Tag Archives: health care

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Discrimina​tory Health Insurance Practices Cost Women $1 Billion a Year … Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center


National Women's Law Center - I Will Not Be Denied: Protect Women's Health Care
 
 
Yes, really: insurance companies CAN charge women higher premiums than men for the same insurance plans, to the tune of $1 billion per year. But thanks to the health care law, this discriminatory practice is on its way out.
I Will Not Be Denied: Protect Women's Health CareHave you watched our video about how the health care law is helping women and their families and what’s at stake without the law? After you watch it — make sure to share it with your family, friends, and co-workers.
Today, as the Supreme Court began three days of arguments about the health care law, there is one argument that has already been won: the health care law is helping women and their families across the country.
Thanks to the health care law, over 100 million Americans no longer face limits on the amount of their health care insurers will cover over their lifetime; over twenty million women have received at least one preventive health care service without a co-pay in the past year. Thanks to the ACA, over two million young adults under 26 years old have kept health coverage because they could stay on their parents’ plans.
And this is just the beginning. You can’t argue with the facts.
Share our video today about how we are benefiting from the health care law and help your friends and family see what’s at stake for women if the law goes away.
Thanks for everything you do for women and their families.
Sincerely,
 
Judy Waxman   Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National Women’s Law
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Washington State! Tell your legislator to oppose SB 6442!


Email your legislators now and tell them to oppose SB 6442!

SB 6442: Costs taxpayers more, increases bureaucracy, reduces your health CARE benefits! Don’t fall for it!

TAKE ACTION: Help stop this takeover now.

SB 6442 will cost taxpayers at least $45 MILLION in new costs, according to the state’s own figures!

Listen…

Download…

Read…
  • The state’s own report on the proposed K-12 health care takeover — it shows higher costs, fewer benefits and less competition!


WEA President Mary Lindquist testifies agains SB 6442, Jan. 26, 2012

WEA PRESIDENT MARY LINDQUIST AND WEA LOBBY TEAM IN OLYMPIA, JAN. 26

Senate Bill 6442 takes away your current health benefits and forces all K-12 employees into a new state bureaucracy that costs more, provides fewer benefits and limits our health care choices.

This legislation is costly, complicated and confusing all at the same time. Dozens of WEA members attended a recent legislative hearing to oppose the bill. But you can help defeat this bill without going to Olympia — email your legislators and tell them not to take over our health care!

Under SB 6442, all K-12 school employees, whether they live in Anacortes or Zillah, will be forced into the same health benefit plan – eliminating our ability to negotiate health plans at the local level.

This bill will cost taxpayers more, and it will cost US more as school employees at the same time it reduces our benefits and choices. For example, under SB 6442, school employees who work less than half time will no longer receive ANY health benefits through their jobs. This especially hurts classified education support professionals (ESP )such as bus drivers and paraprofessionals, many of whom are part-time workers.

“We belong to WEA, and we DO bargain for our part-time members,” said Debby Chandler, an ESP member from the Spokane School District.

In short, SB 6442 makes no sense. Help protect our health care from a state takeover – email your legislators and tell them what you think about SB 6442!

Senate Bill 6442 will cost taxpayers $45 million, expand bureaucracy, eliminate competition and reduce benefits

A state takeover of K-12 educators’ health benefit plans would provide no cost savings and will actually cost taxpayers at least $45 million, according to the state’s own fiscal note. SB 6442 and its companion bill, House Bill 2724, also will cost school employees more, reduce benefits and limit choices. It also eliminates local decision-making about educator health benefits. That’s why educators oppose Senate Bill 6442 and House Bill 2724. They would:

Impose higher costs:

  • Add more than $45 million in NEW taxpayer costs: Partial costs include $12 million for start up costs in 2011-13, plus $9.5 million for additional start up costs in fiscal year 2014. The ongoing cost is then estimated to be $7.1 million per year.
  • Requires an additional $25 million per year paid by employees through higher premiums and “point-of-service cost sharing” (higher fees).
  • Shift all future cost risks to school districts for costs above the state allocation.
  • Abandon a system that today costs less and provides more: Currently, the state pays $768 a month per full-time equivalent K-12 employee vs. $850 per full-time state employee, yet K-12 employees get coverage that is as good or better than what state employees receive.

Reduce benefits:

  • Require lower overall benefits to avoid immediate cost increases.
  • Wipe out health care coverage entirely for thousands of part-time employees who work less than half time.

Eliminate competition and expand state government:

  • Replace competition among plans school districts select from with a state monopoly that selects one carrier for all K-12 employees.
  • Add another costly function to the state bureaucracy at a time when vital funding for K-12 education and other services is being cut.
  • Health care funding should pay for benefits, not growth in state bureaucracy.
  • What is the evidence that state government can take over a private program, and perform as well or better at a lower cost?

