Action for Children will continuously update this page with health insurance reform events, information and resources. Come back often!

Jan 26: Thoughts on moving forward

From the Health Policy Hub:

"Although the legislative path must be altered, the Brown victory does not prevent Congress from concluding its work along the lines that were negotiated by leadership just prior to election.  Instead of the House amending the Senate bill and sending it back for concurrence, the House can simply pass the Senate bill as is and then send over a package of amendments that can be incorporated via budget reconciliation, a process that requires only a simple majority in the Senate, rather than 60 votes.

That being the case, why have so many—including some prominent House progressives—suggested that the Brown election heralds the death of comprehensive health reform?

The short answer is: the elections’ psychological impact. The Democrats, having recently lost two governorships and with a number of prominent lawmakers facing uncertain electoral prospects in 2010 and now losing what was expected to be an easy race for them, are spooked. To get over the finish line, House leaders must reassure nervous members of their caucus, hold defections to a minimum and still move as many as a dozen members from the No to the Yes column. At the same time, the House and Senate need to finalize agreement on a package of reforms that can meet the technical requirements of a budget reconciliation bill.

Reversing the Curse
While all of this is difficult, it is by no means impossible. And failing to pass major reform legislation (as Five Thirty-Eight and The Treatment have pointed out) is unlikely to improve the electoral prospects of Democrats. Failure also means the continuation of the status quo in health care, with rising premiums forcing more people to go without care or lose coverage entirely, higher rates of medical debt and personal bankruptcy, unchecked increases in federal health spending and an eroding base of paying customers for doctors, hospitals and drug makers (not to mention health insurers who nonetheless continue to oppose reform).

In fact, the only way to blunt political attacks on health care is to actually pass and implement the best possible reform so that voters can see for themselves that the attacks on the bill are baseless and begin to recognize the benefits.

In addition, the alternatives that have been floated—passing an entire bill through budget reconciliation or starting over in negotiation with Republicans—are, as ideas go, also rans for two reasons: Both are time-consuming propositions at a moment when most members are anxious to move on to other issues, and they offer no certainty of either substantive or political success.  With this in mind, a strong grassroots movement to shore up support for reform has helped to stem the initial post-election panic that seemed to first take hold.

While it’s too early to say for certain that the House and Senate will be able to conclude their negotiations with a package that will win the support of 218 House members, it is far too early to count reform out."

Jan 21: Explanation of major parts of any health reform bill

From Congressional Quarterly:

"In an interview Wednesday with ABC News, Obama suggested that Democrats should consider writing and passing a new, slimmed-down health care bill comprising only the most popular “core elements” of the overhaul.

“We know that we need insurance reform, that the health insurance companies are taking advantage of people,” he said. “We know that we have to have some form of cost containment, because if we don’t, then our budgets are going to blow up. And we know that small businesses are going to need help so that they can provide health insurance for their families. Those are the core, some of the core elements of this bill.”

Though the option of drafting a simpler bill is politically appealing and already under discussion, it would not be easy to pull off.

The most popular provision of any of the health care bills is probably a proposal to ban insurance companies from denying people coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions. However, policymakers agree they cannot ban medical underwriting without simultaneously passing a law requiring all Americans to carry health insurance. That is because insurance premiums would likely rise if health plans were forced to cover everyone.

Democrats, furthermore, do not want to require people to purchase insurance without helping poorer Americans pay the premiums. Federal subsidies to pay for coverage are the most expensive piece of the health care bills, costing hundreds of billions of dollars over a decade, and necessitate offsets — typically spending cuts elsewhere in the government, such as in Medicare — and higher taxes.

A bill built around even these four considerations — a ban on medical underwriting, a mandate to buy insurance, new subsidies for the poor and additional revenue to finance the subsidies — would closely resemble the legislation the Senate and House have already passed."
 

Jan 20: MA special election major stumbling block

The irony of Ted Kennedy's seat being the one that loses the filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and imperils health reform is not lost on us this morning. Republican Scott Brown, who campaigned on anti-health reform rhetoric, won the special election in Massachusetts yesterday over Martha Coakley, the Democratic, pro-reform candidate. House and Senate leadership and the Obama Administration will now have to figure out how to move forward. One possibility is convincing the House to adopt the Senate health reform legislation so that the Senate doesn't have to vote on it again. Another is quickly voting on the legislation before Brown is seated. Neither looks particularly likely. In the meantime, here are a couple of NY Times articles on the election and the aftermath:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/us/politics/20election.html?th&emc=th

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/us/politics/20assess.html?th&emc=th 

Jan 15: Analysis on children in health reform

Children Would Be Better Off Under House Health Bill

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2019, 36 million people who otherwise would be uninsured would gain coverage under the bill, a number that includes millions of children. (CBPP). To read more.

Subsidies in Senate Health Bill Inadequate for Low Income Families In the Senate bill, the premiums and deductibles that many low income families would be charged could squeeze their budgets, leaving them with the difficult choice of paying for health care or paying for other necessities. (CBPP). Click here 

Also check out EPI's guide to health reform.

Jan 13: First Focus blog post on Huffington Post

Check out this Huffington blog post from our national partners First Focus, urging protection of children in health care reform.

