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General News You Want to Talk About

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61General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:16 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

New York Times wrote:
No Wonder the Repubicans Hid the Health Bill

March 7, 2017

Republican House leaders have spent months dodging questions about how they would replace the Affordable Care Act with a better law, and went so far as to hide the draft of their plan from other lawmakers. No wonder. The bill they released on Monday would kick millions of people off the coverage they currently have. So much for President Trump’s big campaign promise: “We’re going to have insurance for everybody” — with coverage that would be “much less expensive and much better.”

More than 20 million Americans gained health care coverage under the A.C.A., or Obamacare. Health experts say most would lose that coverage under the proposal.

Let’s start with Medicaid. Obamacare expanded the program to cover 11 million more poor Americans in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The Republican bill would end the expansion in 2020. Although people who sign up before 2020 under the expanded Medicaid program, which covers people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (about $33,900 for a family of four), would be allowed to stay on, many would be kicked off over time. The working poor tend to drop in and out of Medicaid because their incomes fluctuate, and the Republican plan would bar people who left the expanded program from going back in.

The bill would also, for the first time ever, apply a per-person limit on how much the federal government spends on Medicaid. This change could shift about $370 billion in health care costs over 10 years to state governments, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Many state governments, faced with limited budgets, would be forced to cut benefits or cover fewer people.

For people who buy insurance on federal or state-run health exchanges [under the Affordable Care Act, or A.C.A.], the G.O.P. plan would greatly reduce the A.C.A.’s subsidies, which come in the form of tax credits. For example, a 40-year-old living in Raleigh, N.C., who earns $30,000 a year would receive $3,000 from the government to buy insurance, 32 percent less than under current law, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The bill would provide older people more generous subsidies — those over 60 get a subsidy of $4,000, or twice as much as 20-somethings — but insurers would be allowed to charge older people five times as much as younger people.

The plan would do away with the current mandate that requires nearly everybody to obtain insurance or pay a penalty. (Instead, insurers would be allowed to charge people who don’t maintain their insurance continuously 30 percent more for coverage.)

[. . . ]

. . . insurers would almost certainly raise their prices as the pool of the insured shrank.

While working people lose health care, the rich would come out winners. The bill would eliminate the taxes on businesses and individuals (people making more than $200,000 a year) who fund Obamacare. The tax cuts would total about $600 billion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Source:  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/opinion/no-wonder-the-republicans-hid-the-health-bill.html






ABC News wrote:
House GOP health bill would cut women's services

March 10, 2017

Women seeking abortions and some basic health services, including prenatal care, contraception and cancer screenings, would face restrictions and struggle to pay for some of that medical care under the House Republicans' proposed bill.

The legislation, which would replace much of former President Barack Obama's health law, was approved by two House committees on Thursday. Republicans are hoping to move quickly to pass it, despite unified opposition from Democrats, criticism from some conservatives who don't think it goes far enough and several health groups who fear millions of Americans would lose coverage and benefits.

The bill would prohibit for a year any funding to Planned Parenthood, a major provider of women's health services, restrict abortion access in covered plans on the health exchange and scale back Medicaid services used by many low-income women, among other changes.

[. . .]

The abortion restrictions and cuts to women's health care could draw opposition from some Republican women.

. . . [Once the House passes the bill and the bill moves to the Senate], the GOP will need 50 votes to pass it.

A look at how the bill would affect women's health care:

PLANNED PARENTHOOD

. . . Now that Republican Donald Trump is president, they [Republicans] are adding the one-year freeze in funding [to Planned Parenthood] to their bill.

Federal dollars comprise nearly half of the group's [Planned Parenthood's] annual billion-dollar budget. Government dollars don't pay for abortions, but the organization is reimbursed by Medicaid for other services, including birth control, cancer screenings and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. The group has said the vast majority of women seek out those non-abortion services.

[. . . ]

ABORTION COVERAGE

Under Obama's health law, health plans on the exchange can cover elective abortions, but they must collect a separate premium to pay for them so it's clear that no federal funds are used. The GOP bill would go further, prohibiting the use of new federal tax credits to purchase any plan that covers abortions.

