What is Healthcare Reform … #ACA

The President’s Proposal puts American families and small business owners in control of their own health care.

– It makes insurance more affordable by providing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history, reducing premium costs for tens of millions of families and small business owners who are priced out of coverage today. This helps over 31 million Americans afford health care who do not get it today — and makes coverage more affordable for many more.– It sets up a new competitive health insurance market giving tens of millions of Americans the exact same insurance choices that members of Congress will have.

– It brings greater accountability to health care by laying out commonsense rules of the road to keep premiums down and prevent insurance industry abuses and denial of care.

– It will end discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions.

– It puts our budget and economy on a more stable path by reducing the deficit by $100 billion over the next ten years — and about $1 trillion over the second decade — by cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud and abuse.

It includes a targeted set of changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate-passed health insurance reform bill. Key changes include:

– Closing the Medicare prescription drug “doughnut hole” coverage gap;– Strengthening the Senate bill‘s provisions that make insurance affordablefor individuals and families;– Strengthening the provisions to fight fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid;– Increasing the thresholdfor the excise tax on the most expensive health plans from $23,000 for a family plan to $27,500 and starting it in 2018 for all plans;– Improving insurance protections for consumers and creating a new Health Insurance Rate Authority to provide federal assistance and oversight to states in conducting reviews of unreasonable rate increases and other unfair practices of insurance plans.

For more information, check out:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-care-meeting

Non-partisan – CBO

Response to the Supreme Court’s Decision Regarding the Affordable Care Act

CBO is in the process of reviewing the Supreme Court’s decision related to the Affordable Care Act to assess the effect on CBO’s projections of federal spending and revenue under current law. We expect that this assessment will probably take some time.

S. 3264, a bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program

• H.R. 1627, Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012
• H.R. 4043, Military Readiness and Southern Sea Otter Conservation Act.
• H.R. 4367, a bill to amend the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to limit the fee disclosure requirement for an automatic teller machine to the screen of that machine
• H.R. 4405, Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012
• H.R. 4240, Ambassador James R. Lilley and Congressman Stephen J. Solarz North Korea Human Rights Reauthorizaton Act of 2012
• S. 2165, United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012
• H.R. 5872, Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012
• S. 2018, Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act
• H.R. 5859, a bill to repeal an obsolete provision in title 49, United States Code, requiring motor vehicle insurance cost reporting

the Progress Report : GOP response to the Health Care Ruling

SIX Health Care Questions the GOP Must Answer

By         ThinkProgress War Room

GOP in Disarray After Obamacare Ruling

Aside from launching a new false attack on the law (which also happens to be an attack on Mitt Romney) and promising to vote one more time on repealing the law, Republicans don’t quite know what to do. Some of them even openly admit that the GOP has no plan whatsoever.

They know that the Supreme Court-endorsed individual mandate is not popular, but they also know that many other provisions of the law are wildly popular — even among Republicans. This obstacle — how to replace Obamacare with something that will actually work and doesn’t look just like Obamacare — is one of the reasons they never managed to put forward a serious “replace”  following repeal.

Here’s six questions Republicans need to answer.

1. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled Obamacare constitutional, will you continue to obsess over repealing it or will you focus on working with Democrats to pass legislation to create jobs?
2. Will you force the 3.1 million young people who have health coverage as a result of Obamacare off of their parents’ insurance?
3. Will you tell cancer patients and others with pre-existing conditions that they are on their own, like Republican senate candidate Richard Mourdock and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) did?
4. Will you throw seniors back into the Medicare prescription drug donut hole, raising their prescription drugs costs by billions of dollars each year?
5. Will you let insurance companies go back to spending less than 80 percent of premiums on actual medical care instead of overheard, advertising and profits?
6. Since you are now saying the Obamacare individual mandate makes President Obama a tax raiser, doesn’t that mean Mitt Romney raised taxes on Massachusetts residents when he signed the Romneycare mandate into law?

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor: GOP health care plan is still the one that leaves 52 MILLION people uninsured and adds $8 BILLION to the deficit.

Five health care mandates the GOP supports.

Mississippi Tea Party leader calls for open rebellion after the Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision.

Congress managed to pass both a transportation bill and legislation to prevent student loan rates from doubling.

Conservatives come up with a conspiracy theory to attack Chief Justice Roberts after he upheld Obamacare.