Reward poor customer service:

  • The state Health Care Authority had a recent 9-month backlog in paying state employee health insurance claims.
  • Courts ruled against HCA for illegally barring some Medicaid patients from emergency room care.
  • Recent Seattle Times exposé highlighted how the agency’s cost-cutting practices were harming patients.
  • Adding over 100,000 enrollees to a K-12 program administered by the HCA would likely mean customer service problems for K-12 employees.
  • K-12 employees have had the option to enroll in the state employee health care plan since 1995, and less than one percent of the K-12 employees have made that choice.

SB 6442/HB 2724 is a plan based on higher costs, bigger government, less competition, and poor customer service.

There IS an alternative: House Bill 2666 and SB 6553 will help reduce health insurance costs for school employees with families by modifying local school district insurance pools. HB 2666 costs the state nothing, and it maintains local decision making.

TAKE ACTION: Help stop this takeover now.

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Watch Our New Video and Join the Campaign – I Will NOT Be Denied

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I Will Not Be Denied: Protect Women's Health Care

 

In the past year, thanks to the health care law:Over 20 million women with private insurance have received at least one preventive health care service without a co-pay or deductible.
Over 39 million women no longer face lifetime limits on coverage, so they can get the health care they need.
About 2.5 million young adults gained health coverage because they could stay on their parents’ plans.
And this is just the beginning. The health care law is working for women by helping them get the care they need. So why are some opponents of the law fighting to take away these benefits and common-sense protections?

Sign the Petition

The new health care law is working for women

Join our campaign and sign our petition to tell your leaders: I Will Not Be Denied!™

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Please send me email updates from the National Women’s Law Center
 

Petition Text

The health care law is working for women, helping them get the care they need. The law provides important benefits and protections that promote better health and lower costs. Now, millions more women can get preventive services like mammograms and colonoscopies without a co-pay. The law also stops insurance companies from dropping anyone’s coverage simply because they’re sick.

But this is just the beginning. Later this year, millions more women will have access to well-woman exams and birth control without a co-pay and all health plans will have to include maternity care. Other important benefits and protections will continue to roll out until the law is fully implemented, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to charge women higher premiums than men. But opponents of the law are fighting to take away all these important benefits and common-sense protections.

Take a stand and help us protect women’s health care. Join the National Women’s Law Center’s campaign and tell opponents of affordable care “I Will NOT Be Denied.”™

       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
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Have You Benefited from the Health Care Law? …Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center


National Women's Law Center
Join Our Story Blog
                Tell us how the health care law is helping you by sharing your story on our story blog today.
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Eighty-six million. That’s the number of people who have received at least one preventive health care service without having to pay a deductible or co-pay in the last year. That’s 54 million people with private insurance and over 32 million Medicare recipients who are already benefiting from the health care law.
Who are these people? It’s a mother who didn’t have to pay a co-pay for her last mammogram, a child who received a flu shot without her parents having to pay a deductible, and millions of people like you who had pap smears, prenatal screenings, or diabetes counseling without having to open their wallets.
Are you one of the millions of people who have benefited from the new health care law? We want to hear from you — join hundreds of others on our story blog and tell us your story.
The story blog is an open forum where people can upload their photos and write about how the law is helping them. On the story blog we’ve heard from people with children under age 26 who, instead of falling among the uninsured, were able to stay on their parents’ health plan. We’ve heard from people on Medicare who are paying less for prescription medication, saving them from having to choose between buying medicine or groceries. We’ve heard from people who would have bumped up against their insurance company’s lifetime limit for coverage but now, thanks to the new health care law, are able to focus on their illness instead of worrying about medical bills.
And, later this year, even more people will benefit from the health care law. That’s when millions of women will have access to birth control and other preventive care services without paying deductibles or co-pays for the first time. Join our story blog today and tell us how you are gaining from this critical law.
Thank you for all you do to ensure women and their families get the health care they need.
Sincerely,
Judy Waxman Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National Women’s Law Center   

P.S. Your generous support allows us to keep the health care law strong and do other critical work on behalf of women and their families. Please consider making a contribution today.
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Contribute now to the Women’s Health Rapid Response Fund


This is just unconscionable: Republicans in Congress are trying to make it legal for ANY employer to deny birth control coverage to their employees.

 Yes, you read that right. Republicans are on track to give corporations the power to deny women access to health care.

The vote is set for this week — we must act IMMEDIATELY.

 We must raise $50,000 by midnight tonight to get activists mobilized and ads up and running in Republican districts about this atrocious assault on women’s health care.

Will you contribute $3 or more right now to our urgent Women’s Health Rapid Response Fund?

 We can’t afford to fall short and delay taking action for another day. Women across the country deserve to know that right-wing Republicans intend to take women’s health care back to the dark ages. Please give what you can today.

 Rep. Diana DeGette

Co-Chair, Pro-Choice Caucus