Today is the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act into law, which when fully implemented, will cover 32 million Americans and begin to lower the rate of growth in health care spending. “The bill I’m signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for , and marched for, and hungered to see,” Obama said during last year’s signing ceremony. “That our generation is able to succeed in passing this reform is a testament to the persistence — and the character — of the American people, who championed this cause; who mobilized; who organized; who believed that people who love this country can change it,” he added. Health care advocacy groups around the nation will host educational events in 33 states today to raise awareness about the law’s benefits and the government’s efforts in implementing the measure thus far.
IMPLEMENTATION SUCCESS: As a result of the law, states received $250 million in federal funding to strengthen their ability to review, revise, or reject unreasonable premium rate hikes. Nearly four million seniors who fell into the Medicare Part D doughnut hole received federal assistance that helped them purchase medications and 150,000 seniors have undergone a free wellness exam this year. The government recovered $4 billion in fraud last year and the law provides more funds to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and has been busily implementing new regulations that are designed to keep health insurers more accountable and increase access to coverage. As of this year, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions, drop coverage because of a simple mistake on an application, institute lifetime caps, limit choice of doctors, charge more for emergency services obtained out of network, or levy deductibles, co-payments or co-insurance for certain preventive benefits. More than a million young adults can stay on their parents’ plans until their 26th birthday, and everyone will have the right to appeal insurer decisions to an independent third party. Similarly, four million small businesses have access to $40 billion in tax credits and 12,400 Americans with pre-existing conditions are receiving coverage through temporary high-risk insurance pools that will provide coverage for sicker individuals until 2014. Americans can already compare available plan benefits, prices, and application denial rates at HealthCare.gov. In 2011, the website will include pricing and comparison information for small businesses.
LOOKING AHEAD: Starting in 2014, individuals and families will have even more options through state-based health care exchanges that will allow Americans to select new regulated plans that will offer a comprehensive set of benefits. Under the law, if states fail to establish their own exchange, the federal government will build one for them — something a surprisingly high number of conservative states are willing to accept. States like Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Alaska have refused to build their own unique marketplaces and have instead suggested that they would allow the federal government to step in. States that establish their own exchanges will be able to run their own markets (or partner if with other states), determine which insurance companies can offer coverage and dictate benefit rules. Americans below 133 percent of the federal poverty line (FPL) will be able to enroll in an expanded Medicaid program. In the coming year, the federal government will issue more specific regulations about how much flexibility states will have to structure their health insurance exchanges and how generous those plans have to be. This year, restaurant chains and vending machines will be required to disclose nutritional content of food and Medicaid will stop reimbursing hospitals for conditions acquired during hospitalization.
REPUBLICANS PREDICTED THE WORST: In the year since reform passed, Republicans in the House repealed the law (only to see the measure fall in the Senate) and are now attempting to defund reform. During the nearly 10-month legislative battle that preceded passage, the GOP characterized the bill as a “socialist” “government takeover” and warned Americans that the bill would destroy lives and American society, hurling apocalyptic warnings that seem downright satirical a year later. For instance, on the eve of passage now-House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said that passage of reform would result in “Armageddon” because the law will “ruin our country.” Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) predicted “there will be no insurance industry left in three years” and announced that seniors would “die soon,” while Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) stated that “no new health insurance policies can be written once this federal plan comes into effect.” Fox News pundit Sean Hannity said, “If we get nationalized health care, it’s over; this is socialism” and Glenn Beck predicted “the end of prosperity in America forever…the end of America as you know it.” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) suggested that seniors will be “put to death” by the government and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) lamented that a similar fate faced American women. Potential presidential candidate and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) warned that health reform “will destroy the country” because, “in the next year or so,” America will have to “dramatically cut the military because we can’t pay for it.”
•Cost Estimate for S. 307, An act to designate the federal building and United States courthouse located at 217 West King Street in Martinsburg, West Virginia, as the “W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building and United States Courthouse”
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on March 16, 2011 http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=12113
In producing regular reports on the state of the U.S. economy and 10-year and longer-term projections of the nation’s budget and economic outlook, CBO examines many developments that could have short- or longer-term consequences for the budget and the economy. In coming decades, one such development is expected to be a slower rate of growth of the labor force relative to its average over the past few decades. That slowdown is anticipated to occur primarily because of the aging and retirement of large numbers of baby boomers and because women’s participation in the labor force has leveled off since the late 1990s after having risen substantially for the preceding three decades. This background paper describes CBO’s methods for projecting such trends through 2021, updating CBO’s Projections of the Labor Force, a CBO Background Paper published in September 2004
As Japan struggles to overcome a disastrous string of events — including a possible nuclear catastrophe — millions of us have sought to help, often by donating money to urgent relief efforts.
Tell AT&T and Verizon to stop delaying donations to Japan
But if you donate via text message, your donations may take up to 90 days to reach aid organizations that need the money as soon as possible.
Even though they’re getting large amounts of free media attention for their text-to-donate programs, companies like AT&T and Verizon have chosen not to release the donation money right away. Many customers assume that they’re sending funds straight to disaster zones in the crucial days after the earthquake, but donations are transferred after the end of your next billing cycle, a process that can take up to three months.
Masaya Uchino, a law student in San Francisco with family in Japan, started a petition on Change.org to demand that AT&T, Verizon, and other major phone service providers stop delaying much needed donations from reaching organizations doing relief work in Japan. Please add your name to the petition now:
After the earthquake in Haiti, Change.org members and others asked phone companies to provide donations immediately — and the phone companies came through. But so far they’ve refused to take the same step, and it’s up to us to join Masaya in speaking out.