No, Chief Justice Roberts is not a liberal now — not even close.

Obamacare is actually a tax cut for millions of Americans.

The insane dissenting Obamacare opinion from conservatives on the Supreme Court.

Did Chief Justice Roberts switch his vote at the last minute?

Other recent Progress Reports

Jun 28, 2012: We LOVE Obamacare!

Constitutional! In celebration of today’s landmark Supreme Court decision declaring Obamacare constitutional, here are a few snaps from today’s festivities outside the High Court.   And What Do Republicans Think?   Do you love Obamacare? Click HERE to tell Congress that you stand with Obamacare.

Jun 27, 2012: Obamacare Decision Day

Will the Supreme Court Rule Based on Law or Politics? Based on the text of the Constitution and 200 years of precedent, it’s crystal clear that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. That notwithstanding, tomorrow morning the Supreme Court is set to rule on the partisan legal attacks on Obamacare. Here’s the rundown on what [...]

Jun 26, 2012: GOP Keeps Digging on Immigration

GOP Responses on Immigration Growing Even More Extreme The GOP would be well-served to remember the first rule of holes: When you’re in one, stop digging. It was clear that Republicans sensed political danger in attacking the president’s new immigration policy, at least initially. Many top Republicans had no response at all when the news [...]

Jun 25, 2012: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

What You Need to Know About Today’s Supreme Court Rulings Today, the Supreme Court issued three very important rulings: Arizona v. United States: A case on the constitutionality of Arizona’s SB1070 “papers please” anti-immigrant law. American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock: A case about Montana’s century-old ban on corporate money in elections. Miller v. Alabama: [...]

AAUW … June 29

Washington Update for Friday, June 29, 2012

 

NEWS

Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act

AAUW Rallies for an Inclusive VAWA

AARP Study Finds Age Discrimination in Workplace

New Laws Could Make Mississippi First State without Abortion Clinic

Federal Workforce More Male, Ethnically Diverse than Overall Workforce

Minority Students with STEM Majors Earn More

Pell Grant Turns 40

 

IT’S MY VOTE: I WILL BE HEARD – VOTER EDUCATION AND ELECTIONS NEWS

Florida Judge Gives Go-Ahead for Voter Purge

 

LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY UPDATES

Congress Prevents Student Loan Interest Rates from Doubling

Labor Department Awards $1.8 Million for Women’s Apprenticeship Programs

New Gainful Employment Data Shows Weaknesses in Standards

Department of Education Extends More NCLB Waivers

 

RESOURCES FOR ADVOCATES

Feature Your Activities on the AAUW Member Showcase

Sign Up Your Friends and Family for Action Network!

 

UNIQUELY AAUW

Connect2AAUW

AAUW Public Policy Fund Pins — and a Bonus

 

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NEWS

 

Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act In a complex 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, finding that its requirement for nearly all Americans to secure insurance is permissible under Congress’ taxing authority. This decision allows the Affordable Care Act to stand, although it did limit one significant portion of the law, which sought to expand Medicaid to cover millions more poor and disabled people. The program is a joint federal-state effort, and the court said the law’s requirement that states rapidly extend coverage to new beneficiaries or lose existing federal payments was unconstitutional.

AAUW believes that everyone is entitled to health care that is high-quality, affordable, and easily accessible. AAUW believes that, although not perfect by any stretch, many of the reforms included in the Affordable Care Act will improve the collective health of the American people, such as access to preventive health services. As implementation of the law continues, AAUW will focus on the need for access and affordability in a way that is equitable to women.

AAUW will publish further analysis of what this decision means for women and girls in the AAUW Dialog blog next week. Check back often for more information on policy and current events!

AAUW Rallies for an Inclusive VAWA

AAUW joined a coalition of organizations on Capitol Hill Wednesday to rally for the passage of an inclusive Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization. The rally kicked off a national VAWA Days of Action campaign. In May, the House of Representatives passed a version of VAWA that excluded campus safety provisions as well as language that protects Native American; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; and immigrant victims.

AAUW supports a VAWA reauthorization that addresses the needs of all victims nationwide. AAUW urges Congress to pass the Senate version of the bill, which includes campus safety provisions and protections for all victims of violence and was introduced by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Crapo (R-ID).