Don't Gamble With Children's Health

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-lesley/ipeaceful-revolutioni-don_b_421695.html

Jan 12: Protecting children in health reform

As the House and Senate work on a compromise health reform bill, more and more child advocates are sounding the alarm that ending the highly successful SCHIP program and moving children into the proposed Exchanges would leave children worse off. Here are some resources.

From our friends at First Focus:

There has been some recent communication suggesting that it may be somehow okay to repeal CHIP and move kids into the insurance exchanges in either the House or Senate bills.  The following are some links to resources that clearly show that would not be the case.  They include:

·         Two actuarial value studies conducted by Watson Wyatt Worldwide that show that the median value of CHIP is at 100% for coverage at 175% of poverty in a study of 17 state CHIP program and 98% for coverage at 225% of poverty, which is significantly better than what is being offered in the House and Senate insurance exchange plans.  Summaries of the two reports, including state specific information for the 17 states is at: http://www.firstfocus.net/Download/10.1.SUMMARY.pdf and http://www.firstfocus.net/Download/AV_StateSummary.pdf.

·         A white paper released by First Focus entitled "Children in Health Reform: Comparing CHIP to the Exchange Plans" examined children's coverage in CHIP that they would receive in the exchange plans if CHIP were to be eliminated. The report found that on indicators such as covered benefits, out-of-pocket costs, premiums, access to pediatric providers, and the guarantee to care, CHIP coverage is in fact better than the plans proposed in the exchange.

·         An ad by First Focus entitled “If Congress Repeals CHIP, millions of children will get lost in the shuffle” and shows that CHIP is overwhelmingly better than coverage under the insurance exchange plans for children.

·         A chart by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that shows that there is virtually no cost sharing imposed on children in CHIP programs across the country at http://www.cbpp.org/shsh/copay-child.pdf.  In contrast, the insurance exchanges would have cost sharing imposed on children between at least 7-30% for these same services, depending on the level of poverty for the child.

·         A report showing that having CHIP for kids and a separate exchange plan for adults works very well in Massachusetts and that children are better off in CHIP than if they would be moved into the Massachusetts exchange entitled “Covering Children and their Parents: The Massachusetts Model & Implications for National Health Care Reform.”

·         A series of other reports issues by First Focus, including a variety of papers on health reform issues facing children and polling by Lake Research on the issue at Reports and Research.

·         A comprehensive review about what has happened to children in health reform by the Children’s Defense Fund entitled How are Children Faring in Health Reform?

Jan 4: Senate passes bill over holidays!

The U.S. Senate passed their health reform bill over the holidays!! Please THANK SENATOR HAGAN for voting YES on the bill and please EXPRESS YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT to Senator Burr for voting against access to basic health care for all North Carolinians. Full text of the Senate bill is here.

Senator Hagan: 1-877-852-9462, toll-free
Senator Burr: 1-888-848-1833, toll-free

Next step: Compromise with the House, which should happen in January.

Also check out this great recent blog post by Marian Wright Edelman (Children's Defense Fund) on the challenges in protecting children as we move forward in the process.

Dec 18: Senate update

From our friends at Families USA:

With the end in sight, the fight for health care reform is meeting some of its hardest challenges yet. This was a tough week for many after finding out that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) would not be able to corral the 60 votes needed to pass health reform legislation if a robust public option was part of the bill. After a key group of ten moderate and liberal Democratic Senators announced last week they had brokered a deal, which would have allowed 55-64 year olds to buy into Medicare, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) announced Sunday on national television that he could not support a cloture vote if this provision was included in the bill. Although this has been an extremely disappointing development, we cannot give up. There is still too much in this bill worth fighting for.

As the Senate awaits a final score from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), members are engaging in critical conversations behind closed doors. President Obama invited the Democratic Caucus to the White House this week to speak to them once again about the urgency of passing health reform in the Senate this year. Meanwhile, Majority Leader Reid continues to negotiate with Senators who are not yet ready to commit to voting for cloture.

Timing

Majority Leader Reid plans to file three cloture motions on Saturday, after the Senate votes on the Department of Defense bill. This means that the critical first vote to end the health reform debate could occur sometime on Monday, December 21.  Because of arcane procedural rules, the Senate will actually need to take two additional cloture votes – one on the substitute bill and then one on the final bill. To further complicate matters, Senate rules require that there be 30 hours of debate in between each vote. After that, the Senate can vote on final passage of the bill. Ultimately, there are four votes that need to happen before the bill will pass. Senators might have to wake up the morning after Christmas day, December 26, to cast their votes for the final passage of this bill.

Keep in mind that timelines in Washington are always subject to change. That’s why it’s vitally important that you continue to call your Senators to remind them what’s on your holiday wish list: Historic legislation that would provide quality, affordable health coverage to more Americans. We cannot afford to wait. Call the Capitol Switchboard today at 1-800-828-0498 and ask to speak to your Senator. Thank you!

Dec 17: Mom tells story of son who died for lack of insurance

Click here to hear Leslie Boyd of Asheville's Life O' Mike health reform advocacy group tell Mike's story, at a recent rally in D.C. Then call your Senators. 

Senator Hagan: 1-877-852-9462, toll-free
Senator Burr: 1-888-848-1833, toll-free 

Dec 17: Time to go for it in the Senate

Click here for an article from the American Prospect on why the Senate should pass the current bill. 