That could make it more difficult for women covered under the federal exchange to find a plan that covers abortions at all, because many companies may just drop the abortion coverage if it disqualifies the entire plan from the tax credits.
Link:  http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/womens-health-services-face-cuts-republican-bill-46036836







Sierra Club wrote:
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SAY NO TO THE GOP BILL TO REPEAL THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Wednesday March 8, 2017



I received this from Kirsten Gillibrand and hope that all will contact their representative in Congress. 3121


From Kirsten Gillibrand [U.S. Senator]

I wanted to send you a quick note about the GOP's new Trump-approved health care bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It’s bad. Really bad. This plan will make health care more expensive for families and seniors and leave millions of people uninsured – all while giving huge tax breaks to insurance companies and the highest wage earners.

Here are the top points you need to know about the Trump plan:

1.It allows health insurance companies to charge older Americans up to five times more.

2.It repeals the employer mandate, causing many families covered by their employers to lose coverage.

3.It will take insurance away from millions of individuals and cripple state budgets by phasing out the Medicaid expansion.

4.It gives health insurance companies a tax break for CEO pay over $500,000.

5.It defunds Planned Parenthood, leaving millions without access to breast exams, birth control and pap smears. We need to fight this terrible plan with everything we’ve got, because the stakes are literally life and death for millions of Americans.

Here are a few ways you can speak out: -Call your representative in Congress. You can dial the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. -Tell your friends to call their representatives in Congress. -Show up at your representative’s town halls. -Spread the word about this plan on Facebook and other social media. We’ve seen this year that when regular people show up and demand action, we can get results.  Click here to find your representative in Congress, then take three minutes to call and ask them to oppose this bill. Your voice is needed for a time such as this. Be heard.
Source:  https://content.sierraclub.org/grassrootsnetwork/team-news/2017/03/please-contact-your-representative-and-say-no-gop-bill-repear-affordable-care-act



Last edited by Poppy on Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:34 pm; edited 1 time in total

62General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:25 am

*Jeremy*

*Jeremy*
Advanced II
Advanced II

In my country, everybody has an health insurance. 

There is a main coverage that generally covers 3/4 of the cost of a medical intervention. If you have a job, your boss pays a premium for you (or you pay it yourself if you're your own boss) and, if you don't have a job, you just have that coverage for free. 

There is also an additional coverage and it costs less than 10$ a month. 

Abortion is included in the main coverage. So, women who want to get an abortion just have to pay a few dollars.

63General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:37 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

Jeremy, that is amazing.  I am happy that your country has such an admirable health care system.  It makes me so sad and angry that so many of the U.S.'s politicians (*cough* Republicans) care so little about health care for the general population (who are not wealthy), and for women's health care in particular.

64General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Wed Mar 22, 2017 1:45 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

TOMORROW (Thursday, March 23) is the date the House of Representatives will be voting to repeal President Obama's Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), and to to instead replace President Obama's ACA with the Republican House health care bill.   See above for all the reasons why the House Republican bill is awful. 

It's unclear if the Republicans in the House have enough votes to pass their replacement health care bill. 

It is vitally important, that if your Representative in the House is Republican, to CALL him/her TODAY and let him/her know that you would like him/her to OPPOSE the Republican House health care bill!!   Tell him/her to OPPOSE repealing President Obama's Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). 

Trump right now is meeting with Republican members of the House of Representatives, putting pressure on them to support the repeal of the ACA and to instead vote for the Republican health care bill replacement.  It is vitally important that the people--constituents of the House members--apply counter-pressure on their Republican House of Representative members!! 

To find who is your representative in the House of Representatives, go here:  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Bombard your House of Representative members with calls! 


PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY

SAY NO TO THE GOP BILL TO REPEAL THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT


Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

News media are reporting that the House will NOT vote today on the Republican healthcare replacement bill. 

According to CNN, the House hopes to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as "Obamacare")  and replace it with their healthcare bill this Friday, which is tomorrow!