Thanks for taking action,
- Weldon and the Change.org team
P.S. If you want to donate immediately to relief efforts, join the Change.org staff in contributing to one or more of these great organizations:
Andrew Breitbart is a liar and a race-baiter. His method is to pose as a journalist, and then use deceptive tactics to gin up race-based fears, protect racists, and demonize Black political leaders and institutions.1 This is the man caught peddling deceptively edited video of Shirley Sherrod — the Black USDA official who was dismissed as a result of Breitbart’s hateful propaganda. No credible news outlet has had Breitbart on since. ABC News rescinded its invitation for him to be a part of its election night coverage (after hearing from ColorOfChange members),2 and even Fox has turned its back on him since the Sherrod episode.3
So why is The Huffington Post giving him a platform? Just over a week ago, editors at The Huffington Post gave Breitbart a top spot on their home page, where he again spewed widely debunked lies.4 Then yesterday they did it again. We reached out to Arianna Huffington and other leaders at The Huffington Post to ask why they’d give him cover. Their response? Silence.
Join us in condemning The Huffington Post’s actions and demanding that Arianna Huffington and The Huffington Post agree to not elevate Breitbart again given his unfailing race-baiting attacks on our community. This is critical and it takes only a moment. And please invite your friends and family to do the same:
The Huffington Post understands the power of featuring someone on its home page.5 It gives the author credibility and helps them spread their message. To give that placement to someone who has repeatedly shown complete disregard and hostility toward the truth, and who is a serial race-baiter, is irresponsible. It shows a lack of journalistic integrity, and it’s frankly an insult to our communities.
Andrew Breitbart targets key people and institutions within our community, in particular those who have dared talk about the reality of racism and race in this country — Shirley Sherrod, the NAACP, President Obama, the Congressional Black Caucus. And he targets those that seek to increase Black political participation, like ACORN, which until Breitbart’s fraud-based take-down had the strongest record of registering low-income Black voters in the country. Breitbart’s approach is consistent — posing as journalists, he and his team manufacture false stories that work by preying on his viewers’ race-based fears to lead them to incorrect conclusions. It’s cynical and destructive.
The Huffington Post recently announced that it will be launching “HuffPost Global Black”, a site focused on Black issues. It’s especially galling that The Huffington Post would seek to attract Black audiences with this new site at the same time that it provides a prominent platform for Breitbart to continue spreading lies that have a real impact on Black people.
The Huffington Post’s decision isn’t about featuring conservative voices. Many conservative reporters and opinion-makers — like others across the political spectrum — attempt to be truthful and act with integrity. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect, but Breitbart is cut from a different cloth. He has no regard for honest debate, and conservatives with integrity see Breitbart as an embarrassment, a con-artist.
If The Huffington Post wants to be treated like a trusted source for news and opinion, this behavior needs to stop and we need to be assured that Breitbart will never again be prominently featured on the site. If we don’t receive that assurance, then Black America and our allies should abandon The Huffington Post and get our information elsewhere.
Arianna Huffington needs to know that for our communities, this is a slap in the face. Please join us in calling on her to stop allowing her news organization to be a vehicle for Breitbart’s deceptions, and demand that Breitbart not be given prominent placement on the site again.
Please tell Arianna Huffington to stop treating Breitbart as a credible commentator, and ask your friends and family to do the same:
– James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
March 23rd, 2011
Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU — your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:
Social Security isn’t the only cause of America’s fiscal problems, but it is Exhibit A in why it is so hard to fix them. No serious solution to our debt can ignore a program that will tax and spend about 4.8% of GDP this year and account for about 20% of all federal spending-and that within a few decades will count almost a third of the population as beneficiaries. But whenever I write about Social Security here at CBS MoneyWatch, I’m always struck by how much disagreement there is about how the system really works.
A handful of misconceptions tend to crop up repeatedly-often having to do with that fiscal fun-house mirror, the Social Security trust fund. And despite the efforts of writers like Allan Sloan and experts like the Urban Institute’s Eugene Steuerle, the myths won’t die. This column won’t kill them either, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take a whack. Here goes:
Myth: Social Security didn’t create the deficit and shouldn’t be cut to fix it
This is a much loved progressive slogan. “Blaming Social Security for the deficit is like blaming Iraq for 9/11,” writes Dave Johnson of OurFuture.org in one of the cleverer examples of the genre.
Technically, the first part of the myth is true-or rather, used to be true. From 1983 until last year, Social Security revenues actually lowered the Treasury’s need to borrow in the public markets, as excess payroll taxes collected under Social Security’s flag helped fund other government programs.
The surplus years are over, however. The Social Security trustees’ report estimates that last year payroll taxes fell short of the sums paid out to beneficiaries. Small surpluses will return for a few years; then the red ink will return for good in 2015. To make up the annual shortfall, Social Security will have to draw on revenues from the general budget. In other words, from here on out, year after year, Social Security only makes the deficit larger.
Myth: Social Security benefits are earned; reducing them amounts to confiscation
It’s not hard to see why this illusion exists, since Social Security’s own website refers to “earned credits” and sometimes refers to payroll taxes as contributions. But despite Social Security’s fetish for language that echoes private pensions, no one ever vests in Social Security. You don’t own your benefits until you cash the check.