Dec 15: New ad by First Focus in support of health reform

Our national partners First Focus have a new ad out that warns against letting children get lost in the shuffle of health reform and urges our leaders to protect the SCHIP program. Click here to view the full ad, which ran yesterday in Roll Call and Tuesday in Politico (both influential DC journals). 

Dec 14: Senate may drop Medicare expansion

The NY Times reported that the Senate compromise may no longer include the optional expansion of Medicare to those 55 and older. Click here for more.

Dec 10: Deal made in Senate

The Senate seems to have made a deal, eliminating the public option and instead opening up the federal employees' health care plan to more Americans and lowering the age for Medicare. Today's News & Observer has a good summary article about what the bill will do. 

Dec 10: Everyone supports universal healthcare for the elderly - why not for children?

November 19, 2009 op-ed in the New York Times

The Wrong Side of History

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Critics storm that health care reform is “a cruel hoax and a delusion.” Ads in 100 newspapers thunder that reform would mean “the beginning of socialized medicine.”

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page predicts that the legislation will lead to “deteriorating service.” Business groups warn that Washington bureaucrats will invade “the privacy of the examination room,” that we are on the road to rationed care and that patients will lose the “freedom to choose their own doctor.”

All dire — but also wrong. Those forecasts date not from this year, but from the battle over Medicare in the early 1960s. I pulled them from newspaper archives and other accounts.

Yet this year those same accusations are being recycled in an attempt to discredit the health reform proposals now before Congress. The heirs of those who opposed Medicare are conjuring the same bogymen — only this time they claim to be protecting Medicare.

Indeed, these same arguments we hear today against health reform were used even earlier, to attack President Franklin Roosevelt’s call for Social Security. It was denounced as a socialist program that would compete with private insurers and add to Americans’ tax burden so as to kill jobs.

Daniel Reed, a Republican representative from New York, predicted that with Social Security, Americans would come to feel “the lash of the dictator.” Senator Daniel Hastings, a Delaware Republican, declared that Social Security would “end the progress of a great country.”

John Taber, a Republican representative from New York, went further and said of Social Security: “Never in the history of the world has any measure been brought here so insidiously designed as to prevent business recovery, to enslave workers.”

In hindsight, it seems a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it? Social Security passed, and the republic survived.

Similar, ferocious hyperbole was unleashed on the proposal for Medicare. President John Kennedy and later President Lyndon Johnson pushed for a government health program for the elderly, but conservatives bitterly denounced the proposal as socialism, as a plan for bureaucrats to make medical decisions, as a means to ration health care.

The American Medical Association was vehement, with Dr. Donovan Ward, the head of the A.M.A. in 1965, declaring that “a deterioration in the quality of care is inescapable.” The president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons went further and suggested that for doctors to cooperate with Medicare would be “complicity in evil.”

The Wall Street Journal warned darkly in editorials in 1965 that Medicare amounted to “politicking with a nation’s health.” It quoted a British surgeon as saying that in Britain, government health care was “crumbling to utter ruin” and suggested that the United States might be heading in the same direction.

“The basic concerns and arguments were the same” in 1935 against Social Security, in 1965 against Medicare, and today against universal coverage, said Nancy J. Altman, author of “The Battle for Social Security,” a history of the program. (The quotes against Social Security above were taken from that book.)

These days, the critics of Medicare have come around because it manifestly works. Life expectancy for people who have reached the age of 65 has risen significantly. America is no longer shamed by elderly Americans suffering for lack of medical care.

Yet although America’s elderly are now cared for, our children are not. A Johns Hopkins study found that hospitalized children who are uninsured are 60 percent more likely to die than those with insurance, presumably because they are less likely to get preventive care and to be taken to the doctor when sick. The study suggested that every year some 1,000 children may die as a consequence of lacking health insurance.

Why is it broadly accepted that the elderly should have universal health care, while it’s immensely controversial to seek universal coverage for children? What’s the difference — except that health care for children is far cheaper?

Granted, there are problems in the House and Senate bills — in particular, they falter on cost-containment. In the same way, there were many specific flaws in the Social Security and Medicare legislation, but, in retrospect, it’s also clear that they were major advances for our nation.

It’s now broadly apparent that those who opposed Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965 were wrong in their fears and tried to obstruct a historical tide. This year, the fate of health care will come down to a handful of members of Congress, including Senators Joe Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu. If they flinch and health reform fails, they’ll be letting down their country at a crucial juncture. They’ll be on the wrong side of history.
 

Dec 9: Likely deal reached on public option in Senate

The compromise deal among liberal and conservative Democrats will not include an expansion of Medicaid, but will instead likely include an extension of SCHIP. From the Wall Street Journal today:

"Also, a proposal to expand eligibility for Medicaid beyond the increase already in the bill was dropped Tuesday, said people familiar with the negotiations. Instead, the Democratic negotiators agreed to a proposal that would extend the Children's Health Insurance Program, a popular federal-state initiative that provides insurance to more than seven million children in low-income families. The current program is funded through 2013 and would be extended to 2015, these people said."

The proposal to expand Medicare still stands. 