Again, if you have a Republican House of Representative member, please CALL him/her TODAY.  Tell him/her to vote NO on repealing the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), and to vote NO on the Republican health care replacement bill!!!


To find who is your representative in the House of Representatives, go here:  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Bombard your House of Representative members with calls! 

66General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Fri Mar 24, 2017 2:33 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

I am happy to report that the House Republicans pulled their Republican health care replacement bill!!

Republicans in the House of Representatives failed to repeal and replace President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA, "Obamacare")!! 

They didn't even take the Republican healthcare replacement bill to a vote (because they knew they didn't have sufficient votes to pass it, and taking it to a vote would be an embarassing failure to House Republicans and Speaker Paul Ryan, and to Trump.). 

I am happy for those millions of people who feared losing their health care if President Obama's Affordable Care Act was repealed by Republicans (as well as those millions more on employer-provided health insurance who would have lost "essential benefits," like coverage for prescription medications, maternity and newborn healthcare coverage, mental health and substance abuse services, emergency hospital trips, hospital care, lab tests, pediatric care for children, and preventative care (for example, cancer screenings like mammograms, vaccines).

Media outlets are reporting that both Trump and the Republican members of the Congress are stating that they are now moving onto other issues, like tax reform, instead of pushing forward with repealing and replacing President Obama's Affordable Care Act.

This is a big defeat for Trump and the Republican majority since both campaigned for this very issue, repealing and replacing President Obama's Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), and they failed.

67General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Fri Mar 31, 2017 9:09 am

*Jeremy*

*Jeremy*
Advanced II
Advanced II

Tomorrow, it'll be difficult to make the distinction between April fools about Trump and real news about him.

68General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Fri Mar 31, 2017 5:40 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

Jeremy, if I could give you 100 "thumbs up" for your comment (and your wonderful sense of humor)--I would!   :big grin

69General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Wed Apr 05, 2017 1:20 am

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

I am deeply saddened by the assault of the people of the community of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria, who were assaulted by Syrian government planes that dropped chemical weapons upon them today. Many of the civilian victims who died from the chemical weapons were children and women.   A nerve agent  is suspected.  More deaths occurred when a second air raid targeted the health clinics where the victims were being treated.   The Washington Post

Bashar Assad is a horrible monster, and just a day earlier, the Trump administration stated it will not attempt to remove Assad from power.  What followed the very next day, today, was the chemical weapons attack on its own citizens.

70General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Wed Apr 05, 2017 1:41 am

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

CBS wrote:
Poll: Trump more unpopular than Obama ever was

April 4, 2017

Americans’ attitudes towards President Trump and Republicans are at a new low, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University.

Overall, voters give Trump a 35 percent job approval rating, with 57 percent disapproving.
That’s down from the 37 percent Quinnipiac reported just two weeks ago, and worse than Obama’s lowest rating in the poll of 38 percent back in 2013.

[. . . ]

Fifty-two percent of voters feel embarrassed that Trump is their president. Only 27 percent say they are proud.

Mr. Trump isn’t doing well with women (63 percent disapprove), Democrats (91 percent [disapprove]), and non-white voters (77 percent [disapprove]). Even among his base, his numbers continue to slip; only 39 percent of men approve of President Trump’s performance, while 51 percent disapprove. White voters now disapprove of him 48 percent to 43 percent, and while a majority of Republicans (79 percent) still approve of him, that’s down from 81 percent two weeks ago.

[. . . ]


Voters’ opinions of the president remain mainly negative when it comes to his personal qualities. Mr. Trump receives the worst scores on honesty (61 percent don’t think he is), level-headedness (66 percent [think he is not level-headed]), and on shared values with voters (61 percent [think he does not share their values]). Fifty-five percent of voters do not believe that the president has good leadership skills, and a similar number of voters, 57 percent, think that he does not care about average Americans.

However, 64 percent of those surveyed believe that President Trump is a strong person, and 60 percent think that he is intelligent.

. . . Sixty-four percent disapprove of the way he handled healthcare, 61 percent [disapproval] on his environmental stewardship, and 58 percent [disapproval] on his foreign policy.