It’s more accurate to say your benefits are an entitlement granted by act of Congress and subject to change at any time by another act of Congress. As long as voters consider benefits inviolate, they will be. When voters decide fiscal responsibility is more important, then Social Security benefits- “earned” or not-will be up for review.
Myth: Social Security is funded until 2037
The Social Security trust fund–the ledger on which Uncle Sam records the surplus taxes that the program has accumulated over the years–is large enough that the program need not ask for extra money to pay benefits until 2037, the year that the trust fund “runs dry” if nothing changes. But that’s not the same as being funded-at least not in a way that has any economic meaning.
As you may know, the trust fund is, for accounting purposes, assumed to be invested in IOUs from the U.S. Treasury. When Social Security needs money beyond what it expects to collect in payroll taxes, it can redeem some of these IOUs. But it’s not as if the trust fund is a giant 401(k). It’s more like access to a rich but cash-strapped daddy’s credit card.
What that means is that Social Security can get what it needs from Treasury without having to ask permission from Congress. But when it redeems one of these IOUs, the Treasury (just like Daddy) has to come up with the money the old-fashioned way, by raising taxes or, more likely, borrowing more.
Dolly Madison at Daily Kos seems to think that Social Security’s need for cash can be met from the interest credited to the trust fund-that is, with more IOUs. Allan Sloan disagrees:
You know, of course, why this wouldn’t work — at least, I hope you know. It’s because the U.S. government ultimately has to pay its bills with cash, not with its own IOUs. In the long run, you need cash — real money — not funny money.
“Fully funded” suggests that the money to maintain today’s benefits until 2035 is already locked up. It isn’t. Redeeming IOUs from the trust fund (and the income imputed to those IOUs) will only put another burden on taxpayers who are simultaneously paying for Medicare, interest on the debt, and all the other purposes of government. At some point, the total burden will be too much.
Myth: The trust fund is invested in Treasury bonds, the most secure investments in the world. To suggest that the trust fund wouldn’t pay is blatant fear mongering.
The trust fund’s IOUs are entered on the Treasuries books as non-trading “special issue” bonds, paying interest at a rate equal to an average of outstanding Treasuries. And yes, the Treasury will undoubtedly pay if Social Security asks.
But that’s not the issue. The issue is whether taxpayers think it’s so important to maintain Social Security benefits that they will gladly absorb the burden of paying off those bonds on the current schedule. Remember, Congress (that is, you know, taxpayers) can cut benefits-and thus postpone the need for Social Security to redeem any bonds–just by passing a law.
In other words, the myth misses the point. Whether Social Security continues to pay benefits at today’s rates isn’t a question of credit quality. It’s a question of politics and priorities.
Myth: Social Security is an easy fix
Any policy wonk worth his or her spreadsheet can quickly come up with ways to bring Social Security into long-term actuarial balance. You can conjure up solutions yourself using the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s calculator. You’ll find it’s not that hard to wipe out the system’s long-term deficit.
The only problem is, most such solutions regard Social Security as a closed system. They assume that the trust fund is an ATM that gushes cash whenever the trustees demand, and that workers will never balk at stepping up to higher payroll taxes.
Which brings us to what may be the most destructive myth of all: The idea that Social Security is, fiscally speaking, an end in itself. In the real world that Social Security actually operates in, the government and its citizens all have other obligations. As Steuerle puts it:
Social Security as a budget issue revolves not simply around its internal accounting balances and trust funds, but rather how much of the economy it occupies and how much of future growth it absorbs.
The discussion we need to have, then, isn’t simply whether we can pull the levers to bring Social Security into balance. That is easy. Instead, we need to ask a larger, tougher question: In light of all we owe-to our creditors, our children and our future-how much do we want to spend supporting everyone who happens to live past 62? We want to spend something, to be sure, and maybe a lot. But myths and slogans shouldn’t persuade us that we can avoid the question. We can’t.
[A version of this post previously appeared on The Fiscal Times]
A year ago today, the President signed the Affordable Care Act into law changing the lives of millions of women and their families across this country. And states have an important role to play in shaping how the law is implemented. We need each Governor to move forward and implement the health care law in a meaningful way, which will lead to improvements in the health of women and their families throughout their state.
Tell your Governor: help move us forward by protecting women’s health care.
Thanks to the new health care law, women and their families are already benefitting from this critically important law. For example:
A mother who is diagnosed with cervical cancer can focus on her treatment and not worry about whether her insurance company will drop her because she got sick;
A woman can go to her gynecologist and get a pap smear without a referral and without paying a co-pay;
A child with asthma won’t have trouble getting health care coverage because of a pre-existing condition or face a lifetime cap on coverage.
The new health care law puts an end to insurance companies treating women like a pre-existing condition. Already, the law is helping women and their families by making it illegal for insurance companies to drop people once they get sick, prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions, and ensuring new health plans provide no-cost preventive health care services, such as mammograms and pap smears.
Tell your Governor we can’t go back — protect women’s health care in implementing the health care law.
P.S. Don’t forget tomorrow we’re hosting a webinar on women and the Affordable Care Act. We’re excited to announce we’ll be joined by Melody Barnes and Jeanne Lambrew from President Obama’s administration. Register now!
climate deniers in the House worked long hours loading a spending bill with amendments to weaken the EPA, block regulation of mountaintop removal, and stymie the federal climate research program. Even scarier, the bill was passed.
Clearly, the political winds are changing. So is our climate, and the reckless antics of Congress speak to the need for broad-based action to defend our environment.
