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Iraq Veteran Hails Vow to Hire Heroes Act

11/15/2011 Nativegrl77

by SenateDemocratson Nov 10, 2011

Eric Smith, 26, joins Senate Democrats to urge the House to pass the jobs legislation that will help put unemployed veterans back to work.

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Rebuilding New Orleans Green

11/15/2011 Nativegrl77

Future360 travels to New Orleans, Louisiana to meet actor and star of Treme, Wendell Pierce. Pierce is on a mission to rebuild Pontchartrain Park using renewable energy and clean technology.

by Future360TVon Jul 19, 2011

Future360 travels to New Orleans, Louisiana to meet actor and star of Treme, Wendell Pierce. Pierce is on a mission to rebuild Pontchartrain Park using renewable energy and clean technology.

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$1 Billion

11/15/2011 Nativegrl77

State insurance regulators are threatening to gut the new rule in the health reform law that keeps insurance premiums in check. This rule, called the medical loss ratio (MLR), requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% of your premiums on medical care instead of using it to pad their profits and pay millions to their CEOs. State insurance commissioners are holding a secret meeting tomorrow to decide whether they want to force a vote to rob $1 billion in rebates from consumers.

Click here and send a message to your insurance commissioners today. Tell them: You work for us, not the insurance companies – hands off the MLR. http://healthcareforamericanow.org/page/m/3560d82d/5131405c/3321ece5/786f0cd9/850002441/VEsH/

It’s no surprise that the Wall Street run insurance companies are trying to kill any rule that cuts into their excessive profits. That’s why they’re pressuring your state insurance commissioner to change the law to let them take $1 billion of your money. The truth is that the medical loss ratio works and has already lowered premium rates for some Connecticut residents by 19 percent!

Fight the insurance companies’ army of lobbyists today. Help us put an end to the insurers’ business as usual. Tell your insurance commissioner – hands off the MLR.

Health insurance companies continue to make record profits, and their CEOs have collected more than $1 billion in personal compensation in the last decade while the majority of Americans are barely getting by. Fight this greed-driven corporate power today.

http://healthcareforamericanow.org/page/m/3560d82d/5131405c/3321ece5/786f0cd9/850002441/VEsE/

In Solidarity,

Melinda Gibson
Health Care for America Now

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Breaking News: Supreme Court Will Hear Challenge to Health Care Law

11/15/2011 Nativegrl77

You’ve probably seen news reports on the lawsuits challenging the health care law across the country. Two courts of appeals have held that the health care law is constitutional, while one has disagreed. Today, the Supreme Court announced it will hear two of these cases and issue a decision by June 2012.

To make clear what’s at stake, I’ve recorded a short video explaining the legal challenges, why we think the law is constitutional, and what women could lose if the law is struck down.

Click to watch our video about the health care law litigation.

The health care law puts an end to insurance companies‘ practice of treating women like a pre-existing condition. Already, the law is helping women and their families by making it illegal for insurance companies to drop people once they get sick, prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions, and ensuring that new health plans provide no-cost preventive health care services such as mammograms and pap smears. By 2014, it will expand Medicaid coverage to 8.2 million more women, guarantee maternity coverage, and end the practice of charging women more than men for the same insurance. All of this and more is at stake in the Supreme Court.

Once you’ve watched the video, please visit our special page dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on the latest news about the health care law litigation.Thanks for all you do for women and families.

http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=O1L5xqvxpetjLj_CH-OqLQ

Sincerely,

Emily J. Martin
Vice President and General Counsel
National Women’s Law Center

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VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans at 25 Locations Nationwide

11/15/2011 Nativegrl77

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VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans at 25 Locations Nationwide

November 10, 2011

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VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans

at 25 Locations Nationwide

Continues Ongoing Efforts to Provide Housing to Veterans

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has entered agreements to provide more than 3,000 units of permanent and transitional housing for Veterans at 25 VA medical center campuses nationwide. Additionally, agreements are pending on an additional 1,000 units, which we anticipate completing in the coming weeks. Proposed opportunities include housing for homeless Veterans, senior Veterans, disabled Veterans, other at-risk Veteran populations, and their families.

“As we approach Veterans Day, it is important that we never forget the sacrifices made by our Veterans to ensure the freedom and independence all Americans cherish,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These efforts to ensure the well-being of our Veterans and their families demonstrate our Nation’s gratitude for their service and commitment to honoring their dedication.”

The agreements are part of VA’s Building Utilization Review and Repurposing (BURR) initiative. BURR is a VA strategic effort to identify and repurpose unused VA land and buildings in support of VA’s goal to end Veteran homelessness. VA is using its enhanced-use lease authority to permit third-party providers to finance, design, develop, maintain and operate housing with on-site supportive services, on a priority basis, for Veterans and their families.

The co-location of these projects on VAMC campuses ensures that Veterans have ready access to care and treatment designed to help them attain long-term independence and self-sufficiency.

An estimated total of 5,300 units of affordable and supportive housing will be provided to Veterans. This number includes projects already in operation or underway.

VA is proceeding with agreements with third-party providers at 25 sites nationwide. These sites and proposed developments include:

· Canandaigua, N.Y. – 48 transitional and permanent housing units

· Fort Howard, Md. – 1,437 housing units

· Lyons, N.J. – 62 permanent housing units

· Newington, Conn. – 74 permanent housing units

· Alexandria, La. – 70 transitional housing units

· Kerrville, Texas – 100 units of assisted living/extended care housing

· Knoxville, Iowa – 75 units of permanent housing

· Newington, Conn. – 100 units of assisted living/extended care housing

· Northampton, Mass. – 48 permanent housing units

· Roseburg, Ore. – 44 permanent and 10 transitional housing units

· Bath, N.Y. – 40 permanent and transitional housing units