On issues perceived as strengths for him—terrorism, immigration, and the economy—voters are still disappointed with the president. Almost half -- (49 percent -- disapprove of the way Mr. Trump is dealing with terrorism. On immigration, he receives a 57 percent disapproval rating. Only 41 percent approve of the way he is handling the economy versus the 48 percent who don’t, despite the fact that 52 percent of Americans believe the economy is in “excellent” or “good” shape.

That may be due to the fact that a majority of voters -- 66 percent -- believe President Obama deserves more credit than the current president when it comes to the current state of the economy. Sixty-four percent of Republicans agree.

“President Donald Trump continues to struggle, even among his most loyal supports,” says Malloy. “Many of them would be hard pressed to see even a sliver of a silver lining in this troubling downward spiral.”

Meanwhile, 70 percent of Americans disapprove of how Republicans in Congress are doing, up six points from two weeks ago, and 57 percent disapprove of the Democrats’ performance.

[. . . ]

“As President Trump’s approval tanks, Congress, especially Republicans, follow right behind him,” said Malloy.

The poll surveyed 1,171 people between March 30th and April 3rd and has a 2.9 percentage point margin of error. 


Keep in mind that Trump was inaugurated as the U.S. President on January 20, 2017, only about 2.5 months ago, and his approval ratings are already in the mid 30s. 

It took a recession and 5 years for President Obama to reach his lowest approval rating of 38% in 2013.  It took President Bush 8 years and 2 unpopular wars to reach an approval rating of 28 percent in 2008.

71General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Fri Apr 07, 2017 9:01 am

*Jeremy*

*Jeremy*
Advanced II
Advanced II

Speaking of approval ratings, aren't the elections in the US a bit surprising ? Firstly, only the half of the population goes voting. Then, you can win the whole thing if you get less votes than your opponent.

72General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Sat Apr 08, 2017 11:51 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

Sadly all true, Jeremy.  Many American voters are sadly apathetic, and the U.S. president race is won via the electoral college, not through the actual votes by people. 

Regarding polls about Trump's popularity and about the popularity of his policies, I think in the U.S., when a President has such low popularity rates, that it makes him vulnerable.  Republican congress members begin to wonder if they should be shown in support of his policies, when it may make it harder for them to be re-elected.

73General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Sat Apr 15, 2017 7:42 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

So while most of the news coverage lately centered on international events, the Republican Congress passed a bill giving states the ability to decide if they wish to fund Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide abortion services.  And our Republican President quietly signed this bill, making it law.

CNN wrote:
Trump privately signs anti-Planned Parenthood Law

April 14, 2017

President Donald Trump privately signed a bill on Thursday that allows states to withhold federal money from organizations that provide abortion services, including Planned Parenthood, a group frequently targeted by Republicans.

The bill, which the usually camera-friendly President signed without any media present, reverses an Obama-era regulation that prohibited states from withholding money from facilities that perform abortions, arguing that many of these facilities also provide other family planning and medical services.

The bulk of federal money Planned Parenthood receives, though, goes toward preventive health care, birth control, pregnancy tests and other women's health services. Federal law prohibits taxpayer dollars from funding abortions and Planned Parenthood says 3% of the services it provides are abortions.

The signing comes weeks after Vice President Mike Pence, a social conservative who regularly touts his anti-abortion stances, cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate after two Republicans opposed the measure.

"(Women's) worst fears are now coming true. We are facing the worst political attack on women's health in a generation as lawmakers have spent the past three months trading away women's health and rights at every turn," Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood, said in a statement.






NPR wrote:
Trump signs Law giving States Option to Deny funding for Planned Parenthood

April 13, 2017

President Trump quietly signed legislation Thursday that rolls back an Obama-era rule protecting certain federal funds for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide legal abortions.

[. . . ]

Now that the rule has been repealed, states can effectively block Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from funds associated with the Title X Family Planning program, which was established in 1970 to subsidize organizations that offer services related to contraception, pregnancy care, fertility and cancer screenings primarily for low-income people.