Ironically, the House just gave us a perfect lead-in to Earth Day 2011. This year, Earth Day is themed after A Billion Acts of Green – our campaign to generate acts of environmental service and promote Earth Day events worldwide. Our goal is to reach a Billion Acts by the Rio Earth Summit: an environmental statement no one could ignore. Especially the climate deniers in Washington.
We need you to get involved! Join A Billion Acts of Green in honor of Earth Day 2011: organize a local event or pledge an Act of Green – starting with a phone call to your members of Congress demanding that they stop threatening to block the EPA.
Billion Acts of Green is our strategy to make Earth Day 2011 a success on the ground. We created a new community-powered website filled with ideas for simple things you can do to make a difference. We created easy-to-follow guidebooks for event organizers. Getting involved is easy or multifaceted: it’s really your choice.
Already, Our community has generated over forty-five million acts, but we need your contribution to take Billion Acts of Green to the next level.
Join us today – register an event or pledge an Act of Green on our website. Together, we will build the largest environmental service and advocacy project in the world.
Thank you for taking action, we can’t wait to credit your Acts of Green.
P.S. You can also do your part by supporting The Canopy Project. For every dollar you donate, we will plant a tree in one of many areas where they are needed most. Each tree you plant is an Act of Green!
Reading a bedtime story to your kids shouldn’t mean you’re contributing to the destruction of irreplaceable rainforests. Pretty obvious, right? But Disney Publishing and HarperCollins disagree.
We’re taking the fight to protect Indonesia‘s rainforests straight to the companies responsible for this tragic destruction—and we need you with us. Make a gift today to help RAN shine a spotlight on those responsible for the destruction of Indonesia’s tropical forests.
Already, you and I are having a significant impact. After months of conversations and negotiations—and good old-fashioned RAN activism—eight of the largest Americanbook publishers have committed to get controversial Indonesian fiber out of their books.
We need your support to make sure these eight publishers do what they say they’re going to and push the last two laggards, Disney and HarperCollins, to follow suit. Donate today to support the campaign to protect Indonesia’s rainforests.
Rainforest-free paper is a readily available alternative – there’s no reason for these publishers to support the devastation of a precious and fragile ecosystem. It’s up to us to make sure Disney and HarperCollins get the message and change their ways.
Help us keep the momentum going by making a donation to stop the destruction of some of the richest tropical forests on the planet.
Every little bit helps. Your voice – and your generous support – can change the way HarperCollins and Disney do business. We’ve already had a big impact with this campaign. Only with your support can we take on—and win—ambitious fights like this. Click here to make your gift.
Let’s show them what committed activism can do and make sure this story has a happy ending. Nobody should have to choose between books and rainforests.
Thank you for all that you have done to get us this far—and all that we will do together in the future.
Nearly seven in ten Americans support air strikes against Libya , a new CBS News poll found. In a survey taken after the strikes began, 68 percent of Americans approved and only 26 disapproved. Fifty percent of American approved of President Obama’s handling of the crisis.
A Fox News correspondent who was singled out by CNN reporter Nic Robertson fired back yesterday, calling Robertson’s reporting “dull” and “bullshit.” “This guy has a screw loose,” Fox‘s Steve Harrigan told the Huffington Post. A CNN spokesperson responded, by saying fox lacks an “accurate and respectful grasp” of conditions on the ground for reporters.
During the rescue operation of an American pilot whose F-15 crashed over Libya, American special forces “unleashed a terrifying volley of gunfire,” scattering the rebels who were helping care for the American soldiers. “Several villagers were injured in the melee, including a man who was said to have lost a leg.”
There is speculation that Fox News host Glenn Beck may expand his internet news presence or even launch his own cable channel after his contract with his current network expires this year. Beck responded to the speculation with a statement that dodged the issue: “I have no intention whatsoever of doing the show I am doing now on Fox anywhere else.”
A “formidable set of opponents” to the proposed merger between T-Mobile and AT&T will try to block the two telecommunications giants from joining forces. A diverse group of industry and public interest figures plan to argue the deal damages competition for wireless services.
Yesterday, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) signed into law a requirement that women seeking abortions first attend a consultation at anti-choice “pregnancy help centers” to learn how she can “keep and care for her child.” The first of its kind, the law also establishes “the nation’s longest waiting period — three days — after an initial visit with an abortion provider before the procedure can be done.”
Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) said yesterday that he ” does not support a GOP proposal to slash funding for Planned Parenthood .” “I don’t believe any area of the budget is completely immune from cuts. However, the proposal to eliminate all funding for family planning goes too far,” he said.
In a report released today, the Japanese government estimated the damage from the earthquake and tsunami may reach $309 billion, an amount “almost four times” the amount of Hurricane Katrina cost the U.S. While the destruction will push down the GDP by 2.75 trillion yen, wider implications on the economy, including how radiation will affect food and water supply, are not included in the estimate.
And finally: Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) doesn’t know how to use email . Speaking to state worker yesterday, he concluded, “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send me, I don’t have e-mail.” “I get embarrassed by it that way,” he added.
Access to Capital: Fueling Business Growth and Job Creation
Posted by Aneesh Chopra on March 23, 2011 at 9:24 AM EDT
Ed. Note: As part of the Startup America: Reducing Barriers Roundtable series, National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling and U.S. Small Business Administrator Karen Mills will take your questions and suggestions about what processes and regulations we need to adjust to foster a more nurturing environment for entrepreneurship and innovation. Watch and participate tomorrow (wed) at 12:00pm EDT on whitehouse.gov/live.
