WHAT Addressing health care matters that concern you
WHEN Saturday, February 4 from 10 am -12 (noon) and every other week through March 31.
WHERE UCAN, 20-28 Sargeant Street, Hartford.
COST Free and open to everyone
NEEDS We provide transportation to those who would need it; and continental breakfast.
For more information click below:
When: Thursday, Jan 12th @ 1:30 pm
Where: Legislative Office Building, Room 2A, Hartford
Why: Rep. Donovan, Rep. Ritter, and Rep. Gerratana signed an amicus brief in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and are holding a press conference. In March, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on three petitions on the constitutionality of the ACA.
How: Wear your red or white (CFC) t-shirts
For more information:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-segall/health-care-immigration-a_b_1191215.html
How the federal health care reform law will help people in Connecticut!
Help for Small Businesses
What Happens Now?
Small businesses in Connecticut have to
struggle harder each year to provide coverage for their workers: Small business
coverage is often more expensive than coverage for larger businesses. In 2008, less than
half (43.6 percent) of Connecticut businesses with fewer than 10 workers (and
78.2 percent of those with 10 to 24 workers) offered health insurance to their
employees, whereas nearly all firms with 50 or more workers (97.4 percent)
offered coverage.
How Will Health Reform Help?
Small businesses in Connecticut will receive
tax credits to help with the costs of covering their workers. And, a new exchange
will provide a marketplace where small businesses can shop for coverage that is
comprehensive and affordable. The exchange will make premiums more reasonable
and predictable for small businesses, which are currently left to fend for
themselves in an open market with few protections.
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the “Super Committee” was not so super since it could not agree on $1.5 trillion reduction. The Democrats and Republicans on the committee were unable to reach a compromise on proposed budget cuts and tax reform so that the federal budget could be trimmed by a bit more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years.
Republicans refuse to allow any tax increases or tax reform that will force the wealthy to pay more taxes. And Democrats refuse to cut the federal safety net (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) unless Republicans agree to end the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy.
Where does this leave you?
This is not a drastic situation since the sequestration deal affects the safety net programs minimally. There will be automatic cuts to the defense budget of 10% in 2013 and the law exempts Social Security, Medicaid and many veterans’ benefits for low income programs. Where it hurts is a 2% reduction to Medicare (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/21/clock-ticks-down-to-super-committee-failure/). Speak out to keep Medicare intact by talking to your legislators.
However, problems remain with the political system that affects all individuals. Corporations related to medical services have gained massive buying power in the government market, insider trading laws, and corporate campaign contributions. See the December 7th post for further details.
What can you do to change our bought system to truth, justice, and we are all in this together?
Sign Senator Sanders (VT) petition to Undo Citizens United. This petition is a constitutional amendment to void a Supreme Court ruling that unleashed unlimited corporate cash in American political campaigns. The ruling two years ago, in a case called Citizens United vs. the Federal Elections Commission, would be voided by the amendment proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Senate and Rep. Ted Deutch in the House. Sanders on Tuesday told MSNBC’s Chris Jansing that the court ruling made a bad situation on campaign financing much worse. Click below to do so.
Sign the Petition to Undo Citizens United »
For more involvement, check out http://movetoamend.org/get-involved
Below is an article written by Charles Ryan and published in ALBUM, the Chronicle on December 3, 2011 to provoke thought and action on today’s political system.
Where is Superman when we need him?
The “Super Committee” created by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives was recently forced to admit it was not so “super.”
The Democrats and Republicans on the committee were unable to reach a compromise on proposed budget cuts and tax reform so that the federal budget could be trimmed by a bit more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years.
Compromise, it appears is the new Kryptonite.
And, even though he was an illegal, or undocumented, alien, the real Superman, aka Clark Kent, was more of an American than the stumbleburns in Congress.
Republicans refuse to allow any tax increases, or tax reform that will force the wealthy to pay more taxes. And Democrats refuse to cut the federal safety net (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid).
I do know which side the real Superman would be on.
He stands for “Truth, justice and the American way” and that American way ain’t Broadway.
The American way is: We are all in this together. So we have to work together to solve the problem.
Superman never stood for the Republican way or the Democrat way, because neither is really American. Instead they are political myths that some fanatics have obsessed over so much they have become the enemy of the real Superman, with one caveat–none of them is qualified to be Brainiac.
The Republicans, for instance, remind me of Lex Luthor, who in the first Superman movie was perfectly happy to destroy California so all of his desert real estate would become waterfront property, making him a multimillionaire. Lex didn’t want to pay taxes either, like the Republicans.
By the way, the Republicans who refuse to tax the millionaires don’t really care about the millionaires (except when it come time to collect campaign contributions). They don’t want to increase the taxes on millionaires, I finally realized, because they all ran for office so they could become millionaires. And they want to make sure they won’t get taxed after they accomplish their goal.
Think I’m kidding.
Maybe that’s because you don’t remember that when former President George W. Bush “reformed” Medicare to provide prescription drug coverage, he and all of his Republican minions somehow forgot to negotiate lower prices because of the massive buying power the government would have in the pharmaceutical market.