AARP Study Finds Age Discrimination in Workplace

AARP recently found, through national and statewide surveys, that older voters are concerned about workplace age discrimination. More than one-third of respondents reported that they know someone who has experienced age discrimination in the workplace, and eight in 10 agreed that it is important for Congress to protect workers against age discrimination.

AAUW advocates for equitable access and advancement in employment, including vigorous enforcement of employment antidiscrimination statutes.

New Laws Could Make Mississippi First State without Abortion Clinic

Although abortion will still be legal in Mississippi, laws going into effect on July 1 could mean that the state will become the first in the United States without any dedicated abortion clinics. The new regulations, passed in April, require that abortion-clinic physicians have admitting privileges at a local hospital; doctors at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization — the state’s remaining clinic that provides elective abortions — have applied to seven area hospitals but have not yet been granted those privileges. This would have the effect of severely limiting Mississippi women’s access to reproductive health care services.

AAUW supports the right of every woman to safe, accessible, affordable, and comprehensive family planning and reproductive health services. AAUW trusts that every woman has the ability to make her own informed choices regarding her reproductive life within the dictates of her own moral and religious beliefs. Further, AAUW believes that these deeply personal decisions should be made without governmental interference.

Federal Workforce More Male, Ethnically Diverse than Overall Workforce

A new government report comparing the composition of the federal workforce to the overall American workforce found that the federal workforce includes more men and greater racial diversity. Between 2010 and 2011, the percentage of male employees in the federal workforce increased by 0.3 percent, and the percentage of white employees fell by 0.3 percent. The report also includes plans for government programs to promote the recruitment, hiring, and retention of diverse employees.

AAUW supports efforts to diversify the federal government workplace. AAUW supports affirmative action programs that establish equal opportunity for women and minorities and improve gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in educational institutions and in workplaces. AAUW believes these programs have begun to break down the barriers that confront women and minorities in education and employment, and these programs remain essential to ensure equal access to all professions at all levels through recruitment, outreach, and training.

Minority Students with STEM Majors Earn More

A new study analyzing the salaries of minority students indicates that those majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) earn 25 percent more than those majoring in the humanities or education. Minority students who pursued STEM careers following graduation were shown to earn 50 percent more than humanities or education majors.

Last week, AAUW welcomed Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American female astronaut in space. Jemison spoke on two panels about the importance of encouraging women and minorities to pursue STEM education. AAUW has prioritized women and girls in STEM education for more than 130 years and encourages women to pursue traditionally male-dominated STEM fields by investing in graduate fellowships and grants, conducting research, and through programming and advocacy for women in STEM.

Pell Grant Turns 40

June 23 marked the 40th anniversary of the Pell grant program, an indispensable part of millions of students’ dreams of higher education in the United States. The program, which was originally known as the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant and later renamed for Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-RI), has helped bridge the gap between the demand for educated workers and the student financial aid that is essential for many low-income Americans to attend college. In an effort to cut the federal deficit, several changes to the Pell grant program will begin to take effect in July. These changes will reduce the number of students who are eligible for the tuition assistance program as well as the amount of money they can receive.

AAUW strongly supports the Pell grant program. Today, the maximum Pell grant covers only 33 percent of the total cost at a public four-year institution, versus 55 percent of those costs 20 years ago. AAUW believes that cuts to educational funding make the dream of higher education less accessible for women and minorities.

 

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IT’S MY VOTE: I WILL BE HEARD – VOTER EDUCATION AND ELECTIONS NEWS

 

Florida Judge Gives Go-Ahead for Voter Purge

A federal judge in Florida has rejected a request by the Department of Justice to stop the state’s purge of noncitizens from voter registration rolls, which was set in motion earlier this spring. Judge Robert Hinkle previously ruled against parts of the Florida law that regulate voter registration by outside groups, and in his decision Thursday said that federal voter registration laws could not prohibit the state from identifying and removing ineligible voters even though its primary is fewer than 90 days away.

 

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LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY UPDATES

Congress Prevents Student Loan Interest Rates from Doubling Congress cleared a bill this afternoon that will prevent interest rates on Stafford loans from doubling from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on Sunday. The compromise legislation was sent to the president’s desk just in time for the July 1 deadline. The fix to student loan interest rates was included in a larger, must-pass package with provisions to reauthorize federal transportation programs.

AAUW applauds Congress for passing legislation that will save millions of students money as they struggle to afford higher education. Without the hard work of AAUW’s Action Network, this provision would have never made it over the finish line. Thousands of students weighed in on the importance of Stafford loans to their access to college. Thank you for your activism!

