Texas Voice for Health Reform Weekly Update

2009 August 12

by admin

In This Issue

Calendars

Other organizations” calendars
August
September

In opposition to health reform efforts in Congress, the right-wing has gotten a lot of press and airtime, making their position very visible to both our elected representatives and the public at large. While it is challenging to make it in-person to every representative’s town hall meetings, there are other ways that we–the pro-health reform majority–can make ourselves visible.

Picture Health Reform! is a project to collect photographs of Texas individuals, families, and communities who want to send a positive health reform message to their member of Congress and their community. Visit our action page to learn how you can participate!

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New and Updates

Both the Senate and the House have now left DC for the August recess. Before they left, four of the five committees with jurisdiction on health care passed health reform bills. Both chambers will return to work on September 8. A group of three Democrats (Senators Baucus, Bingaman, and Conrad) and three Republicans (Senators Grassley, Enzi, and Snowe) on the Senate Finance Committee are trying to negotiate a bipartisan compromise and will continue negotiations by phone over the August recess. Finance Chairman Max Baucus has set a tentative deadline of September 15 to complete the bipartisan negotiations. Before leaving DC, the six Senators met with the president, who encouraged them to keep working on a bipartisan bill, and held a conference call with a bipartisan group of Governors to get their input on Medicaid expansion provisions.

Much of the news about health reform over the last week has focused on town halls devolving into “town brawls” or shouting matches aimed at overwhelming or drowning out discourse. As well-organized opponents of reform drove turnout at several town halls, and in some cases encouraged disruptive tactics, advocates in favor of reform responded by encouraging supporters to turn out and releasing information on how to handle disruptions. Pro- and anti-reform groups are posting town hall information on the internet and encouraging turnout (Texas town halls on our website.). Other news reports and the president’s weekly address focused on separating fact from fiction in the health reform debate as many rumors, scare tactics, and lies about reform have gone viral.

Take a look at Texas Observer’s coverage of Rep. Doggett’s August 8th health reform event.

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