Tag Archives: Congress

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4 Big Reasons to Celebrate the Affordable Care Act Turning 4


Dept. of Health & Human Services

March 23rd, marks the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act.  Since its enactment, millions of Americans have benefited from the law. Here are just four of the reasons we have to celebrate today.

1. 5 million people covered: Since October 1, more than 5 million people have signed up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

2. Bending the cost curve: We’ve held down national spending growth in health care to the slowest rate in a half century.

3. Free preventive care: Today, most health plans have to cover recommended preventive services free of charge, benefiting 71 million Americans.

4. Strengthening Medicare: Today, the Medicare program is stronger than ever. Since enactment of the Affordable Care Act, 7.9 million seniors and people with disabilities have saved $9.9 billion on prescription drugs, or an average of $1,265 per beneficiary.

Four Year Anniversary Graphic

Let’s celebrate millions more covered in 2014. If you know someone who’s uninsured, tell them to sign up today, before the March 31 deadline.

Go to HealthCare.gov (which is working smoothly), or call 1-800-318-2596 (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). You can even get in-person help in your own community (just visit localhelp.healthcare.gov and punch in your zip code).

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Sofia’s nightmare

Approve request for Humanitarian Parole for Anastasiya “Sofia” Petrova (Case #MSC1499990791)

By Bring Sofia Home
Freeport, Maine

At age 15, Anastasiya “Sofia” Petrova was banished to Siberia by her mother and step-father.  Not only was she deceived into traveling to Siberia, she was mislead into thinking she would return in a couple of weeks.  Upon arriving there, her nightmare began.  She was told there were no travel papers to return to the US and she needed to live with her biological father who did not speak English and whom she had never met before.  It turns out her biological father was not equipped to care for her – and given Sofia has limited Russian language skills and no permanent residence, she is at great risk.  Sofia dreams of completing her education in the US where she lived from age 2-15 and where she attended high school.  Sofia needs to return home.  With USCIS’ approval of her application for Humanitarian Parole, Sofia can at least travel to the US temporarily.  Your support of this petition will let USCIS know that Sofia has so many supporters in the US who care about her future.

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News we can all use


cat

Loan Rebound Misses Black Businesses

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If César Chávez Were Alive Today, He Would Join the Resistance Against Walmart

By Sarita Gupta, AlterNet

As we celebrate Chávez’s legacy, we must remember that today farmworkers — and others laboring for low wages along the food supply chain — are still struggling. READ MORE»

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The Afterlife of Activist Mario Savio, Free Speech Movement’s Best-Known Leader

By Clancy Sigal, AlterNet

Savio’s was the face of protest before Jane Fonda, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. READ MORE»

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Why We Should Be Suspicious of the Libertarian Right’s Newfound Concern for Prison Reform

Deborah Small, AlterNet

The problem with the growing popularity of fixing our prison system. READ MORE»

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Thousands of preschool kids face suspension: http://bit.ly/1oEKoNM  via @the_daily_news

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Neil deGrasse Tyson Shows Why Small-Minded Religious Fundamentalists Are Threatened by Wonders of Universe

Adam Lee, AlterNet

Religious belief systems prefer a small cosmos with humans firmly at the center. READ MORE»

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Understanding Paul Ryan’s Racism in 3 Easy Steps

By Chauncey DeVega, AlterNet

The question is not ‘Is Ryan a racist?’ but ‘What type of racist is he?’ READ MORE»

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McDonald’s Under Fire for Ripping Off Workers

By John Swaine, The Guardian

New York City’s public advocate pushes for whistleblower hotline to report abuse. READ MORE»

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It’s a New Day in New York City: Paid Sick Time Bill Signed Into Law


The Bill on the Mayor's Desk The Mayor Signs the Bill Into Law
  The Earned Sick Time Act on the Mayor’s Desk                          The Mayor Signing the Earned Sick Time Act Expansion
Dear Friend,
It’s a big day for hardworking New Yorkers. With spring in the air and crowds of excited supporters, A Better Balance stood with Mayor Bill de Blasio today as he signed into law a bill expanding the Earned Sick Time Act. Change has finally arrived for New York City workers who have had to risk losing a day’s pay—or even their jobs—just to care for themselves or family members when they are ill or injured. We couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate the end of winter and the start of a new season!
At today’s pre-signing press conference, we were honored when the Mayor thanked the “A Better Balance coalition” and noted our organization’s commitment to passing a paid sick time law in New York City. The original sponsor of the Earned Sick Time Act, former City Council Member and current Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, also thanked ABB and told the crowd that Sherry Leiwant (ABB Co-President) and Jared Make (ABB Senior Staff Attorney) “probably went to 1,000 meetings” during the four-year paid sick time campaign. We extend our deepest thanks to Mayor de Blasio, Borough President Brewer, City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito, and City Council Member Chin for their commitment to providing paid sick time to working families in New York City.
We are especially grateful to all of our supporters and partners who have encouraged and stood by us as we worked to pass the original version of the bill last year, and then to  strengthen and expand it these past two months. When the law goes into effect on April 1, 2014, it will cover nearly 1.2 million workers who previously had no sick time and will ensure that 3.4 million workers in the private sector have a legal right to sick time.
As the warm weather rolls in, our work on paid sick time in New York City will also begin anew. We’ll be turning our focus to making the new law work for New Yorkers. We’ve created an outreach and education campaign for workers and businesses and will be assisting individual workers to help them enforce their rights. We need your help!
  • Read our  summary of the law and help us get the word out.
  • Check back on our  website in early April for new resources designed to help workers and employers, including a hotline that will provide free legal assistance to workers.
  • Call us at 212-430-5982 if you have questions.
Thank you for helping to make this great day happen,
Sherry, Dina, Phoebe, Jared, Elizabeth, Liz, Risha & Rachel