Tag Archives: medicare

You know what keeps me awake at night?

The GOP‘s war on women.

We’ve got so many things we need to focus on right now in the Senate — jobs, boosting the economy, and rebuilding our nation’s roads and bridges.

But the Republicans don’t care about any of that. They’re focused solely on turning back the clock to the 1950s when it comes to women’s rights. And it needs to stop.

We’ve held the line for now — but there’s surely more to come. Please contribute $5 to help me fight even harder in the months to come.

Despite our successes stopping the Blunt amendment and a number of other harsh political attacks directed at women, we’re already looking at difficult fights ahead:

We need to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act
The House GOP’s budget includes radical changes to Medicare that will disproportionately harm women
The version of the draconian Blunt amendment in the House which has over 200 sponsors may return to the Senate
Every day we’re seeing more and more reprehensible attacks on women’s health in states across the country

We shouldn’t have to focus on these kinds of assaults on our basic rights — but they’re giving us no choice.

And, with your support, I’m going to keep fighting tooth-and-nail to stop them from gutting decades of progress on women’s health.

Please contribute $5 now to help me do just that.

I can’t wait until this is over and we can get back to creating jobs and boosting the economy — but I’m glad that you’re right there with me.

Thanks again,

Patty Murray
U.S. Senator

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Say NO to Ryan’s Devastating Budget …Joan Entmacher and Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center

03/28/2012 Nativegrl77

National Women's Law Center - Don't Discount Women: Demand Fair Change Not Spare Change


	Take Action: Tell Your Representative to Vote NO on Paul Ryan’s Budget



	Don’t slash programs for women & families to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and corporations!

	WWW.NWLC.ORG

You’ve heard of slash and burn, but how about slash and burden?

On Thursday, the House is expected to vote on a budget for Fiscal Year 2013 introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). The Ryan budget would devastate vital services for women and their families while giving trillions in new tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations — on top of extending provisions of the Bush-era tax cuts that benefit only the very wealthy.

Let’s make it clear that we will not stand for a budget that slashes programs for women and families and puts the burden of paying for tax breaks for millionaires and corporations on middle- and low-income Americans.

Tell your Representative to oppose the Ryan Budget. As your Members of Congress start budget negotiations, they need to know that their constituents expect them to protect programs for women and families — and to require the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes.

What’s wrong with Rep. Paul Ryan’s Budget? For starters, it would:

Repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Insurance companies could continue to charge women higher premiums than men, deny coverage to women due to preexisting condition, and refuse to cover maternity care.
Slash and block grant Medicaid. Millions of vulnerable women would lose their health coverage, and elderly women and women with disabilities would lose long-term care services.
Raise the Medicare eligibility age and replace the Medicare guarantee with a voucher. A “premium support” voucher that wouldn’t keep pace with health care costs would dramatically increase health care costs for seniors, especially burdening women who already have to pay higher out-of-pocket costs from lower incomes.
Cut Food Stamps (SNAP) and other core safety net programs that are especially important to women and children who face higher rates of poverty.
Slash funding for other critical programs like child care, Head Start, education, Pell Grants, women’s preventive health care, domestic violence prevention and much, much more.
Put cuts to Social Security on the fast track and reject proposals that would strengthen Social Security by raising revenues form the highest earners.
Give trillions of dollars in new tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations by cutting tax rates for millionaires and corporations on top of permanently extending Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest.

Your Members of Congress need to hear that these aren’t your priorities. Tell your Representative to vote NO on the Ryan Budget. WWW.NWLC.ORG

Sincerely,

Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center

Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. For more information about what’s in the budget proposal introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), check out our new fact sheet.

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Week of action for women’s health … Kate Chapek, BarackObama.com

03/23/2012 Nativegrl77

Here’s my prediction: Women are going to make the difference in this election.

There’s a simple reason — we have the most on the line, especially when it comes to health care and our ability to make our own health decisions. From increased access to coverage, to free preventive services, to lower prescription drug costs, and, soon, ending discrimination against women when it comes to health care premiums — the Affordable Care Act protects and benefits American women.