I had the pleasure yesterday of sitting down with nearly 100 leading entrepreneurs, investors, underwriters, academics, and fund managers—including Chuck Newhall, the legendary co-Founder of one of the Nation’s most prestigious venture capital firms, New Enterprise Associates—at the Treasury Department’s Access to Capital Conference. The event was one of a number of creative forums the Administration has held to generate new, actionable ideas to ensure that small businesses have the resources to achieve high growth.
The event built on President Obama’s January launch of Startup America, an initiative to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth American entrepreneurship that includes a number of commitments to expand access to capital for entrepreneurs. Capital, invested by the private sector, is what helps entrepreneurs realize their dreams and turn ideas into startups, and it’s what turns small businesses into fast-growing companies that create jobs and fuel sustainable economic growth.
At yesterday’s conference, we took an important step forward in that mission with an open and honest dialogue about how best to cultivate investment and growth. And we made real progress.
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One Year Later: Better Benefits, Better Health
Posted by Richard Sorian on March 23, 2011 at 9:23 AM EDT
Ed. note: This was originally posted on the HealthCare.gov blog.
A year ago today, President Obama signed the landmark Affordable Care Act into law. In just one year, the law has already given Americans more freedom and control over their health care choices and insurance companies no longer call all the shots. Now, you and your family may be eligible for important new benefits that will ensure you get the care you need at a more reasonable cost.
Here are some of the benefits you’ll get as a result of the new law:
New Coverage Choices
•Most young adults can stay on their parent’s family plan until they turn 26. It doesn’t matter whether you’re married, living with your parents, in school, or financially independent. For more information on how to stay insured, call the customer service number for your parent’s insurer and explain your situation. Or visit Facebook.gov/YoungAdultCoverage to learn more.
•Most health plans cannot deny coverage to children under age 19 because of pre-existing conditions like cancer or cerebral palsy.
•If you have been uninsured because of a pre-existing condition, you may be eligible to join the more than 12,000 Americans insured through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. To find out about plans available in your State, visit: http://www.pcip.gov.
New Benefits if You Have Insurance
•If you are in a new insurance plan, insurance companies cannot charge you a deductible or copays for recommended preventive services, like mammograms, flu shots and other immunizations. Click here to find a list of preventive services that will be covered without cost-sharing.
•Insurance companies are prohibited from capping the dollar amount of care you can receive in a lifetime, or cancelling your coverage due to a mistake on your application when you get sick.
New Benefits for People with Medicare
•Seniors and other people with Medicare can get many preventive services and an annual wellness visit with no deductible, coinsurance, or co-payment. More than 150,000 seniors and individuals with disabilities with Medicare have received an annual wellness visit in the first two months of the year.
•Seniors and others who are in the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap known as the donut hole now receive a 50% discount on covered brand name prescription drugs and 7 percent off prices for generic drugs. In 2010, nearly 4 million seniors and individuals with disabilities with Medicare received a one-time $250 rebate check to help with high prescription drugs costs.
This is only the beginning of a transformation of our health care system that puts you in the driver’s seat. For more information on how you can get these benefits, visit our Better Benefits, Better Health Initiative.
Posted by Jesse Lee on March 22, 2011 at 8:38 PM EDT
Amidst so many crises and tragedies around the world, there was one unequivocal step forward for the human rights of all people today. The UN gave a pivotal recognition to the rights of LGBT persons around the world, a move the US pushed hard to build the consensus for as Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement just out:
President Obama believes that advancing the human rights of minorities and the marginalized is a fundamental American value. The President was pleased to announce during his trip to Brazil that he and President Rousseff agreed to promote respect for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals through the establishment of a special rapporteur on LGBT issues at the Organization of American States. This special rapporteur will be the first of its kind in the international system.
Over the past months our diplomats have been engaged in frank, and at times difficult, conversations about the human rights of LGBT persons with governments from around world. This morning, at the United Nations Human Rights Council, some 85 countries joined the United States in reaffirming our joint commitment to end acts of violence and human rights abuses on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The President is proud of the work we have done to build international consensus on this critical issue and is committed to continuing our determined efforts to advance the human rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Learn more about Civil Rights, Foreign Policy
The President on Libya: “We Have Already Saved Lives”
Posted by Jesse Lee on March 22, 2011 at 8:11 PM EDT
President Barack Obama talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron about the current situation in Libya during a call from Air Force One on the flight from Santiago, Chile to San Salvador, El Salvador, March 22, 2011. Taking part in the call with the President are National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, left, and Chief of Staff Bill Daley. President Obama also had calls with his National Security Staff, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, and Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar during the flight. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
As he has in previous stops during his trip to Latin America, the President was asked today in El Salvador with President Funes about the ongoing situation in Lybia. And once again, having spoken at length about the importance of America’s relationship with the host country in the context of his vision for strengthened relationships throughout the hemisphere, the President took the time to give a thorough update on developments and give all due credit to our men an women in uniform.
The first questions on Libya related to the leadership roles within the coalition of partners and the downed aircraft that many Americans were concerned about:
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What I Heard From Parents, Teachers and Students about Education Reform
Posted by Melody Barnes on March 22, 2011 at 6:14 PM EDT
.Last week, through our Advise the Advisor program, I asked parents, teachers, and students about how they’re sharing the responsibility in preparing our students for the 21st Century.
