Tag Archives: Health insurance in the United States

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the cost of repeal

01/20/2011 Nativegrl77

Yesterday, Republicans put their priorities on display on the House floor — making them plain as day.

Repeal. Undo. Cancel. Roll back.

This is what House Republicans have decided to focus on first with their new majority in Congress.

At a moment when our country has the chance to come together, Republicans in Congress are prioritizing a measure that they know only serves to divide us — a vote to reinstate insurance company abuses that health insurance reform had remedied, and to take away benefits that are improving the lives of Americans right now.

Democrats fought long and hard for the reform that Republicans are now attempting to dismantle. Volunteers made countless calls, wrote notes to our lawmakers, and attended events to build support in communities in all 50 states. We talked to our friends and neighbors, and penned letters to the editors of our local papers. We did it because we knew reform would improve the lives of millions of Americans.

And even as I write this, that’s exactly what’s happening around the country. Reform is at work in the day-to-day lives of real people — from providers to patients, young adults to seniors, small-business owners to their employees. And unraveling those reforms comes at a real and meaningful cost.

We’re fighting back with a campaign to make sure folks know exactly how health insurance reform improves lives — and exactly what the Republicans’ repeal would mean for our country.

Donate $3 or more today to help fuel our work to get out the facts about reform — and the cold, hard facts of repeal.

In a world of political catchphrases, where there’s always a new story of the moment, it’s far too easy for substance to get lost in the shuffle. It’s far too easy for the sound bite of the moment — rather than the facts — to rule the day.

But when the truth is told, Americans are overwhelmingly against any bill that would put an end to the provisions in health reform.

Because repeal would mean returning to the days when insurance companies could deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions — as many as half of Americans under 65.

It would mean that a 22-year-old currently covered by her parents’ insurance plan could get dropped again.

It would mean undoing steps to close the “donut hole” in prescription drug coverage, forcing millions of seniors to keep paying more for prescriptions they need.

It would mean that a working mother would once again have to worry that her coverage could suddenly be dropped if her child gets sick or injured.

It would mean that millions of small-business owners would lose tax credits, and struggle once again with the crippling costs of providing health insurance to their employees.

And it would mean tacking on $230 billion to our national deficit over the next 10 years — a burden every taxpayer would have to shoulder.

This is the cost of repeal.

It’s a cost that would affect all of us — and it’s a cost that Republicans seem willing to undertake.

Not us.

Remember — we began this fight because this country’s health insurance system needed to do better by its people.

And now that millions of lives are being improved, it’s our responsibility to protect the reform we fought so hard for. We owe it to those whose lives are being made better — and we owe it to ourselves.

Please donate today to help us build up our campaign about the real consequences of repeal:

http://my.democrats.org/ProtectReform

Thanks,

Jen

Jen O’Malley Dillon

Executive Director

Democratic National Committee

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Tomorrow’s Vote

01/18/2011 Nativegrl77

Tomorrow, House Republicans plan to follow through on their campaign threat from last year by voting to repeal health insurance reform.

Rather than focus on jobs and the economy, Republicans will make their first big vote an effort to put big health insurance companies back in charge and allow them to once again discriminate against folks with pre-existing conditions and deny coverage to those who need it the most.

We’ve been ready for this vote. The DCCC has a campaign all set to go that will hold them immediately accountable in the media for standing with insurance companies instead of hardworking Americans — but we need to raise $50,000 immediately to hit the ground running.

Help us hold House Republicans accountable for voting to repeal health insurance reform. Contribute $5, $10 or more in the next 24 hours so we can hit the ground running with our Rapid Response campaign.

Republicans think that public opinion is on their side — but we know otherwise.

That’s why it’s so critical to get our campaign off the ground immediately to make our strongest possible support for protecting President Obama’s health insurance reforms. Our Rapid Response campaign will shine a light on Republicans’ record of putting big health insurance company profits ahead of affordable health care for struggling families.

Leader Pelosi has called this our “first big test” and I could not agree more.

Help us raise $50,00 in the next 24 hours to show Republicans how fast we can hold them accountable for trying to put big health insurance companies back in charge.

Robby Mook

DCCC Executive Director

P.S. The DCCC has a hard-hitting campaign all set to go that will hold Republicans accountable in the media for voting to repeal health insurance reform tomorrow. Help us raise $50,000 in the next 24 hours so we can hit the ground running right away.

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Denying Contraceptive Coverage is Harmful to Women

12/16/2010 Nativegrl77


	Denying Contraceptive Coverage is Harmful to Women



	Tell the EEOC to fully enforce the law.

Does your employer-sponsored health insurance cover your birth control? Most of us couldn’t have said “yes” ten years ago.

This week marks an important anniversary of a major legal advance for women: ten years ago, in response to a petition filed by the National Women’s Law Center, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that it is illegal sex discrimination for some employer-sponsored health insurance plans to cover prescriptions and preventive care but not to cover contraceptives for women.

This was a major legal advance for women, but our work is not done. We still need to make sure that the EEOC is doing all it can do to enforce its landmark ruling, and that women receive the full protection of the law.

More than ten years ago, the National Women’s Law Center led a coalition of 60 health care, women’s, civil rights, and other groups, prompting the EEOC’s ruling, and making a real difference for women. A study conducted shortly after the ruling found that contraceptive coverage had increased across the nation. Yet some employers have resisted, and we continue to hear from far too many women who do not have coverage for the contraceptives they need.

Join us in telling the EEOC to focus on enforcing this important protection.

In the coming weeks, you’ll be hearing about our new campaign to make sure the new health care law also fulfills its promise of guaranteeing insurance coverage of contraceptives for all women regardless of employer coverage. Today, let’s honor this important anniversary by asking the EEOC to ensure that women receive the contraceptive coverage from their employers to which they are legally entitled.

Thank you for your continued commitment to health care that works for women and their families.

Sincerely,