 

Labor Department Awards $1.8 Million for Women’s Apprenticeship Programs

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded $1.8 million through Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants. The grants will help fund programs for the recruitment, hiring, training, employment, and retention of women in apprenticeships in nontraditional fields, including industrial professions, manufacturing, transportation and construction. The grants were awarded to community-based organizations in six states, each working to prepare and train at least 50 participants annually for success in traditionally male fields.

AAUW supports improving women’s access to traditionally male fields. AAUW strongly advocates for enforcement of Title IX, which has facilitated an increase in women’s advancement in nontraditional fields and occupational programs. Title IX helped remove barriers to women entering these fields, as well as encouraged incentive programs to help recruit and retain more women.

New Gainful Employment Data Shows Weaknesses in Standards

Newly released federal gainful employment data show that regulations put in place in 2011 have imposed low requirements that mean many vocational programs will not lose Title IV eligibility despite serious problems. The new regulations were intended to appease concerns about the difficulty of students paying back their federal financial aid following the completion of vocational programs, but analysis of the data suggests the need for a more effective, systematic approach in order for programs and institutions to improve student outcomes.

AAUW strongly supports the Department of Education’s commitment to making higher education affordable and accessible for all Americans. To ensure that higher education is an engine for workforce training and productivity, we must help students find affordable programs that lead to economically secure careers. In 2011, AAUW urged members of the Senate to support the Department of Education’s regulations to define “gainful employment” to protect students from schools that may take advantage of their need for financial assistance and overcharge and to also hold schools accountable for meeting the standard of gainful employment.

Department of Education Extends More NCLB Waivers

Five additional states have been granted waivers from the most restrictive portions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) from the Department of Education. Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah, and Virginia received waivers. A total of 24 states have thus far received waivers.

AAUW maintains that the only way to fix No Child Left Behind/the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is through reauthorization. Read AAUW’s congressional testimony that outlines many of the problems we see with the current law. AAUW encourages the Obama administration to hold those seeking and receiving waivers accountable for the success of all students by requiring additional efforts to close achievement gaps and demonstrating in detail how they will prepare our children for college and rewarding careers as a condition of these waivers. AAUW believes that it is incumbent on the states seeking waivers to assure the public that this flexibility is necessary to improve student achievement. In no way should the administration agree to waive the requirement that states, districts, and schools demonstrate continued progress toward improving student academic achievement.

 

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RESOURCES FOR ADVOCATES

 

Feature Your Activities on the AAUW Member Showcase Want to share your latest program with others or get ideas for an upcoming event? Check out AAUW’s Member Showcase! The Member Showcase is a great way to let other AAUW members know what your branch or state is up to. From book sales to Equal Pay Day events, and discussion groups to garden tours, the Member Showcase is here as a resource for you!

To publicize your events, email aauwcalendar@aauw.org, or for more information, read the Member Showcase FAQ.

 

Sign Up Your Friends and Family for Action Network!

Visit AAUW’s Take Action page of our website, where AAUW members and nonmembers alike can sign up for Action Network. It is an excellent way to introduce potential members to AAUW’s advocacy. You can also print out flyers online. Use flyers to sign up friends, family and coworkers to AAUW Action Network. These flyers are great to use at branch events, community events, etc.

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UNIQUELY AAUW

 

Connect2AAUW

General AAUW questions? Please contact connect@aauw.org or call 800/326-2289 between 10 am and 5 pm Eastern, Monday through Friday.

 AAUW Public Policy Fund Pins — and a Bonus

Show your support for advocacy for women and girls — and get a tax deduction. Contribute $100 or more to the AAUW Public Policy Fund and receive the fund’s annual pin. Please support this crucial work with a tax-deductible contribution through our secure website.