Dec 8: Public option threatened in Senate

Talks among 10 Democratic members of the Senate may end in the public option being removed from the Senate health reform bill. The compromise would expand Medicaid and allow younger people to buy into Medicare in exchange for replacing the public option provision with an alternative plan supervised by the Office of Personnel Management (which runs the federal employees health insurance plan) but run by private or non-profit entities.

Dec 7: New report on children in reform 

From our friends at First Focus: 

First Focus has released a new White Paper today comparing CHIP coverage for children to that they would receive in the exchange plans in CHIP is eliminated.  The paper is entitled “Children in Health Reform: Comparing CHIP to the Exchange Plans.”  The paper can be found at http://www.firstfocus.net/Download/FFWhitePaper.pdf.

The report cites the following areas where maintaining CHIP health coverage is better than exchange plans:

• Coverage for children from 2009 through 2013: If health reform were to repeal CHIP in 2013, states would not invest in improving coverage for children when those very efforts will be dismantled just a few years later. Thus, the increased coverage of 4 million children that is expected from passing CHIP earlier this year would largely be lost.

• Covered benefits: Children in most state CHIP plans receive coverage for all approved vaccinations, dental care, and well-baby and well-child visits. This level of benefits stand in contrast to private plans, like those in the exchanges, which often impose limits that are particularly harmful to children with special health care needs.

• Out of pocket costs: An actuarial study by Watson Wyatt Worldwide finds that children moved from CHIP to exchange plans would dramatically increase out-of-pocket costs for children. For example, out-of-pocket costs for a child living in a family earning 225 percent of the federal poverty level would increase by 1,100 percent, if the Senate were to join the House in repealing CHIP.

• Premiums: Because CHIP keeps premiums and other out-of-pocket costs for children at very low levels, the cost of health insurance exchange plans will be many times higher, even for just covering children. Further, an increase in premiums will lead to a number of children currently enrolled in CHIP to lose coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

• Access to pediatric providers: CHIP plans specifically focus on the unique health care needs of children, which is not the case in proposed exchanges. And the recent CHIP reauthorization included improvements to pediatric-specific quality measures that may get lost in the conversion of children from CHIP to exchange plans.

• Guarantee to care: In exchange plans, some children currently eligible for CHIP may be barred from receiving subsidies for coverage due to the costs of employer-sponsored plans. Moreover, the families that are eligible for subsidies and coverage through exchange plans may find coverage so unaffordable that they are left without insurance entirely.

Dec 4: Update on Senate process

The Senate has voted 60-39 to proceed with debate on the health reform bill. 

From our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

The Senate began to work on its health reform bill this week. Majority Leader Reid was not successful in getting an agreement on a process for considering amendments, confirming that the process will be lengthy.  Senators cast their first votes on amendments on Thursday.  A McCain amendment to strip the Medicare savings was defeated on a largely party-line vote. 

The Center released a new paper today on savings in the House and Senate health reform bills.  Some are suggesting the legislation would do little to control health care costs and would increase budget deficits.  Careful analysis shows that many of these charges are exaggerated or are simply incorrect.

Reid is insisting that amendments offered by Democrats must be fully offset, which will constrain the number of amendments that are ultimately offered. It will also make the competition for offsets fierce. 

The Senate is likely to be on the bill at least until Christmas.

From our friends at Families USA:

Early this week, we received encouraging news from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The CBO analysis indicated, under the Senate bill, Americans would pay lower premiums. Employees of large businesses could see up to a three percent reduction in premiums compared to what they would pay if Congress does not act. Americans employed through small businesses would pay as much as 11 percent less in premiums, thanks to tax credits offered to small businesses to help employers provide affordable coverage. The bill also will provide tax credits to help individuals purchase insurance; these Americans would see their premiums cut by up to 59 percent.

Nov 24: Guide to finding health insurance in N.C.

Families USA has produced a guide to finding health insurance in N.C. 

Nov 23: Senate starts debate; Resources on Senate bill

The Senate voted to start debate on the health care bill.

• Click here for a copy of the bill and summaries. 
• The Center for Children and Families (CCF) recently posted a blog entry that will walk you through the Senate bill.
• Voices for America's Children sent this letter in support of the bill and outlining key concerns. 

Nov 20: Senate votes to start debate tomorrow - CALL TODAY!

The U.S. House has passed its health reform bill and now focus moves to the Senate. Tomorrow (Saturday), the Senate will take an important vote on whether or not to begin debate on the Senate version of the bill. This is the crucial first step towards getting a strong health reform bill passed through the Senate.

Please call Senators Hagan and Burr TODAY:

• Express your SUPPORT for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
• Tell them you want the Senate to begin discussing it right away.
  

Nov 17: New poll: Americans more concerned about health care costs to families than deficit

Published by: Center for Children and Families and Lake Research Partners

This survey shows that families are still reeling from the recession, feeling pessimistic about the future, and struggling to afford health care. Health care costs are squeezing families financially, forcing them to make hard choices. For this reason, their goal for health care reform is overwhelmingly to make health care more affordable and to lower premiums and copayments that people must pay for their insurance coverage.

• Poll: Affordability and Health Care Coverage

• Final Topline Results
  

Another resource: 

Where Things Stand for Kids—Today, CCF releas ed a fact sheet that explains the impact of health reform on children’s coverage in a succinct four page summary.  The fact sheet examines the provisions of two proposals—the bill approv ed by the House on November 7 and the one releas ed by the Senate Finance Committee on October 19.  

