Texas Voice for Health Reform Weekly Update | July 9, 2009
In this issue:
1. Action: Call your members of Congress
2. News and Updates: TVHR/CPPP Headed to Washington, D.C.; Public Insurance Option; Health Insurance Industry Insider Speaks out; Will Health Reform Benefit the Middle Class?
3. New Resources: Texas Uninsured Estimates for 2010
4. Calendar
Action
As the health care reform battle heats up, Texans must intensify efforts to tell our members of Congress where we stand on health care. This week several national groups, including SEIU, AARP, Consumer’s Union, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and Families USA, urge people across the country to call Congress and tell them to pass health care reform this year. Texas Voice for Health Reform encourages you to take the following simple actions.
1. Make three calls. On July 7th and 8th please call 1-866-210-3678 to tell your members of Congress:
“We need national health reform that delivers affordable, accessible, quality coverage to all Texans this year.”
Important note: This service will only connect you to one member of Congress at a time. To reach all of your members, please make this call three times, making sure to speak with the office of your member in the House of Representatives and Senators Cornyn and Hutchison. To find who represents you in the House of Representatives, visit http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/ and type in your ZIP code next to “Find Your Officials.”
2. Forward this email to all of your lists and contacts.
3. Post this link on your Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter accounts: http://texasvoiceforhealthreform.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/action-alert-call-your-members-of-congress-today
4. Text the following to everyone in your phone’s address book:
“Call 1-866-210-3678 to tell your members of Congress We need national health reform that delivers affordable, accessible, quality coverage to all Texans this year!”
New and Updates
CPPP/TVHR staff are headed to Washington again and plan to visit a number of Texas delegation offices on July 13. As we head out for the capitol, we are trying to refine a set of key concerns that we have as we review the rapidly-changing preliminary bill proposals from the House and Senate. These are consistent with our TVHR principles , but framed from the perspective of the legislation’s moving parts—and the areas where we fear weakening could occur—rather than broad principles. Topping the list so far today are:
(1) Affordability standards that cap financial exposure on both insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs;
(2) Making sure that these upper-limit protections apply to ALL Americans, including middle class folks with incomes above the upper limit for premiums subsidies. Health reform needs to provide financial security around health care if it is to succeed;
(3) Serious insurance market reforms are critical to Texas, where small group health insurance plans current charge as much as $29,000 per worker. See “For Texas, Health Reform Must Include Insurance Reform”
(4) In the transition to reform, the current high standards for children’s health benefits in Medicaid and CHIP and protections from out-of-pocket costs must be preserved.
Public Insurance Option
The White House’s support for a public insurance option in health reform caught the attention of health reform advocates around the country. Although President Obama strongly backs a public option, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel’s comments that the public plan might need to be delayed caused a flurry of concern. Several national organizations issued action alerts asking that people call the White House opposing a “trigger” provision in health reform. House Democrats have pledged their commitment to a public option. View an interview with Rep. John Yarmouth of Kentucky responding to questions about Emmanuel’s indications that the public option is negotiable.
Former Health Insurance Industry Insider Speaks Out
On June 24, 2009 former health industry PR executive Wendell Potter testified to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, providing important insight into the policies and practices of for-profit health insurance companies.
More
Will health reform benefit the middle class?
Many advocates are concerned that, while health reform will likely make some improvements for low-income people, measures that would benefit middle-class Americans are being stripped out of legislation as the committees writing these bills work to lower the price tag of health reform and gain bipartisan support. Passing comprehensive health reform this year will prove additionally challenging without the support of middle-class Americans.
Read Politico’s “A warm and fuzzy push on health”
New Resources
Texas Uninsured Estimates for 2010
Last week, Methodist Health Care Ministries, in cooperation with the Texas State Demographer, released a new report with 2010 uninsured estimates. The report is broken down by Congressional district, making it easy to find estimates for your area.
Calendar
July
• Early in the month: Senate Finance and House Tri-Committee mark-ups
• 12th-13th: Community Catalyst’s National Day of Action for national health reform– Washington, D.C.
• 13th: Children’s Defense Fund National Day of Social Action, Focus on Health Reform – Galveston, Texas
• 15th: HCAN release of Health Disparities report: events in Austin, San Antonio and the Valley
• 31st: House of Representatives breaks for August recess (reconvenes September 8th)
August
• 7th: Senate breaks for August recess (reconvenes September 8th)
• 8th: Representative Burgess Town Hall meetings