Thousands of you—from teachers, students, and parents to grandparents, concerned citizens, and others—sent us ideas about our education system. A team here reviewed every submission. We want to share some of those submissions, and some thoughts.
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Transparency Gone Global
Posted by Samantha Power on March 22, 2011 at 4:09 PM EDT
Ed. Note: Last week, we celebrated Sunshine Week here in America. It goes without saying that technology has fundamentally impacted how government works around the world. Samantha Power, Senior Director and Special Assistant for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, highlights similar good government efforts underway in countries around the world.
While “Sunshine Week” may be an American invention, the momentum for greater transparency and accountability in government is a global phenomenon. In countries around the world, governments and civil society groups are taking new and creative steps to ensure that government delivers for citizens and to strengthen democratic accountability.
President Obama witnessed this extraordinary innovation first-hand during his trip to India in November. He attended the first-ever “Expo on Democracy and Open Government” and sampled the ways in which technology was being used by Indian citizens and civil society groups to expose corruption. One group showed him the way Indians could use a simple SMS code to obtain background knowledge on political candidates – their financial assets, any criminal backgrounds, etc. He also saw a ground-breaking website, http://www.ipaidabribe.com, where Indians posted their tales of having been forced to pay a bribe, in refusing to pay a bribe, and in “not having to pay a bribe” – stories celebrating Indian public servants’ refusal to succumb to corruption.
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Health Reform: A Phone Call from the President
Posted by Kalpen Modi on March 22, 2011 at 4:00 PM EDT
One year ago tomorrow, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. It was a historic day, and the law is already making a difference in the lives of millions of Americans like Erick Moberg.
Erick is currently a senior at Michigan State University and his dream is to attend medical school at his grandfather’s alma mater in Missouri. Erick was always interested in medicine, but he was inspired after speaking to the doctors who treated his mother when she had quadruple bypass surgery.
After he graduates this spring, Erick will be taking a year to enhance his skills and prepare his application. Under the old insurance rules, he would have been forced off his parent’s health insurance plan. But now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Erick will be able to stay on his mother’s plan.
We interviewed Erick, and as he told his story, he received a surprise phone call from President Obama.
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President Obama’s Santiago Speech: “The Latin America That I See Today”
Posted by Jesse Lee on March 22, 2011 at 12:23 PM EDT
President Barack Obama delivers a speech at Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda in Santiago, Chile, March 21, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
.“Latin America is at peace…”
“Latin America is democratic…”
“Latin America is growing…”
“Latin America is coming together to address shared challenges…”
“And increasingly, Latin America is contributing to global prosperity and security…”
With these refrains, the President described “the Latin America that I see today — a region on the move, proud of its progress, and ready to assume a greater role in world affairs.” The speech in Santiago, Chile included perhaps his most expansive vision for strengthened alliances across our hemisphere, although as he pointed out, these relationships have been a priority since the beginning of his presidency as demonstrated by his trip in his first few months to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas.
He began his remarks with a tribute to Chile as a leading example of today’s Latin America, emerging from decades of turmoil towards a future of hope and progress. He quoted legendary Chilean poet Pablo Neruda:
And in a world of sometimes wrenching pain — as we’re seeing today in Japan — it is the character of this country that inspires. “Our original guiding stars,” said Pablo Neruda, “are struggle and hope.” But, he added, “there is no such thing as a lone struggle, no such thing as a lone hope.” The Chilean people have shown this time and again, including your recovery from the terrible earthquake here one year ago.
He went on to discuss what has been the primary purpose of his trip, namely to find paths for joint economic growth and promote American exports:
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Reviewing Reorg
Posted by Jeffrey Zients on March 22, 2011 at 11:26 AM EDT
The world has changed a lot since the 1950s, the last time a major reorganization of the federal government occurred. Our lives today are totally different from those of our grandparents and the era of black and white TV has given way to the information age – but while the times have changed, in many ways, our government hasn’t.
For example, following the 2000 Census, the Census Bureau decided to invest in developing handheld technologies to help workers do their counts. But after spending tens of millions of dollars, they ran into timing and development problems. So in 2010, in an era of smart phones and high-speed wireless, our census-takers were pounding the pavement with pens and paper.
Starting with his earliest days in office, the President has called for us to modernize government and make sure we are rooting out waste and operating as effectively and efficiently as possible. Today I spoke at the Brookings Institution’s Alfred Taubman Forum on Improving Government Performance about the steps we have taken since the beginning of the Obama Administration to make the Federal government work better. We have made significant progress, from improving government technology and developing a plan to sell off excess real estate that has remained on the books for years, to finally cutting contracting costs after more than a decade of escalating costs on the backs of American taxpayers.
In his State of the Union address , the President said that we must go even further, and take a hard look at how the federal government is organized — because in order to win the future, we must reform our government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive and innovative America. In the time since our last major reorganization, our global competitors, including South Korea, the United Kingdom and Germany, have taken aggressive efforts to reorganize and streamline their governments to better promote trade and exports.
Today, our government has more than 12 different government agencies involved in trade and exports, many of which are doing the same thing. Not surprisingly, many businesses, particularly small- and medium-sized businesses, are confused about where to go for export assistance.
The President has set a goal of doubling exports by 2015. And we need to make sure that our government is doing everything possible to help our businesses meet that goal – to help them get their products to markets around the world so they can create jobs here at home. He set a 90-day timeline for us to report back to him with recommendations.