Nov 16: Casey amendment to Senate bill to address SCHIP

From our friends at Voices for America's Children:

Now that the House has voted on its health reform bill, all eyes are on the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated that deliberation could begin this week, but Democratic aides say that next week is more realistic. During an event held earlier this month, Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) indicated that he would introduce an amendment that would “…strengthen coverage for children in [the Children's Health Insurance Program] through 2019 to ensure that all vulnerable children are cared for." In addition, it has been reported that the senator will fight to improve the benefit package for children by introducing an amendment that would offer children benefits modeled after the comprehensive Medicaid pediatric benefit package (EPSDT), a gold standard of care.

The future of the successful CHIP program, which along with Medicaid has reduced the number of uninsured children to a 20-year low, is still unknown at this time. In the House-passed bill, CHIP is scheduled to expire in 2013 and some CHIP-eligible children would be moved into the exchange, a new health insurance marketplace. Thanks to Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-WV) leadership, the legislation passed by the Senate Finance Committee would extend the CHIP program through 2019, although it is not funded past 2013. Sen. Rockefeller, who will serve as a conferee once the bill moves out of the chamber and negotiations begin with the House to reconcile the bills, has vowed to protect CHIP after learning of the House bill’s plan to sunset the program.

We believe that children should not be transitioned into any new system until benefits and affordability structures comparable to what is currently available under CHIP are part of the newly reformed health insurance marketplace.

Note: The Congressional Research Service (CRS) released an analysis of the Medicaid and CHIP provisions in the House-passed bill last week. 

Nov 13: Survey: small business owners want health reform

A recent Small Business Majority survey of North Carolina small business owners found that most support health insurance reform. Other findings from the survey include:

The high cost of health insurance is a burden for small businesses:

• 41% of North Carolina small business owners polled reported that they pay for health insurance for their employees. Of those, 88% say they are really struggling to do so
• Of the 59% of small employers who don’t provide insurance, 85% say they can’t afford it.
  
• 68% say healthcare reform is important for getting the economy back on track.

A large majority of respondents (88%) agree that people should be able to buy health insurance without regard to any past health problems, and 74% see these preexisting condition rules as barriers to starting a business.

65% say it’s important for individuals, employers, insurers, the government and health care providers to share the responsibility for making health care more affordable.

Nov 12: Dems voting against health reform represent districts with highest uninsured

Congressmen Shuler, McIntyre and Kissell - the three North Carolina Democrats who voted against making health care affordable and accessible for every American - represent districts with uninsured rates among the top five in the state.

A recent report by the Urban Institute demonstrates that in both uninsured children and uninsured all non-elderly, those three Congressmen's districts are among the top five. Here are the numbers, in case you don't feel like combing through the report:

These are compared to national averages of 9.9% children uninsured and 17% all non-elderly uninsured.

Nov 9: Health reform bill passes U.S. House!

With a 220:215 vote, the Affordable Health Care for America Act passed the House late Saturday night. Please thank your Congressmen who voted for the bill:

• Rep. G.K. Butterfield, (252) 237-9816
• Rep. Bob Etheridge, (888) 262-6202 (toll-free)
• Rep. David Price, (919) 859-5999
• Rep. Mel Watt, (704) 344-9950 or (336) 275-9950
• Rep. Brad Miller, (919) 836-1313 or (336) 574-2909

Please express your disappointment with those Congressmen and women who voted against making health care affordable and accessible for every American:

• Rep. Virginia Foxx,(828) 265-0240 or (336) 778-0211
• Rep. Mike McIntyre,  (910) 253-0158 or (910) 323-0260
• Rep. Patrick McHenry, (800) 477-2576 (toll-free)
• Rep. Larry Kissell, (704) 786-1612 or (910) 920-2070
• Rep. Heath Shuler, (828) 252-1651
• Rep. Howard Coble, (336) 886-5106
  
• Rep. Sue Myrick, (704) 362-1060
• Rep. Walter Jones, (800) 351-1697 (toll-free)
  

Write a letter to the Editor of your local newspaper:

Writing a letter to the Editor is a great way to thank your Congressman publicly. Click here to use the N.C. Justice Center's online system to send a letter to the newspaper of your choice.

Next Up: The Senate 

Focus next moves to the Senate. They are waiting for the CBO to score the bill and expect to bring it to the floor next week. Sen. Reid is working to get the 60 votes necessary for cloture to end debate and vote on the bill. Estimates for completing the process in the Senate range from before the holidays to early 2010.

Contact Senator Hagan today

Senator Kay Hagan is generally supportive of health reform, but she is being targeted very heavily by the anti-reform crowd. Contact her today and let her know that you are counting on her to support comprehensive health reform in the Senate. Email or call her (1-877-852-9462, toll-free) and write a letter to the Editor of your local paper.

Nov 2: Majority of NC residents support public option

Three out of every four North Carolinians feel that the health insurance reform is needed, an Elon University poll released today found. 54% of North Carolinians surveyed would support a health insurance reform bill that included a public option, and 41% of respondents indicated that they would use the public option if one were available.

The number of North Carolinians covered by private insurance has fallen dramatically -- 83% reported having private health insurance in 2008, vs. 73% in today's poll. 

