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Repeal Vote Imminent: Women’s Health at Risk … a message from someone who knows


 

 I Am Not a Pre-Existing Condition

  Tell your Representative to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

 Call 877-667-6650

Tomorrow, the House will vote on a bill to repeal the new health care law. Repealing the law would risk access to health care and affordable insurance coverage for all women and women like me — a rape survivor.

Please call 877-667-6650 and tell your Member of Congress to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

Eight years ago, I was drugged and raped while on a business trip. I’m lucky to be alive.

At the time, I was a health insurance agent and when I needed new insurance, I knew how hard it would be to get coverage due to the medical treatment I received for my assault. I needed counseling and preventive anti-HIV medications but the insurance companies didn’t care what I needed. To them, being treated for rape qualified as a “pre-existing condition” and they said they wouldn’t cover someone like me.

The only coverage I could find would have cost almost as much as my monthly rent. So for three years, I was uninsured. I paid for my counseling, my medication, and all my day-to-day health needs out of pocket. I was lucky I could afford to do that. It wasn’t easy, though, and being uninsured was a big worry I faced every day.

The new health care law puts an end to insurance companies treating women like a pre-existing condition. But that’s not all — the law is already helping women and their families by providing no-cost preventive health care services, preventing insurance companies from dropping patients when they become sick, and prohibiting insurance companies from limiting the amount of money they will pay for benefits over a woman’s lifetime. All this is at risk.

Please call 877-667-6650 and tell your Member of Congress to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

The new health care law works for all of us. But repeal will put me and millions of other women and their families at the mercy of the insurance industry again. We can’t go back.

Please send a strong message. Call your Member of Congress today.

Sincerely,

Chris Turner

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Congress … the Republican House of Representatives meets/votes today to repeal Health Care Reform( Final vote@5:30pm) -Democrats will lay out what the new Health Care law does for all Americans


 CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JANUARY 19, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

10:00 P.M. –

The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on January 20, 2011.

On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.

Mr. Broun (GA) moved that the House do now adjourn.

6:13 P.M. –

SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House resumed Special Order speeches.

6:12 P.M. –

Mr. Dreier filed reports from the Committee on Rules, H. Res. 38 and H. Res. 43.

6:06 P.M. –

SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.

6:05 P.M. –

Mr. Bucshon requested the following general leaves to address the House on January 26: Mr. Poe of TX for 5 min and Mr. Jones for 5 min.

6:00 P.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.

5:59 P.M. –

GOVERNING BOARD, OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS – Pursuant to section 4(c) of House Resolution 5, 112th Congress, and the order of the House of January 5, 2011, the Chair announces the Speaker’s nomination of the following individuals, with the concurrence of the Minority Leader: Mr. Porter J. Goss, Florida, Chairman; Mr. James M. Eagen, III, Colorado, subject to section 1(b)(6)(B); Ms. Allison R. Hayward, Virginia, subject to section 1(b)(6)(B); Mr. Bill Frenzel, Virginia, Alternate. The following individuals were nominated by the Minority Leader with the concurrence of the Speaker: Mr. David Skaggs, Colorado, Co-Chairman; Mrs. Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, California, subject to section 1(b)(6)(B); Ms. Karan English, Arizona, subject to section 1(b)(6)(B); Mr. Abner Mikva, Illinois, Alternate .

5:57 P.M. –

Ms. Ros-Lehtinen asked unanimous consent That when the House adjourns on Wednesday, January 19, 2011, it adjourn to meet at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 20, 2011. Agreed to without objection.

H. Res. 42:

electing certain Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives

5:54 P.M. –

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

5:53 P.M. –

Considered as privileged matter.

H.R. 2:

to repeal the job-killing health care law and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On passage Passed by recorded vote: 245 – 189 (Roll no. 14).

5:45 P.M. –

On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 185 – 245 (Roll no. 13).

5:23 P.M. –

The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.

5:16 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Andrews motion to recommit with instructions, pending reservation of a point of order. The reservation of the point of order was subsequently withdrawn. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment which requires the health care repeal shall not take effect unless a majority of Members of U.S. House of Representatives and a majority of U.S. Senators waive Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Benefits.

5:14 P.M. –

Mr. Andrews moved to recommit with instructions to Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and the Workforce.

¢ Mr. Andrews moved to recommit the bill H.R. 2 to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and the Workforce with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with the following amendment: ¢ Add at the end the following new section: ¢ SEC. 3. HEALTH CARE REPEAL SHALL NOT TAKE EFFECT UNLESS A MAJORITY OF MEMBERS OF U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND A MAJORITY OF U.S. SENATORS WAIVE FEHBP BENEFITS.***

5:13 P.M. –

The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.

10:36 A.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with the remaining five hours of debate on H.R. 2.

