Black History

the Senate ~~ CONGRESS 2/18 ~~ the House


idea_bulb

The Senate will convene at 2:00pm on Monday, February 24, 2014. Following the prayer and pledge, Senator King will be recognized to deliver Washington’s Farewell Address.

 

Upon conclusion of the reading, the Majority Leader will be recognized and then the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

The Senate will meet on the following days at the following times for pro forma sessions only with no business conducted:

– Friday, February 14th at 10:30am

– Tuesday, February 18th at 10:30am and

– Friday, February 21st at 10:30am.

====================================

Last Floor Action:2/14/2014
2:07:50 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 2(b) of H. Res. 475.

The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on February 18, 2014.

=======================================================

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

#ACA works …

1 Comment

By 

Obamacare Literally Saved This Man’s Life

As we discussed on Wednesday, Obamacare is working and millions of Americans across the country are getting health insurance coverage thanks to the law, many for the very first time.

Today, we heard about one man’s story that reminds us why we fought so hard to pass the Affordable Care Act, why we’ve spent years defending it against relentless attacks from conservatives, and why we’re working to fully implement the law and get people signed up for coverage.

Mike O’Dell, 41, was able to obtain a heart transplant and the care he needs thanks to an affordable Obamacare health insurance plan that kicked in January 1:

He couldn’t get private health insurance because of his pre-existing heart condition. But as of January 1, with the health care law, insurers can no longer deny coverage. O’Dell and his wife were able to get coverage through the health insurance marketplace for $190 a month. That allowed him to go on the transplant waiting list.

“He wouldn’t be here with me or my children if it weren’t for the Obamacare,” said O’Dell’s wife, Kate.

And his doctors say he clearly wouldn’t have lived long if he hadn’t received the gift of a stranger’s heart last week.

ObamacareSavedHisLife

Kansas, O’Dell’s home state, is one of the few states that has done almost nothing to implement the Affordable Care Act. It has also refused to expand Medicaid coverage to almost 100,000 low-income Kansans that would otherwise be newly-eligible under the law. Thankfully, more than 22,000 Kansans (and 3.3 MILLION other Americans) have been able to select a private plan through the insurance marketplace, despite the GOP’s efforts to sabotage the law.

As O’Dell’s story showcases, having health coverage isn’t just about carrying an insurance card around in your pocket, it can be a matter of life and death. A new study found that an average of between 19 to 47 people will die each day, including as many as one every day or so in Kansas, simply because Republican governors and state legislators refuse to expand Medicaid.

BOTTOM LINE: The Affordable Care Act is already helping tens of millions of Americans every day and is literally a matter of life and death for some. That’s why we can never go back to the way it was before.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Blue Cross rejecting payments for HIV/AIDS medication

1 Comment

Mike Reitz: Stop AIDS discrimination by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Louisiana.

    By Robert Darrow

            Shreveport, Louisiana
Due to a new policy from Louisiana’s largest health insurer, hundreds of people living with HIV and AIDS are in danger of losing access to essential medication.BlueCross BlueShield of Louisiana (BCBSLA) is rejecting checks from a federal program designed to help these patients pay for AIDS drugs and insurance premiums and has begun notifying customers that their enrollment in its Obamacare plans will be discontinued because it will no longer accept “third-party payments.” This funding was established through the Ryan White CARE Act of 1990 which has been crucial to ensuring that those living with HIV and AIDS can gain access to the medication they need.Several months ago, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) encouraged health plans to stop accepting “third-party payments,” but this weekend (February 8th), CMS stated unequivocally that “federal rules do not prevent the use of Ryan White funds to pay for health care plans.” BCBSLA said it is “reviewing and considering this new information,” but we need commitments to help save and extend hundreds of lives in Louisiana.

As someone living with AIDS who helped found the local organization in Shreveport that oversees Ryan White funding, I know these funds change lives — and I’m afraid that if BCBSLA gets away with denying this coverage, other insurers across the country could follow suit. Please join me in tell BCBSLA to accept federal funding for people living with HIV and AIDS and to stop this discrimination.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Lonnie Bunch at the NMAAHC


Friends,

I hope you are having a great start to your new year! Before we tackle the work we have ahead for us in 2014, I want to take a moment to celebrate all that you helped us achieve in 2013. When I came on board in 2005, we didn’t have a site selected for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Today, the site — adjacent to the Washington Monument on the National Mall — is a flurry of activity; we poured the foundation of the Museum last year and the next phase of construction is well underway. We’ve collected more than 23,000 objects. And our Charter Members now number over 59,700. As you know, we need to raise $250 million to build the Museum. I’m proud to tell you that thanks to the support of people like you we’ve made great progress, but we still have a way to go if we are to open our doors in a few short years! Thanks for all that you have done to support the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture. I look forward to sharing our continued progress in the months to come.

Sincerely, Signature Lonnie G. Bunch Director
~ Culture & History

Can Skylar and Dominic count on you?


                          No Kid Hungry
“When am I going to get some more food?”That’s what Skylar and Dominic’s mom assumed her kids would be thinking about at school — instead of focusing on school work. That’s because there isn’t always enough food at home to feed them every day.Skylar and Dominic live with their mom and dad in a rural town outside Little Rock, Arkansas. Their father works 65 hours a week and their mom works nights to cover their bills and mortgage. Despite working so hard, their food budget is stretched very thin.

Can you imagine working more than full time and not being able to provide the basic necessities like food for your children? Or being the kid who worries when he’ll have his next meal?

This is the reality for too many kids across the country. And that’s why we need your help.

Will you join now to ensure that we can sustain and expand meals programs that help feed kids like Sklyar and Dominic this year?

                                                   JOIN NOW to help feed kids

Team No Kid Hungry is now 500,000 strong thanks to people like you who have taken action in support of vulnerable kids. And we’re connecting more kids with food than ever before — kids like Skylar and Dominic.

Be part of the solution to ending childhood hunger — please join today. Thanks for all that you do to end childhood hunger with No Kid Hungry.

Sincerely,

Team No Kid Hungry

 

politics,pollution,petitions,pop culture & purses