At every rally, in each blog post, in every comment we’ve made to the press or email we’ve sent you, HCAN has talked about how Obamacare expands coverage to more than 30 million people and eliminates the worst insurance company abuses.
We don’t talk about the so-called “mandate” because it’s a means to an end – it’s one of the ways everyone gets health care and it’s how we stop the big insurance companies from discriminating against people who are sick.
Health care reform is saving lives and protecting families – including young adults trying to start new lives in a challenging economy. So far, 6.6 million young adults have gained health insurance under their parents‘ health care plans as a result of the Affordable Care Act, according to the Commonwealth Fund. The new figures far outstrip earlier estimates.
That’s 6.6 million young people who will have more flexibility to pursue careers of their choosing, who won’t face the added stress of going without health care as they begin their careers and who can know that they’ll be covered if something bad happens. Helen Dally is one of them. In March when the U.S. Supreme Court was hearing arguments on Obamacare, this young woman came to the steps of the court to explain to reporters how the law enabled her to join a health plan sponsored by her parents’ small business.
The dependent coverage provision, one of Obamacare’s most popular elements, allows young adults to enroll in a parent’s health plan as long as they have not reached their 26th birthday and their employer does not offer a qualified health plan. The provision is a godsend for recent college graduates struggling to find work and pay off expensive student loans. Many young adults have been forced to return to their parents’ homes while they look for employment, and the ACA lends these individuals a helping hand while giving parents peace of mind.
This is just one of the many ways that the health care law is working.
WellPoint is one of the largest health insurance companies in the country. It operates as a Blue Cross licensee in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. More than 30 million of us are enrolled in its health plans.
“The beginning of the Iraq war was a moment that no American will ever forget. Nine years later, we remember those who gave their lives, and honor the sacrifice of all the brave women and men who have served our country. In 2008, Barack made a promise that as President, he would bring the Iraq War to a responsible end—he kept his word. When he took the oath of office, more than 140,000 troops were stationed in Iraq. This past December, the last of our soldiers came home.
Now that our service members are home, we are doing everything we can to support our veterans and their families in the challenging transition to civilian life.
Barack expanded the Veterans Affairs budget and made it possible for more than 500,000 veterans previously denied care to become eligible for VA health care. And he streamlined the claims process to ensure that our veterans can get the high quality benefits and services they’ve earned — and get those services more quickly.
Barack helped pass tax credits to encourage small businesses to hire our wounded warriors
We also know that when our men and women in uniform are called to serve, their families serve right along side them. That’s why we’ve been working to expand employment opportunities, job training programs, and wellness services for military spouses and families — the folks who bear the greatest burden of their loved one’s deployment.
In the end, we all have an obligation to support those who have served our country so selflessly—from our veterans with special health needs, to all those seeking to join the civilian workforce, to families coping with the grief of losing a loved one. So I hope you’ll join me in standing up for all those who have served.
Visit BarackObama.com/Veterans to get involved, and to learn about all the ways your President is working to support our veterans and military families.
Thank you.”
Help build this campaign: https://my.barackobama.com/feb2012resultsvid
We wanted to take a moment to share what volunteers across the country have been up to:
-Opened five new field offices in Pennsylvania -Opened seven new field offices in Ohio -Recruited 65 new team leaders in Nevada -Registered 5,000 new voters in North Carolina -Made 28,000 calls in Washington state -More that 2,414 students attended the Greater Together summits
Overall, we’ve been able to raise more than $45 million in February. More than 1,552,000 people have donated to Obama for America from April 2011 to February 2012. More than 348,000 grassroots donors gave in February alone, of those donors, more than 105,000 were first time donors.
This campaign continues to be funded by folks in all 50 states giving what they can. That’s why the average donation was $59.04. Also 97.7% of donations were $250 or less.
Thank you for all the hard work done so far, and for all the hard work yet to come.
Leave a note for the troops: https://my.barackobama.com/sharonpottervid
Sharon Potter is the first female in the state of Nevada to receive a purple heart by way of serving in Iraq. She stands with President Obama because of his continuing fight to ensure that our nation’s veterans and military families are taken care of.
In Sharon’s words:
“As veterans we’re the ones that sign on the dotted line with our lives and no veteran should have to come home and fight for their benefits.”
At 18-months old Jackson’s insurance company listed him with a pre-existing condition: ear infections. Starting in 2010 insurance company’s were banned from denying coverage to children for pre-existing conditions. As Jackson’s mom says:
“The Affordable Care Act makes it so that I know that my children are covered and that is an amazing thing.”
When Liam was five-months old his insurance premiums went up by 100 dollars a month. As Liam’s mom Rebecca says:
“It was completely unbelievable that insurance for a five month old could be that expensive. I called them and what I was told was: ‘You can change your plan or go somewhere else'”.
Since the Affordable Care Act passed, the insurance commissioner in Rebecca’s state has been reviewing the rates to make sure families get a fair deal. Because of this, Rebecca and her family received a refund.
In 2012, Liam got a insurance renewal notice in the mail, this time, his premium was reduced. As Rebecca says:
“Before the Affordable Care Act I felt totally helpless and I now I feel like there’s somebody looking out for us. I’m very grateful that the President has fought for health care reform.”
Health Care for America Now was able to bring people from across the country to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court this week to tell their stories about how Obamacare is already helping them and millions of Americans.
Stacie Ritter’s twin girls, childhood cancer survivors who can not be denied care due to pre-existing conditions.
For three days the justices heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Outside, thousands of people gathered to fight the Republican attack on this law and health care programs like Medicaid and Medicare.
HCAN and our allies were out in force and made a big splash in the media. Here are just a few of the people who were able to tell the national press their stories:
Theodore Method is a military veteran and retired postal worker from Virginia whose wife has Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and congestive heart failure and is now living in a nursing home where Theodore goes to feed her lunch every day. If his wife’s Medicaid benefits were cut, Theodore would have to exhaust his own retirement funds to maintain his wife’s standard of care and would quickly run out of resources for both of them.
Stacie Ritter is a Pennsylvania mom to twin daughters who survived leukemia after the family battled with the insurance company and filed for bankruptcy. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, her daughters can never again be excluded from coverage because of pre-existing conditions. We know these stories had an impact on those who heard them this week.
We know these stories had an impact this week. Please watch the videos showing how important the health care law is here and here.
We will continue to fight the tea party and extremist Republicans to protect this law and put people before profits. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to providing affordable, quality health care for all.
At every rally, in each blog post, in every comment we’ve made to the press or email we’ve sent you, HCAN has talked about how Obamacare expands coverage to more than 30 million people and eliminates the worst insurance company abuses.
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