As we work to develop recommendations for the President, we are gathering ideas, input, and advice from as many stakeholders as possible. Because those on the frontlines often know best what’s really working and what isn’t, we are launching a website where government employees can share their advice and ideas. Similarly, we are asking businesses of all sizes about their experience with the government. We’re speaking with agency heads, former Cabinet Secretaries, unions and good government experts. And we’re starting to meet with Members of Congress and their staffs and will continue to do so going forward.
We have no illusions about how difficult any reorganization will be. But we also know that we are at a critical moment and failing to act simply isn’t an option. While we’re very much at the beginning stages of our work, and we don’t have any preconceived notions of what changes should be made, we know we can do better. We know that it’s been far too long since we’ve taken a hard look at the structure and organization of our government. We know we have a real opportunity here to better support our businesses, so we can create jobs and strengthen our economy. And we know that other countries are moving forward, and if we don’t act, they may soon join us at the head of the pack.
Jeffrey Zients is the Federal Chief Performance Officer and the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget.
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President Obama Meets the SAVE Award Winner: “A Million Here, a Million There – It Adds Up”
Posted by Jesse Lee on March 22, 2011 at 9:46 AM EDT
“If you want ideas on how to save money, ask the people who spend it. That’s what President Obama did when he began the SAVE Awards two years ago.” That’s the opening of Joe Davidson’s Washington Post write-up of the SAVE Award, the collaborative process in which all federal employees were invited to submitted their ideas on how to save taxpayer dollars and strwamline government, as well as vote and comment on others’. After a tough-but-fair crack about government acronyms, Trudy Givens gets her due recognition:
Trudy Givens, a Bureau of Prisons employee from Portage, Wis., submitted the winning suggestion. Like many of the other ideas, Givens’s suggestion is so simple, yet so effective, you wonder why [Uncle] Sam didn’t think of it earlier.
Her idea: Send the Federal Register — a daily compendium of government regulations and notices — to federal employees online, rather than by snail mail, with an estimated savings of $16 million through 2015.
As the SAVE Award winner, she got to meet the President and her agency head the Attorney General in the Oval Office — here’s a video we put together on that meeting and the process as a whole, give it a watch:
The Post also talks about the broader context, including quoting Chief Performance Officer Jeff Zients on how projects like the SAVE Award can help change the culture and make everybody more aware of what they can do to uproot the status quo and what they can do better. Along those lines, the reform and reoganization of government, announced by the President in his State of the Union and also being spearheaded by Zients, is using a similar process to get ideas for reform from federal employees on the front lines.
We were also happy to see the Post talk about some of the other finalists:
Includes Video
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Better Benefits, Better Health for Seniors
Posted by Donald Berwick on March 22, 2011 at 9:29 AM EDT
On the second day of the Better Benefits, Better Health initiative, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the important benefits seniors can receive. If you’re over sixty-five, you are eligible for important new benefits thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
People on Medicare are now eligible to obtain certain preventive services, like mammograms and colonoscopies for free. Click here to find a list of preventive services that will be covered. Seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare can also get an annual wellness exam from their participating physician or health professional for free. Please speak with your doctor for more details.
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President Obama Answers Questions on Libya: “A Testament to the Men and Women in Uniform”
Posted by Jesse Lee on March 21, 2011 at 5:47 PM EDT
The President’s trip to Latin America has been focused on joint economic opportunities and promoting American exports, and his time in Chile, a country he called “one of the great success stories of this region,” was no exception. Nonetheless, it was probably not surprising that much of the Q&A period of his joint press conference with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera was focused on questions about the situation in Libya. Read the full transcript of those questions below, where he once again emphasized that the U.S. military involvement is limited to the grave and urgent humanitarian threat posed by Colonel Qaddafi to his people, and that the involvement will soon be led by our broad coalition of partners:
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Attention Entrepreneurs: Send Us Your Thoughts, We’re Listening
Posted by Sarah Bernard on March 21, 2011 at 4:00 PM EDT
Earlier this year, the White House launched the Startup America initiative to celebrate, inspire and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship around the country. As part of the effort, senior Administration officials are travelling across the country this month to hear directly from entrepreneurs about what processes and regulations we need to change or improve in order to foster a more nurturing environment for entrepreneurship and innovation.
For those of you who don’t live near one of the Startup America: Reducing Barriers Roundtable cities, we’re holding an online panel here at the White House to take and respond to your questions and suggestions, too. Submit your ideas for reducing burdens to entrepreneurship and innovation here at fastcompany.com or on twitter with the hashtag #startupamerica, and Fast Company editors will select as many as they can to pose to National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling and SBA Administrator Karen Mills on Wednesday at 12:00pm ET on whitehouse.gov/live.
So that means…
Now:
Submit your questions for Gene Sperling and Karen Mills here.
Wednesday:
Watch for the answers at 12 noon ET on whitehouse.gov/live, and add to conversation on facebook or on twitter with the hashtag #startupamerica.
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“Together We Can Advance Our Common Prosperity:” The President Speaks to the People of Brazil
Posted by Jesse Lee on March 21, 2011 at 3:05 PM EDT
President Obama’s first stop on his visit to Latin America was in Brazil, the largest country in the region in geography, population, and economic size. He spoke to the people of Brazil from the country’s largest city, Rio de Janeiro, and addressed the shared economic goals of Americans and Brazilians:
Together we can advance our common prosperity. As two of the world’s largest economies, we worked side by side during the financial crisis to restore growth and confidence. And to keep our economies growing, we know what’s necessary in both of our nations. We need a skilled, educated workforce — which is why American and Brazilian companies have pledged to help increase student exchanges between our two nations.
