stance on those issues. This is in extraordinary contrast to, say, Senator David Vitter's aides, who in my personal interactions have managed to be mostly hostile, uninformed, and in all other ways pretty much totally unprepared to communicate with the general public. (We'll get to Landrieu's aides later). A politician's aides tell a lot about how seriously that politician takes his or her position as a leader, and Cao's aides have been unfailingly well informed and eager to involve his constituents. The Congressman also goes out of his way to determine his constituents' opinions on political matters. Rather than wait for opinions to find their way to his desk, the Congressman holds regular town hall meetings in his district, and his website posts surveys on major issues, allowing his constituents an ease of access that is relatively uncommon amongst the more high-brow political types.

But all of this is secondary to the strength of Congressman Cao's convictions, and the lengths to which he will go to be a positive, effective influence on the democratic process. His history of seeking out input from his constituents and his willingness to stand behind his values, putting his votes where his mouth is, make him stand out as a remarkably dignified figure amongst a crowd of glorified snake charmers.

So while we can't say that he does everything exactly the way we, as voters, might want him to do it, we can say this:  If Congressman Cao is brave enough to vote against his party lines for something he believes is truly in the best interest of his community, then those of us who traditionally vote Democrat can vote against our party lines to keep him in office. Because when it comes right down to it, party lines are just a convenient illusion, and one that tends to distract voters (and politicians) from the real issues. They are no substitution for careful consideration and ethical action, and we think Congressman Cao embodies an approach to representation that truly brings the "serve" back into public service.

If you live in LA's Second District, click here to share your thoughts with Congressman Cao.