According to the Center for Public Integrity:
“Since the 1998 election cycle, employees of the pharmaceutical and health product industry, their family members and industry political action committees have given $133 million in campaign contributions to candidates running for federal and state offices, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Since 2000, the top drug corporations and their employees and PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) gave more than $10 million to 527 organizations, tax-exempt political committees which operate in the gray area between federal and state campaign finance laws.
“Nearly $87 million of the contributions went to federal politicians in campaign donations, with almost 69 percent going to Republican candidates. Top recipients of the industry’s campaign money include President George W. Bush (upwards of $1.5 million) and members who sit on committees that have jurisdiction over pharmaceutical issues.
“According to a study done in October 2003 by Boston University professors Alan Sager and Deborah Socolar, 61 percent of Medicare money spent on prescription drugs will become profit for drug companies. Drug-makers will receive $139 billion in increased profits over eight years, the study predicts.
“A third of all lobbyists employed by the industry are former federal government employees, including more than 15 former Senators and more than 60 former members of the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Nothing has changed since then.
On Nov. 20, CBS’ “60 Minutes” reported a number of Democrats and Republicans in Congress benefited from insider trading while the retirement savings of everyone else in the country went into the toilet just before the market collapse of 2008. The information was from Peter Schweizer’s book “Throw Them All Out.”
The beneficiaries of the insider trading, a law Congress made itself exempt from, included Sen. John Kerry, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Rep. Spencer Bachus, among others. Some legislators actually sold the market short so they could profit from the collapse of the housing market and the stock market.
They all ought to be in jail.
It was also recently revealed that Newt Gingrich received about $1.6 million as a lobbyist (so now he doesn’t want to get taxed either) from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the period leading up to the collapse of the housing market. He now claims he warned them about bad loans, but officials at both agencies say have no record of those alleged warnings.
Gingrich, a Republican, is running for president.
Instead of being Superman, he is a sure contender to become on of the man of steel’s arch enemies — Bizarro.
In fact, it is beginning to look like all of the Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C., have turned this nation’s capital into Bizarro World.
I just hope the real Superman returns in time to save us all.
New London County residents are invited to the Caring Families Coalition Health Care Forum with local legislators on Friday, December 2nd.
Friday, December 2, 2011
5:30-7:00 pm
Refreshments will be served at 5:00 pm
At Three Rivers Community College
574 New London Turnpike, Room C101, Norwich
Register at New London County Health Care Forum
or contact Eva at 860-230-5008 or eva.csejtey@ucanct.org.
Directions: http://www.trcc.commnet.edu/President/about/directions.shtml
November 21, 2011
5:30-7:00 pm (Refreshments served at 5:00)
held at ACCESS Agency,
1315 Main St., Suite 2, Willimantic
Do you have access to affordable and quality medical services?
Join a discussion with local legislators.
Let them know what your needs are.
Nonprofit alternative to health care for individuals, families and small business
Access to primary physicians and specialists
Medicare/Medicaid benefits
Click here to register www.caringfamilies.org.
For more information please contact Eva Csejtey, 860-230-5008 or eva.csejtey@ucanct.org.
Do you have affordable health care coverage?
Are all your family members covered?
Do you have access to physicians and specialists in your geographic area?
Join in the discussion with legislator’s on your community’s health care needs and learn the newest in health care reform.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Refreshments will be served at 5:00
At Killingly Town Hall
172 Main Street, Danielson, CT
Guests
President Pro Tempore Donald Williams
Representative Michael Alberts
Representative Mae Flexer
Representative Daniel Rovero
The CT General Assembly is holding a special legislative session on Jobs. It’s time to remind our elected leaders that jobs and health care are connected!
Health care jobs are part of economic recovery
- private sector healthcare is the only major employment sector to grow
- small businesses need affordable, quality health care solutions
Join with others to show legislators where job growth ought to focus. Wear your red t-shirts and bring a friend!
WHAT: Red-shirted Bodies
WHEN: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 5-7 pm
WHERE: State Capitol, Hartford
CONFIRM: Let us know how many friends/family you’re bringing
This past August, Congress came to an agreement with President Obama that lifted the debt ceiling while protecting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security from immediate cuts. As part of this agreement, Congress created a “super committee” charged with finding an additional $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over the next 10 years.
Many leaders in Congress have already targeted critical safety net programs, and will use the “super committee” process to try to secure cuts to these important programs.
Time is of the essence. The “super committee” has already begun its deliberations and is required to put forward its deficit reduction recommendations by November 23, with a final vote in Congress mandated by December 23.
ACT NOW
Take two minutes to contact your members of Congress and urge them to ensure that the “super committee” produces a balanced deficit reduction package that rejects deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security disability programs and critical programs such as mental health research and services, housing and veterans programs.
Send an email letter to your Senators and House member.
In addition, you can call your Members of Congress toll-free at 1-888-876-6242 and demand they protect the health care Americans depend on. Remind all members of Congress to:
Additional Information on Congressional “Super Committees”
What the Debt Limit Agreement Means for People Living with Serious Mental Illness
The Super Committee: Where They Stand on Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act
Medicaid, the Budget, and Deficit Reduction: The Threat Continues
