Tag Archives: Health insurance

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The Story of the Affordable Care Act: From an Unmet Promise to the Law of the Land


This video shows the road to health reform and how the president delivered affordable health care for all Americans.

The new law is making health care work better for all of us, even if you already have insurance. It puts the health of your family first—ensuring access to free preventive care and protecting consumers from insurance company abuses.

#ACA is also a jobs jobs jobs creator

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Stand UP for Medicare … Sherrod Brown


I’m proud to call myself a progressive. I know what our community has achieved over the years on behalf of working families. And I’m proud to stand with fighting progressives like you any day of the week.

Click here to sign this important petition.

But there’s never been a more important time for fighting progressives to stand together than right now. Medicare — one of our proudest achievements and a critical element of seniors’ economic security — is under attack.

Click here to stand with fighting progressives and help defend Medicare!

This isn’t the first time Republicans have tried to pass the Ryan plan, which would end Medicare as we know it and leave seniors out in the cold when it comes to health insurance. But the far right only has to win this fight once — we have to show that we’ll always be there to defend this important pillar of American society.

 By signing my petition, you won’t just be helping to defeat this latest Republican attack on Medicare. You’ll be sending them a clear signal that fighting progressives like you and me will always be there to fight back whenever Republicans threaten the economic security of American seniors.

The far right is determined to get its way sooner or later. They think it’s just a matter of time before our coalition cracks and our defense of Medicare weakens. They’re willing to try as many times as it takes.

We have to show them that we’ll never waver in our defense of Medicare. Please sign my petition today — let’s see how many fighting progressives we can put together to show the GOP that our coalition is stronger than ever.

It’s not enough to win this fight once. We have to make a strong enough statement that it resonates for years. We have to show Republicans that Medicare will always have defenders in the fighting progressives of America.

Click here to sign this important petition.

Thank you,

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Massachusetts – Blue Cross Blue Shield – Pre-existing conditions and Mandates -exposed?


Jason takes on an insurance company to help save his dad

“My dad, Henry, had a terrible heart attack last fall that left him with severely impaired cognitive and motor skills. His doctors said that rehab would help him get better, but his insurance provider — Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts — refused to pay.

I started a petition on Change.org and almost 200,000 people signed it. Now Blue Cross has agreed to pay for my dad’s care.” -Jason Warren

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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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Yet another historic day in the Obama Administration’s efforts to protect the health of American families and our environment.


Protecting American Families and the Environment from Mercury Pollution

Posted by Heather Zichal on December 21, 2011 at 2:46 PM EST

Today marks yet another historic day in the Obama Administration’s efforts to protect the health of American families and our environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized the first-ever national standards to reduce mercury and other toxic air emissions – like arsenic, acid gas, and cyanide – from power plants, which are the largest sources of this pollution in the United States.

This crucial step forward will bring enormous public health benefits. By substantially reducing emissions of toxic pollutants that lead to neurological damage, cancer, respiratory illnesses, and other serious health issues, these standards will benefit millions of people across the country, but especially children, older Americans, and other vulnerable populations. Cumulatively, the total health and economic benefits to society could reach $90 billion each year.