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.
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 AffairsEric 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
While most of America will be sleeping off a belly full of turkey, stuffing, and pie next Thursday night, 29-year-old Anthony Hardwick will be waking up for a long night of work. That’s because Anthony has to report for his shift at a Target store in Omaha, Nebraska on Thanksgiving night.
For the first time on “Black Friday” — the biggest shopping day of the year — Target stores will be opening at midnight. That means retail employees like Anthony have to miss Thanksgiving celebrations with their families in order to work for big stores’ “Black Friday” midnight sales — or risk losing their jobs.
“All Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones on Thanksgiving,” Anthony says.
The sad reality is that by starting a petition to his employer on Change.org, he is putting his livelihood at risk. Anthony knows that he could be fired for taking his demand of Target public — but that’s how important it is to him that he spend Thanksgiving with his fiancee and her family.
Anthony isn’t alone in thinking that midnight (or earlier) start times for retail stores on Black Friday is are bad ideas — customers hate it, too. In fact, according to an article in the New York Times that featured Anthony’s petition, more and more consumers are avoiding Black Friday sales that interrupt Thanksgiving meals. And by being the first to petition his employer about this issue, he hopes to inspire workers at other retail stores to also speak out.
Target is one of the most prominent companies forcing its employees to miss Thanksgiving with their families. Anthony hopes that by calling out Target, he can force his employer to push back opening times at Target stores across the country — which will pressure other retail chains to do the same.
Please add your name to Anthony’s petition asking Target to push back its Black Friday opening time so he and other Target employees can spend Thanksgiving with their families:
We’ve been hearing a lot about the race in Washington’s 1st Congressional district from local DFA members, so I wanted to check in to see where you stood.
DFA is committed to electing progressives who share our values of community, security and liberty, and as the country’s only people-powered PAC, we want to hear from our members who we should support in this race.
When you win an election by just 312 votes, you know that small things make a big difference. In retrospect, a single volunteer shift – or a single contribution – could have been the deciding factor.
Our next campaign hasn’t even begun yet. But I think it’s a safe bet that, when we look back on it, we’ll be glad for everything we did to gas up our people-powered grassroots machine in advance.
I know it’s really, really early. But just because I’m not on the ballot right now doesn’t mean I don’t need your help. Even as we’re focusing on today’s fights – putting people back to work, rebuilding the middle class, keeping Wall Street’s hands off of Social Security – the powerful special interests are plotting their attacks.
We’ve been pretty good at taking them on – and getting under their skin. But they’re preparing to spend millions to shut us up once and for all.
That’s why I’m asking for your help now. We have to keep building our grassroots strength if we’re going to be able to withstand the attacks. And waiting until the campaign is officially underway just isn’t an option.
Can you make a contribution of $5 (more if you can afford it) to make sure our grassroots organization is ready for what’s coming?
I know that you’ll have my back when the campaign heats up – but I’m hoping you’ll be willing to do a little bit now to help me get ready for what’s coming.
A few dollars can make a big difference. And if my next campaign is as close as my last one, your decision to get involved now will look pretty good in retrospect.
Be a Seed for Change 
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