As women, it’s up to us to protect and build on the kind of progress that prevents insurers from discriminating against our daughters, mothers, and friends. We can’t afford to see that legislation repealed.

It’s our health on the table — and it’s our vote to cast. That’s why it’s absolutely critical that we start building right now. The second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act is this Friday, March 23rd, so we’re holding a Women’s Week of Action from March 23rd to March 30th to get the conversation going among our friends. We’ll be meeting up, organizing, and making phone calls to get the word out about how the Affordable Care Act helps women.

First Lady Michelle Obama wants you to be a part of it — so she recorded a special message. Watch this video, then say you’ll take part in a Women’s Week of Action, starting on Friday:

Here’s how women benefit from the Affordable Care Act:

    — By 2014, health reform will completely prohibit an insurance practice called “gender rating” that charges women more than men for the same coverage.
    — Already, young women who would otherwise be uninsured have access to coverage through their parents’ plans. In the future, even more young adults will gain coverage due to the Affordable Care Act’s reforms.
    — In 2011, the President’s law saved women on Medicare more than $1.2 billion on the cost of prescription drugs in the “donut hole” gap — by 2020, the gap will be completely closed.
    — Women with pre-existing conditions will soon gain access to coverage that — without reform — would have been out of reach. Children with pre-existing conditions are now protected.
    — Women have better access to critical preventive care like mammograms and cervical cancer screenings — and in the future, well-woman visits and domestic violence screenings will be included.

All of this will be on the line in November — that’s why we need your help, starting now.

Sign up to be a part of a nationwide Women’s Week of Action. By next Friday, let’s make sure we’ve done all we can to educate our friends, our moms, and our daughters about exactly what we’re voting to protect this fall.

It’s our health and our vote. Let’s make sure we’re the ones making the difference:

http://my.barackobama.com/Join-the-Womens-Week-of-Action

Thanks,

Kate

Kate Chapek
Women’s Vote Director
Obama for America

P.S. — We put together an app that figures out exactly how health reform benefits you. Check it out and find out how the Affordable Care Act is working for you right now — then pass it on.

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MEDICARE MADNESS – Republicans plan to end Medicare

03/21/2012 Nativegrl77

Republicans plan to End Medicare as we know it … Get the Facts – Tell your Legislators to Put PEOPLE before Party and Profit

They’re back at it again. Today, GOP Budget Chairman Paul Ryan launched his campaign to re-brand the Republican plan to end Medicare.

Don’t fall for it — and don’t let your friends and family fall for Ryan’s smoke-and-mirrors either. Get the facts:

Paul Ryan’s new Republican budget will still replace the Medicare guarantee with vouchers for seniors. When your voucher runs out, it runs out. Seniors are left on the hook to pay any additional health care costs. (1)
While seniors pay more (2), the Republicans’ budget protects tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and Big Oil companies. (3)

Forward this e-mail to 3 friends right now so they have the facts.

Then, join the fight at our Medicare Madness 2012 Action Center: Help us reach 100,000 strong demanding that Republicans stop putting Millionaires before Medicare >>

You can also share your Medicare story, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, and share the facts on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Budgets are about priorities, and the Republicans’ priority is that millionaires come first and seniors’ Medicare comes last.

The American people rejected Republicans’ extreme scheme last year. With your help, they will do it again.

http://MedicareMadness2012.com

Thanks for standing strong.

Steve

Rep. Steve Israel
DCCC Chairman

(1) LA Times: “[Republicans’ plan] would still give future seniors a fixed amount, but it would allow them to use the money to stay in the traditional Medicare program. They would have to pay out of pocket if the costs of the program were higher than the government subsidy — or buy an alternative plan.”

(2) Center for Budget and Policy Priorities: “[Republicans’ plan] would shift substantial costs to beneficiaries rather than protect them from such cost increases, could lead to the demise of traditional Medicare over time rather than preserve it and likely would produce few savings.”

(3) LA Times: “Now Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman, is returning to center stage as the GOP doubles down on his conservative budget priorities — including tax cuts for the wealthy and a new version of his plan for major changes in Medicare.”