[. . . ]

NPR's Scott Horsley reports that — with exceptions for cases of rape, incest or life-threatening situations — federal law already prohibits the use of federal tax money to pay for abortions.

[. . . ]

[Planned Parenthood's] affiliates received $553.7 million total from federal, state and local governments — or, about half its total funding.

In 2014, roughly 3 percent of the services rendered by Planned Parenthood were abortion-related.

[. . .]


The law signed Thursday by the president began in the House and narrowly passed the Senate, only after Vice President Pence stepped in to cast the tie-breaking vote late last month.


The law signed Thursday by the president began in the House and narrowly passed the Senate, only after Vice President Pence stepped in to cast the tie-breaking vote late last month.

It was my honor to break tie vote in Senate overturning last minute Obama rule & restoring state control over Title X family planning funds. pic.twitter.com/jebspF3F3K
— Vice President Pence (@VP) March 30, 2017

To move the measure through Congress, Republicans turned again to the Congressional Review Act — a once-obscure 1996 law that, as we've reported, allows lawmakers "to overturn any regulation imposed during the final six months of the previous administration, with a simple majority vote in each chamber of Congress."

Already this year, GOP lawmakers have repealed about a dozen Obama-era regulations in this manner — including a broadband-privacy rule, a restriction on gun sales to the mentally ill, and an anti-corruption regulation on the oil industry.

So only about 3 % of the services provided by Planned Parenthood are abortion-related.  The vast majority of the services provided are related to family-planning, contraception, pregnancy tests, pregnancy care, and other types of health services provided to women.

And previous federal law, even before this bill was signed by Trump, already prohibited federal tax money to be spent for abortions (except in the cases of rape, incest or life-threatening situations). 

Yet now, states have the ability to say sorry- no federal funding to Planned Parenthood and similar organizations.



Last edited by Poppy on Wed Apr 19, 2017 8:36 pm; edited 1 time in total

74General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Wed Apr 19, 2017 5:22 am

Guest


Guest

In the UK the NHS (National Health Service) is free. That's one of the reasons why it is so attractive for immigrants. It's actually started cracking under the strain and there are talks about having to start charging for certain things.

Lol Jeremy! That April fools comment was a good one!

75General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Wed Apr 19, 2017 8:38 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

So amazing that the NHS is free.  Something as basic and life-saving as health-care is hard to obtain for so many Americans.  I can understand why so many people would find free health care to be such a blessing.  :happy face

76General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Wed May 03, 2017 2:11 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

Ok, it's crisis time again in terms of the Republican and White House's efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act ("ACA," also known as Obamacare). 

Unfortunately, it has just been reported that 2 moderate Republicans in the House of Representatives (Fred Upton-Mich. and Billy Long-Mo.) have flipped their vote to "yes," in support of the Republican House health care replacement bill.  Trump met with four House Republicans, and two of them--Upton and Long--were convinced to support the repeal and replacement of the ACA with the Republican replacement bill.   These 2 Republican Representatives flipped their vote in support of the Republican replacement bill, due to an amendment adding $8 billion over 5 years into high-risk pools, for states that waive the ACA protections for people with pre-existing conditions. 

This is despite the fact that The Center for American Progress and Kaiser Family Foundation stating that this amendment of $8 billion dollars still would be leaving such high-risk pools for people with pre-existing conditions under-funded!  The Center for American Progress estimated that the current GOP health care replacement bill underfunds the high-risk pools by $200 billion over 10 years.

Remember, the non-partisan, objective Congressional Budget Office has stated that the original House bill would leave 24 million more people uninsured, than under the ACA.  Note that this new bill was dramatically changed from the original Republican House health care replacement bill, because now the Freedom Caucus  members have added that states may opt out of the pre-existing condition protections of the ACA!  This is why the Freedom Caucus now supports the new Republican health care replacement bill! 

Also note that Republican representatives will be voting without a Congressional Budget Office report or score on the new bill (of course!  Why would the Republican House wait to hear bad news if the Congressional Budget Office indicates how many more millions of people would go uninsured under the new Republican House health care bill, than under the ACA?!). 