Considered as unfinished business.

The Chair announced that pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule 19, proceedings will now resume on H.R. 2.

H. Res. 39:

electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives

10:35 A.M. –

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

Considered as privileged matter.

10:03 A.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches, which by direction of the Chair would be limited to 15 per side of the aisle.

10:02 A.M. –

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Heinrich to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.

10:01 A.M. –

Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Daniel Coughlin.

10:00 A.M. –

The Speaker designated the Honorable Mike Rogers to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

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AP-GfK Poll: Raw feelings ease over health law …


By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and JENNIFER AGIESTA, AP

WASHINGTON — As lawmakers shaken by the shooting of a colleague return to the health care debate, an Associated Press–GfK poll finds raw feelings over President Barack Obama’s overhaul have subsided.

Ahead of a vote on repeal in the GOP-led House this week, strong opposition to the law stands at 30 percent, close to the lowest level registered in AP-GfK surveys dating to September 2009.

The nation is divided over the law, but the strength and intensity of the opposition appear diminished. The law expands coverage to more than 30 million uninsured, and would require, for the first time, that most people in the United States carry health insurance.

The poll finds that 40 percent of those surveyed said they support the law, while 41 percent oppose it. Just after the November congressional elections, opposition stood at 47 percent and support was 38 percent.

As for repeal, only about one in four say they want to do away with the law completely. Among Republicans support for repeal has dropped sharply, from 61 percent after the elections to 49 percent now.

Also, 43 percent say they want the law changed so it does more to re-engineer the health care system. Fewer than one in five say it should be left as it is.

“Overall, it didn’t go as far as I would have liked,” said Joshua Smith, 46, a sales consultant to manufacturers who lives in Herndon, Va. “In a perfect world, I’d like to see them change it to make it more encompassing, but judging by how hard it was to get it passed, they had to take whatever they could get.”

His extended family has benefited from the law. A sister-in-law in her early 20s, previously uninsured, was able to get on her father’s policy. “She’s starting out as a real estate agent, and there’s no health care for that,” said Smith. The law allows young adults to stay on a parent’s plan until they turn 26.

Congress stepped back last week to honor victims of the rampage in Tucson, Ariz., that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., facing a long and uncertain recovery from a bullet through her brain.

There’s no evidence the gunman who targeted Giffords was motivated by politics, but the aftermath left many people concerned about the venom in public life. A conservative Democrat, Giffords had been harshly criticized for voting in favor of the health overhaul, and won re-election by a narrow margin.

House Republican leaders say they’re working to keep this week’s debate — and expected vote Wednesday — from degenerating into a shouting match, but it depends on the Democrats, too. Republicans want a thoughtful discussion about substantive policy differences, said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 GOP leader. The AP-GfK poll was under way when the attack in Tucson took place Jan. 8.

Opposition to the law remains strongest among Republicans. Seventy-one percent of them say they’re against it, as compared with 35 percent of independents and 19 percent of Democrats. Republicans won back control of the House partly on a promise to repeal what they dismissively term as “Obamacare.”

“I just think that the liberal left is more going for socialized medicine, and I don’t think that works well,” said Earl Ray Fye, 66, a farmer from Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa., and a conservative Republican. “It just costs too much. This country better get concerned about getting more conservative.”

One of the major Republican criticisms of the law found wide acceptance in the poll, suggesting a vulnerability that GOP politicians can continue to press.

Nearly six in 10 oppose the law’s requirement that people carry health insurance except in cases of financial hardship. Starting in 2014, people will have to show that they’re covered either through an employer, a government program, or under their own plan.

Rich Johnson, 34, an unemployed laborer from Caledonia, Wis., said he thinks the heart of the law is good. “The problem I have with it is mandating insurance so that you have to have it or you’ll get fines,” said Johnson, an independent. “I just don’t think people should be forced to have it. The rest of it, I have no problem with.”

The individual mandate started out as a Republican idea during an earlier health care debate in the 1990s. More recently, Massachusetts enacted such a requirement under GOP Gov. Mitt Romney and the Democratic Legislature. Nowadays, most conservatives are against it, and GOP state attorneys general are suing to have the mandate overturned as unconstitutional.

Other major provisions of the law, including a requirement that insurers accept people with pre-existing medical conditions, got support from half or more of the public in the poll.

Loralyn Conover, 42 a former music teacher with multiple sclerosis, says she hopes repeal goes nowhere. Senate Democrats say they’ll block it.

The new law “opens the door for people like me to have some kind of pay-as-you-go health insurance,” said Conover, of Albuquerque, N.M. “It’s nice to be able to have something . and not be dropped in the cracks of society.” She couldn’t get health insurance when she was first diagnosed, but is now covered by Medicare.