Click here for more from WRAL. Click here for more from the Elon poll.

Oct 29: House releases combined bill with public option

The House of Representatives has released its combined health reform bill, and the House floor vote is expected next week. This bill would change our health care system for the better. The bill:

• Pays for health reform: the deficit is actually reduced over the ten year implementation of the bill. 
• Includes a public option;
• Includes a base floor of coverage for very low-income people;
• Includes premium assistance for those with low and moderate incomes;
  
• Includes strict new regulations on health insurance companies to prevent them doing things like charging more for pre-existing conditions;
• A major funding mechanism is a "millionaires" tax - a new surcharge on couples with income over $1 million and individuals with incomes over $500,000;
• Businesses would have to offer insurance to employees (although small businesses with payrolls of under $500,000 a year would be exempt).  

Oct 28: BCBS-NC customers irate over postcard campaign

A campaign by Blue Cross Blue Shield N.C. to encourage the public to contact Senator Kay Hagan in opposition to the public option seems to have backfired. Just as the company sent out notices to customers informing them that their rates would be increasing an average of 11% in 2010, they also sent out postage-paid postcards addressed to Senator Hagan with an anti-public option message, and asked customers to mail them in to Senator. Instead, folks are editing the cards to show their SUPPORT for the public option and sending them in to the Senator on BCBS's dime. Senator Hagan's office reports a deluge of phone calls protesting BCBS's tactic and pledging support for the public option.

Click here for more from the News and Observer. 

Oct 27: Senate bill will include public option

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced today that the Senate health reform bill will include a public option. Bills in both the House and the Senate now include the public option - great news for the uninsured millions. Click here for more from the News & Observer.

Oct 21: Public support UP for public option; House bill with public option would reduce deficit

(from Wall Street Journal):

A government-run insurance plan is picking up support from a majority of Americans in a new poll, as Senate leaders continue to debate whether to include such a plan in a final health-care overhaul bill that would go to the Senate floor.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans now favor a public insurance option, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, up from 52% in mid-August.

(from CNN):

House bill with public option would reduce deficit: Click here for more.

Oct 15: NC losing insurance coverage due to unemployment

Families USA took an in-depth look at the link between unemployment and uninsurance in its latest report, "One-Two Punch: Unemployed and Uninsured." The analysis includes state-by-state estimates of the working-aged uninsured in 2009.

The report found that North Carolina is expected to have an increase of 184,700 uninsured working-age adults in 2009. Out of all states, North Carolina ranks 5th in terms of the largest percent increase in uninsured due to unemployment.

Losing a job is devastating enough; a family should not also be confronted with going without health insurance. A reformed health care system will eliminate the one-two punch of becoming unemployed and then losing health insurance, by ensuring that everyone has access to quality, affordable coverage.

Oct 14: Senate Finance Committee passes bill, 14-9

Click here for full details on yesterday's actions. 

Please find below some newly released papers from our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on the Senate Finance Committee’s passage of their health reform bill yesterday by a vote of 14-9. Senator Snowe of Maine voted in favor of the bill, making it a bipartisan agreement.

1)      Statement: Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on the Senate Finance Committee’s Health Reform Plan
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2950

2)      Finance Committee Health Reform Bill Makes Improvements, but Still Falls Short of What is Needed for Many People to Afford Health Care
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2922

3)      Senate Finance Committee Health Reform Bill is Fiscally Responsible
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2920

4)      Finance Committee Makes Flawed Employer Requirement in Health Reform Bill Still More Problematic
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2921

5)      What Level of Coverage Will Health Reform Likely Provide? The Basics of Actuarial Value
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2949

Oct 12: Senate and House updates

(From our friends at Families USA and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities):

Senate: The Senate Finance Committee considered over 150 amendments to the Chairman’s mark. These amendments run the gamut and include many improvements to the original bill. With a committee vote expected tomorrow, it is important to understand the major changes to the Chairman’s mark as it moves to merge with the HELP bill and then heads to the Senate floor.

Read the key amendments to the Senate Finance Committee’s bill here: http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/docs/senate-finance-committee-changes.pdf.

Key Democratic leaders will meet to discuss the provisions where the two committees’ jurisdiction overlaps. For issues that Finance has jurisdiction over, their bill will prevail and the same goes for HELP. The areas where jurisdiction overlaps will garner the most attention during the merger process, such as how to structure affordability provisions, out of pocket protections, and tax credit subsidies.

The merged Senate bill will move to the floor either the week of October 27 or the first week in November. Debate on the Senate floor will likely last two to three weeks, and Senators may be limited to how many amendments they can offer on the floor. Debate in the House, which is expected to begin the week of October 19, should last only a few days.

The CBO score determined the bill will reduce the number of uninsured by 29 million, shrink the deficit by $81 billion over 10 years, and cost a fully offset total of $829, under the President’s $900 billion ceiling.  We remain concerned that the bill leaves the cost of purchasing health care out of reach for many, given relatively weak subsidies for low- and moderate-income households.  Other problems include the “free rider” employer responsibility requirement, and significant shortcomings in the design of the health exchange structure that provide for critical consumer protections.