This Week’s Top 3 on ThinkProgr​ess: The Supreme Court Edition

Dear Friend,

If you’re looking for a progressive take on the current political news, ThinkProgress has you covered. Catch up on the biggest stories from the past week that you may have missed:

Why The Individual Mandate Is Not A ‘Massive Tax Hike’ On The Middle Class

4 Reasons Why Republicans Won’t Be Able To Repeal Obamacare

Supreme Court Decision On Arizona’s Immigration Law Provides Strong Support For Obama’s Immigration Order

Best,

Igor Volsky Deputy Editor, ThinkProgress

VIDEO PREMIERE: Arizona, We Are All “Illegals

We Are All “Illegals”! Tweet this video right now! On the eve of the Supreme Court’s decision on Arizona anti-immigrant law SB1070, we urge the need to stand together and send a strong & united message: We Are All “Illegals”! This is why Cuéntame partnered withOuternational, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Residente of Calle 13, Pop/Latin ProducerThom Russo as well as video & photo submissions from over 100 fans worldwide to produce a powerful, creative and important music video. This release highlights the absurdity and obsolescence of the very notion of human beings deemed “illegal” in the year 2012. Watch the exclusive video premiere of We Are All “Illegals” We need you to stand with us and unite in one voice – fighting the persecution and profiling of our community and sending a strong message: No Human Being is “Illegal“! Help us spread this video widely by tweeting it right now! Together we can make an ever-lasting impact. Yours, Axel Caballero and the Cuéntame team. Continue making a difference please follow our updates on Twitter!

VICTORY! Re: Sent back to her rapists? … Gabriela Garcia, Change.org

Blanca Medina and her lawyer, Matthew Muller, got some great news from immigrations officials yesterday: after hearing from more than 100,000 people (including you!) who signed Matthew’s petition to prevent Blanca from being deported, they’ve issued a stay of deportation for Blanca and her daughter Alejandra. Blanca, a five-time rape survivor who fears for her safety in her native El Salvador, was slated to be deported yesterday. But now, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is allowing her to apply for asylum based on her traumatic experience and the danger she would face at home. “I am relieved DHS listened to the more than 100,000 people who thought it was a travesty to deport a rape survivor back to her attackers,” Matthew said. “This is a major step forward that wouldn’t have happened without public outrage.” Blanca’s just one of dozens of people who have have challenged unfair deportation orders, and been released from detention, after petitions were started for them on Change.org. Is there an issue you care about? Something you see in the world that needs to change? You can start your own petition on Change.org — it takes only five minutes. Click here to start a petition on Change.org now. Thanks for being a change-maker, - Gabriela and the Change.org team

Media Matters for America

Right-Wing Media Attacks SNAP Outreach To Elderly Americans Right-wing media are attacking a program designed to increase awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) among the elderly, saying they hope the effort “come[s] to a quick end.” But SNAP outreach programs have been crafted and employed by previous administrations, hunger is increasing among all groups, including the elderly, and the elderly are under enrolled in SNAP. Read More

Dobbs Helps Cover Up Romney’s Support For Health Insurance Mandate Fox Business host Lou Dobbs covered up the fact that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney previously supported the same kind of financial penalties on individuals who refuse to purchase health insurance that are in the Affordable Care Act, penalties Romney now criticizes. In fact, even the architect of Romney’s health care law says the law Romney championed as governor of Massachusetts is very similar. Read More

O’Reilly And The Enduring Threat Of Uncertainty Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly is still blaming health care reform legislation for “uncertainty” that he warned is harming jobs growth – even after the Supreme Court issued a final ruling that the law is constitutional. Economists and small business owners have said that lack of demand, not uncertainty, has held back jobs growth. Read More

the Daily Share

BP: Because Eyeless Shrimp Are, Y’know, Healthy And Stuff

The 30-Second Ad (With A Surprise Ending) That’ll Make You So Happy!

This Is Why The November Election Is Much More Than A Four-Year Term

Nielsenwire

Top News

Top Five YouTube Partner Channels Drive Nearly 1.5 Billion Monthly StreamsMay 2012 marks the first month that Nielsen is publicly reported streaming measurement on thousands of YouTube partners. The top five YouTube Partner channels, led by Vevo, Warner Music Group and Machinima, combined for nearly 1.5 billion total streams.            (full story) Can Top NBA Picks Generate Viewing and Marketing Heat? The NBA Draft has seen increased viewership over the last three years, with last year’s draft netting an average of 3.2 million viewers. Recent number one overall picks rank among the top 50 players/coaches in Nielsen and E-Poll’s N-Score rating. (full story) Led by Emerging Markets, Global Ad Spend Up 3.1% in Q1 2012 After a strong finish to 2011, global ad spend continued to rise in the beginning of 2012: up 3.1 percent compared to the same period (Q1) last year. (full story)

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