The AP-GfK Poll was conducted Jan. 5-10 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

____

Associated Press writers Douglass Daniel, Bradley Klapper and Michele Salcedo contributed to this report.

____

Online:

Poll questions and results: http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com/

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wicked Wednesday &some News


trying to pub since early morn…ugh

The President is in Arizona to talk about the awful tragedy that happened on Saturday and call for a moment of National Unity and Healing.

It is a day to remember the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It is a time to ask how far they have come and acknowledge how much more work, and funding Haiti needs. The State of Arizona experienced an awful tragedy none of us will truly understand, a number of people gunned down six killed and Congresswoman Giffords shot in the head, she and several survivors are on the mend. The reports are that Gaby Giffords is doing well.

It has been five days since the awful incident in Arizona and while some on both sides of the political aisle are agreeing that, the language used may not be appropriate. There are those long considered leaders in politics, TV, pundits, hosts have chosen to either ignore the obvious opportunity to tamp down the ugly rhetoric or come on national TV to act as if they were the victims. This is unacceptable to me. I am not sure if people will finally come together to tell those on the right by so-called Public Servants throw out violent rhetoric and  language; like blood libel, 2nd amendment remedies, do not retreat reload and last… i want everyone in Minnesota armed and dangerous. It is with great sadness to mention one of several Sharon Angle interviews this one with the RGJ in May, Angle said, “We’re called as Americans to be vigilant to protect our liberty. At some point in each of our lives, we’re called to service to defend and protect our Constitution “What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock. That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn’t that they are so distrustful of their government? They’re afraid they’ll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways? “That’s why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don’t win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?”

The pledge to America in my opinion seems like a doctrine of what the right(the Republican Tea Party) thinks and says they are all about but in my opinion are definitely without: compassion, any sense of service; community or for helping your fellow American, which, is why Obama was voted in.

The fact is… 53% wanted a huge change in the way thing get done not only in Washington DC but also on a global level, conservatives and their comrades the Republican Tea Party are fighting it. It is a moment when those of us that voted for President Obama need to help make this change a reality in 2012 by getting more true democrats on the floor of Congress. It was with great sadness that this was not accomplished during the 2010 midterms but those easily hoodwinked, fooled or who just did not care voted right of center. In my opinion, any or all things that have been accomplished and will help create positive improvement are at risk because the RTP has a need to not only privatize but ruin the Presidency; which if we all pay attention is a calling to take back their country – I ask what does that mean to you? For me it means there is a group of people afraid of the unknown, willing to use race or those of us that are other because we are brown, black or under the protected classes. I have to say some call it socialism some like me just want the country to stop being self-destructive, be civil, maybe help people by giving them an opportunity to prosper and flourish. I maybe naïve, but doing better than the next generation use to be a dream your parents had for you and you would pass on but if we listen to the right talk at some point these folks were trained taught to think completely differently than the rest of us. Though scary even folks on the right say this is not your fathers Republican Party and the radical right use to be visible but not so many got into public service positions let alone get on the floor of Congress. This has been an outrage for me since before 2008 but in light of the latest incident we have to hold some radio and tv pundits, politicians, tv hosts and bloggers accountable for their lack of self-control.

Other News …

**Haiti and the World remember that 2010 terrible earthquake

**Snow storms in 49 States

**Brazil is hit with rain and mud kills 99

**Riots reach Tunisia’s capital, so they now have a curfew

**Tracking bands hurt Penguin -seabirds

**Our 2010 ended strongly

**Lebanon govt falls Hezbollah pulls out

**Quinn wont say if he will sign off on death penalty bill

**

CSPAN…

The National Alliance to End Homelessness released its State of Homelessness in America report that found the nation’s homeless population increased by approximately 3 percent from 2008 to 2009 and cited the recession as contributing factor to the increase.  The report also showed California, Florida, and Nevada have the highest rates of homelessness. Speakers included the group’s president Nan Roman and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who is a senior Democrat on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. The event took place at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

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Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner spoke at John Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Study in Washington, DC. His remarks focused on the U.S. and China’s economic future and what to expect from Chinese President Hu Jintao’s upocming state visit.

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On the third day of voting in the South Sudan independence referendum, one of the lead U.S. negotiators for Sudan and the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs spoke with reporters at the State Department to provide an update on the vote.

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The Brookings Institution hosted a discussion on the earthquake in Haiti.  Activists who recently traveled there gave an assessment of the current situation, and also their insights on the remaining problems that are hindering reconstruction efforts. Topics of discussion include humanitarian aid concerns, rubble removal efforts, disease response as well as sexual violence and sanitation concerns in Haitian camps.  Among the speakers was actor and humanitarian Sean Penn who currently heads a group devoted to providing relief to Haiti.

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