House.  The House leadership continues to reduce the cost of their version of its health care reform bill to meet President Obama’s $900 limit, and to find politically acceptable pay-fors as they prepare to unveil a final bill for full chamber consideration.  Their goal is to bring a bill to the House floor the week of October 26.   

Reports have surfaced that the leadership has scaled back the health care surcharge to $500,000 for an individual and $1 million for a family, eliminating an estimated $100 billion in revenues.  Also, following an  effort by numerous House Democrats to reject the Senate’s  excise tax on high cost insurance plans, this revenue raiser was taken off the table in the House discussions by leadership, which further dilutes the money pot for providing the robust reform provisions set forth in the tri-committee bill. Committee leaders still hope to bring the bill to the House floor in mid-October, at the same time or following the start of Senate floor debate.

Resource: Click here for North Carolina-specific information from Families USA

Oct 7: Update on Senate Finance Committee bill

The Finance committee considered 145 amendments and finished its markup last week. Amendments to include a public option in the bill were defeated. (The bill that came out of the HELP committee does include a public option.) Several amendments improved benefits and affordability and protected SCHIP. The committee reconvened this week and a vote is expected in the latter part of this week.

Democratic leaders in the Finance and HELP Committees will need to merge the parts of the two bills, and Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) intends to bring the bill to the Senate floor during the week of Oct. 12. Floor debate could last a number of weeks.

Plans are less certain in the House, though the chamber is likely to continue to wait for the Senate to act before it brings a bill to the floor.

Oct 1: How will health reform help North Carolina?

Families USA just released a new report titled, “Health Coverage in North Carolina: How Will Health Reform Help?” The report shows how major gaps in North Carolina’s current health coverage system will be addressed and significantly improved by H.R. 3200. 

VOTE KIDS 2009

Sept. 22: Mark-up of Baucus bill starts today

(Info from CongressNow, "Baucus Health Bill Set for Committee Action on Tuesday")

The mark-up begins today and should last until the end of the week. The committee will address health care delivery system reforms, coverage provisions and how to finance the bill. There are 564 pending amendments to the legislation, which can be found here.

Children's issues will be debated.

• There will be several amendments to insert a public option into the plan instead of the co-ops suggested by Baucus.
  
• The Baucus bill puts children into the health insurance exchange. Amendments, backed by child advocacy groups, will be filed to keep SCHIP intact. SCHIP provides the necessary, specialized coverage that children need and which the exchange cannot provide.

After Finance finishes its mark-up, the bill will be merged with the HELP committee bill, which includes a public option. Many believe a final Senate floor vote could happen as soon as mid-October. After that, the final Senate bill will need to be merged with the final House bill.  

Sept. 15: Baucus bill released in the Senate 

The Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (Senator Max Baucus) released his health reform plan on September 15th. While the bill is fiscally responsible, reducing the deficit over the next 10 years, and would insure more Americans, advocates are concerned about some aspects of the bill, including low subsidies for low- and moderate-income people and negative incentives for hiring low-income people, especially those with children. The bill also does not include a public option for those who cannot afford private coverage.

The Finance committee is scheduled to debate the bill the week of September 22, and it will then need to be merged with the bill that came out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee this summer. The current timetable is for a bill to be brought before the full Senate by the end of the month, which does seem a tall order at this point. See below under Resources for more on the Baucus bill.

Sept. 13: Pro-health reform rally in D.C. includes huge contingent from North Carolina

About 1,000 supporters of health insurance reform converged on the Capitol in D.C. on September 13. The rally was organized by Leslie Boyd, a former reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times and a health reform activist. Click here for the story. Boyd's non-profit, Life o' Mike, advocates for health care system reform. Her son, Mike, died in 2008 because without health insurance, he could not get treatment for his cancer. Learn more about Mike and Boyd's work at http://www.lifeomike.org. 

Aug. 29: 1000+ pro-health reform supporters at rally in downtown Raleigh

A huge, diverse crowd of health insurance reform supporters converged on the capitol building downtown on Saturday for an energetic, powerful rally. Seniors, students, families, and those both insured and uninsured showed up to call on our leaders to pass a health reform bill this year. Supporters signed letters to Congress and cheered on a line-up of passionate pro-reform speakers. Click for more photos

August: Health insurance costs rise 5 times faster than salaries in NC 

August, 2009: A recent report by Families USA found that, in North Carolina, health care premiums have been increasing 5 times faster than salaries. The report shows that premiums rose by 96.8%, while earnings rose by only 18.4%.

• Click here to read the press release.
• Click here to read the full report.
  

Poll: Americans favor insuring all children, even if it increases their taxes

A new poll by First Focus, a national, bipartisan child advocacy organization, revealed overwhelming support for ensuring all children in America are covered as part of health care reform, even if it increases their taxes. The poll also shows strong support for ensuring that children are provided comprehensive benefits as Congress reforms our health care system, such as through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

• By a margin of 87%-11%, nearly 8-to-1, Americans favor ensuring all children have health care coverage, including by a 68%-28% margin even if it increases their taxes.
• By a 3-to-1 margin of 71%-24%, Americans support having a national health insurance program covering all children, including legal immigrant children.
• A 3-to-1 majority (62%-21%) of Americans would oppose the elimination of CHIP if they learned that the Health Insurance Exchange (Exchange) "may be more costly for families and provide fewer benefits for children." There have been concerns that the Exchange, as an alternative to CHIP coverage, may lead to higher out-of-pocket costs for families and fewer benefits for children.
• By a 54-14% margin or almost 4-to-1, Americans would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported a health care reform plan that reduced the level of health care coverage for children in such a manner.