We need a commitment to innovation and technology — which is why we’ve agreed to expand cooperation between our scientists, researchers, and engineers.
We need world-class infrastructure — which is why American companies want to help you build and prepare this city for Olympic success.
In a global economy, the United States and Brazil should expand trade, expand investment, so that we create new jobs and new opportunities in both of our nations. And that’s why we’re working to break down barriers to doing business. That’s why we’re building closer relationships between our workers and our entrepreneurs.
The President also spoke of the tremendous progress Brazil has made in recent decades in the arena of democracy and human rights. President Obama reiterated the commitment of the United States to protecting the human rights of the people of Libya:
From the beginning, we have made clear that the change they seek must be driven by their own people. But for our two nations, for the United States and Brazil, two nations who have struggled over many generations to perfect our own democracies, the United States and Brazil know that the future of the Arab World will be determined by its people.
No one can say for certain how this change will end, but I do know that change is not something that we should fear. When young people insist that the currents of history are on the move, the burdens of the past can be washed away. When men and women peacefully claim their human rights, our own common humanity is enhanced. Wherever the light of freedom is lit, the world becomes a brighter place.
President Barack Obama delivers a speech at Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, March 20, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
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Watch Live at 2:05 EDT: President Obama in Chile on Expanding Exports and Creating Jobs
Posted by Nikki Sutton on March 21, 2011 at 1:43 PM EDT
Today, President Obama is visiting Chile to meet with President Piñera to discuss how we can create even more jobs in America by deepening our economic relationship and expanding exports. Beginning at 2:05 p.m. EDT (3:05 p.m. CT), President Obama and President Piñera will hold a joint press conference which will be streamed live below:
Following the joint press conference, stay tuned for President Obama’s speech at the Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda in Santiago, Chile. Watch the speech live beginning at 3:20 p.m. EDT (4:20 p.m. CT) at WhiteHouse.gov/live. Check out the President’s schedule for more information on the First Family’s visit to Chile.
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Better Benefits, Better Health for Small Businesses
Posted by Richard Sorian on March 21, 2011 at 10:14 AM EDT
This week, we will be marking the one year anniversary of enactment of the Affordable Care Act and kicking off the Better Benefits, Better Health Initiative. This initiative will highlight the important information consumers, families and businesses need to get the benefits of reform.
We’re kicking off the initiative by highlighting some important information for small business owners. Small business owners and their employees have always gotten the short end of the stick, paying an average of 18% more for insurance that often covers less than the policies sold to their larger competitors. And small businesses lack the purchasing power that larger employers have. That’s changing thanks to the health care law signed by President Obama one year ago.
Thankfully, the Affordable Care Act is helping small business owners get quality affordable coverage for their families and their employees.
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President Obama’s Nowruz Message
Posted by Nikki Sutton on March 20, 2011 at 4:10 PM EDT
President Obama sends an important message to those celebrating the holiday of Nowruz. At a time of great regional change and renewal, the President this year speaks directly to the Iranian people, in particular the Iranian youth. “…you – the young people of Iran – carry within you both the ancient greatness of Persian civilization, and the power to forge a country that is responsive to your aspirations. Your talent, your hopes, and your choices will shape the future of Iran, and help light the world. And though times may seem dark, I want you to know that I am with you,” he says.
Read the President’s Message in: Arabic (pdf) | Persian (pdf). You can also watch the video with Arabic subtitles.
May all those who celebrate Nowruz around the world embrace the power of youth, and have a peaceful and prosperous new year.
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Watch Live: President Obama Speaks on Human Rights in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Posted by Kori Schulman on March 20, 2011 at 12:18 PM EDT
The President’s trip to Latin America this weekend focuses on the importance of strengthening our economic partnership with the region to create good jobs at home, as he discussed in his weekly address. This afternoon, President Obama will deliver a speech at Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janiero, Brazil to discuss the deeply held values and interests that bind our countries together — a relationship that is particularly important because of Brazil’s role as a rapidly emerging power on the global stage.
Watch the President’s remarks live at 1:30 PM EDT on WhiteHouse.gov/live.
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Remarks by the President on Libya: “Today We are Part of a Broad Coalition. We are Answering the Calls of a Threatened People. And We are Acting in the Interests of the United States and the World”
Posted by Kori Schulman on March 20, 2011 at 11:46 AM EDT
Yesterday, President Obama delivered remarks on the United States’ response to the situation in Libya, “authoriz[ing] the Armed Forces of the United States to begin a limited military action in Libya in support of an international effort to protect Libyan civilians.” Read the full remarks below:
Good afternoon, everybody. Today I authorized the Armed Forces of the United States to begin a limited military action in Libya in support of an international effort to protect Libyan civilians. That action has now begun.
In this effort, the United States is acting with a broad coalition that is committed to enforcing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which calls for the protection of the Libyan people. That coalition met in Paris today to send a unified message, and it brings together many of our European and Arab partners.
This is not an outcome that the United States or any of our partners sought. Even yesterday, the international community offered Muammar Qaddafi the opportunity to pursue an immediate cease-fire, one that stopped the violence against civilians and the advances of Qaddafi’s forces. But despite the hollow words of his government, he has ignored that opportunity. His attacks on his own people have continued. His forces have been on the move. And the danger faced by the people of Libya has grown.