Resources on Health Insurance Reform

Sept 16: NEW resources from our friends at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities on the Baucus bill in the Senate:

Below are new resources related to the Senate Finance Committee mark on health care reform.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimate the mark would significantly reduce the number of uninsured and shrink the federal deficit by $49 billion through 2019.  Additionally, revenue and spending offsets beyond the immediate 10 year window are expected to continue to produce net savings.  However, we remain concerned that subsidies for low- and moderate-income people are inadequate, and the “free rider” provision would create negative incentives for hiring low-income people, especially those with children.  

Statement: Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on Chairman Baucus’ Health Reform Plan

Baucus Health Reform Plan Is Fiscally Responsible

3.       Subsidies in Baucus Health Reform Plan Would Fall Short of What Is Needed for Many People to Afford Health Care

Employer Requirement in Baucus Health Reform Plan Would Pose Larger Problems than Previously Recognized
 

NEW resources from our friends at the Economic Policy Institute 

Public Plan Option Backup Insurance for All Americans: A public insurance plan option would compete directly with private insurers within a new national insurance exchange. Americans in the exchange would be able to choose among private insurance plans or the new public plan. A broad array of research has confirmed that a public health insurance option is a key component of cost containment because it will introduce more competition, lower administrative expenses, and drive cost-saving innovation. (Economic Policy Institute)

Expanded Subsidies Essential to Health Reform: Current health care legislation in the House would limit the maximum amount families earning less than 400% of the federal poverty line would pay on insurance premiums. The Senate Finance Committee has proposed limiting those subsidies to families earning 300% of the poverty line. This EPI brief estimates how lowering subsidies would affect the median family in every state in that families would lose an average of $5,000 in subsidies to help purchase insurance. (Economic Policy Institute)

Health Reform Could Cover 13 Million Uninsured Young Adults from the Commonwealth Fund

HealthReform.gov: Obama administration site with resources including:

• Coverage Denied: How the Current Health Insurance System Leaves Millions Behind, a report by HHS
• North Carolina-specific resources

• Setting the Record Straight on Medicare debunks some of the most outrageous attacks that have been made about what would happen to Medicare under health reform. 
• Help for People with Medicare discusses how the health reform legislation will help make Medicare more affordable for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as help make the program more financially secure.
• Better Coverage for Children discusses how the health reform legislation that is before Congress will help cover uninsured children and their families.
• Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Barriers: Key Health Equity Provisions examines several measures in the health reform proposals that will address inequities in the health care system.
• Ten Reasons to Support Health Care Reform
• Responding to Attacks on Health Reform
• Stand Up for Health Care: an online resource to help Americans get involved in the health insurance reform debate
  

Make Your Voice Heard on Health Insurance Reform! 

North Carolina's children and families need a comprehensive health insurance reform bill passed this year. Come out and show your support for health insurance reform by volunteering at or attending one or more of the following events:

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 6:30 p.m.: Town hall meeting at the Martin Street Baptist Church, 1001 E. Martin St., Raleigh.
Thursday, Sept. 3, 10 a.m.: Rally in Charlotte, Teamsters Union Hall, 5000 N Tryon Rd., Charlotte
Thursday, Sept. 3, 5 pm: Rally in Raleigh, Progress Energy Performing Arts Center, 2 E. South Street, Raleigh
Saturday, Sept. 5, 9 a.m.: Rally at the federal building, New Bern Avenue, Raleigh.
Saturday, Sept. 26, 8 a.m.: Fitness Challenge (Fun Walk/Run) for Health Care Reform, Martin Luther King Jr. Gardens, corner of MLK Jr. Blvd and Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh. (more information: 202-420-6459) 

Test your health reform knowledge 

There are a lot of wild rumors flying. How much do you know about health reform? Click here to take CNN's health reform quiz.

President Obama speaks in Raleigh on health reform

Action for Children participated in the President's Town Hall meeting in Raleigh to give input into health insurance reform. We urge Congress to agree on a health insurance reform plan that:

• Does No Harm to Children: Benefits should be equal to or better than the current SCHIP program.
• Insures All Children: More than 260,000 children in N.C. are currently uninsured.
• Covers Children from Head to Toe: All children need preventive services, medical care, dental and mental health benefits.  

Click for more photos. 

Action for Children staff (and children!) also rallied in support of health care reform outside the town hall meeting. 

2009 data show rapid growth in uninsured

A March, 2009 report by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and the Cecil G. Sheps Center at UNC-Chapel Hill found that the number of uninsured in North Carolina has increased by 22.5 percent from 2007-09, the largest percentage increase in the country. North Carolina's unemployment rate has increased from 4.7 percent to 9.7 percent from 2007 to January 2009, and the loss of employer-sponsored health insurance has been dramatic. Click here to read the report.

Children are often the most adversely affected by a family's loss of employer-sponsored health insurance. Uninsured children miss more days at school due to illness, receive less preventive care, and visit the hospital more often than their insured peers. More than 300,000 North Carolina children do not have coverage.