The new bill also would allow insurance companies to charge higher premiums for people in their 50s and 60s, compared to younger people.   

The new bill also would cut back on Medicaid.  Medicaid is the insurance program for low-income and needy people. It covers children, the aged, blind, and/or people with disabilities.  After the year 2020, states that expanded Medicaid would no longer receive enhanced federal funding to cover low-income adults, and those states that had not expanded Medicaid would be barred from doing so. 

Now, the House Freedom Caucus supports this new bill, leaving Democrats and some moderate House Republicans opposing or wavering on the present version of the bill.

Republicans need 216 votes to repeal and replace the ACA with their Republican House replacement health care bill.  This means they can lose 22 members and still pass the new bill.  So if 23 Republican Representatives oppose this new bill, the bill would fail.

Trump has been calling Republican representatives who are wavering on the new bill.  We need to bring opposing pressure on our Republican House of Representatives by calling them and telling them to vote NO!  


House leaders are hoping for a vote as early as  Thursday--that is TOMORROW!




If you have a House of Representative member who is Republican, please call them TODAY and urge them to:


SAY NO TO THE GOP BILL TO REPEAL THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT


To find who is your representative in the House of Representatives, go here:  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Or you may call: 
(202)225-3121 for the U.S. House switchboard operator.



Bombard your House of Representative members with calls!   There is no time to lose.  The House Republicans may vote TOMORROW (THURSDAY)!

Source:  http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/02/politics/republican-health-care-bill/
and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-health-care-bill_us_5909fdf9e4b02655f84314af

According to a Huffington Post report, these are the Republican House of Representative who need to be called to VOTE NO on the Republican Bill to Repeal and Replace the Affordable Care Act:

UNDECIDED (13 Republican House Members):
Justin Amash (Mich.)
Carlos Curbelo (Fla.)
John Faso (N.Y.)
Darrell Issa (Calif.)
Steve Knight (Calif.)
Erik Paulsen (Minn.)
Bruce Poliquin (Maine)
Peter Roskam (Ill.)
Ed Royce (Calif.)
Elise Stefanik (N.Y.)
Rob Wittman (Va.)
Kevin Yoder (Kan.)
Don Young (Alaska)


Leaning No, but not committed (8 Republican House Members):
Paul Cook (Calif.)
Jeff Denham (Calif.)
Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.)
David Joyce (Ohio)
Michael Turner (Ohio)
David Valadao (Calif.)
Daniel Webster (Fla.)
David Young (Iowa)

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-health-care-bill_us_5909fdf9e4b02655f84314af

Note:  Just in the time it took me to draft this post, 3 members of the House moved from "No" to "Undecided," which is the opposite of what we want.  We need 23 "No" Votes from Republican House members! 


Please call your House of Representatives TODAY and urge them to:


SAY NO TO THE GOP BILL TO REPEAL AND REPLACE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT!!




77General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Wed May 03, 2017 11:40 pm

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

For people who may want some guidance on what to say when they call their Republican House of Representative, here are some suggestions:

From Indivisible, depending on what your House of Representative staff tells you when you call:

1)  If Your House of Representative's office tells you that your representative has not yet decided his/her position on the Republican health care bill, then say to them:

I am disappointed that Representative ______ has not decided to oppose this bill.

I am very concerned that this bill will leave millions of people uninsured, and cut Medicaid for the most vulnerable people. And also, the new amendments still will hurt people with pre-existing conditions.

Note to You:  If you have a family member with a pre-existing condition or who is on Medicaid, or is elderly, please mention that you are very concerned that this bill will hurt them, and that their health depends on Representative _____ voting "NO" on the House health care bill (the "American Health Care Act"). 

I think it is important that Representative _______ publicly state his/her opposition to this dangerous bill. 

Please take down my telephone number, to let me know when Representative ________ has made a decision about whether he [or she] will oppose this bill.  I would like to know what his [or her] decision is.

Thank you for your time.


2)  If your House of Representative Supports the Republican health care bill, then say to them:

I’m very disappointed to hear that. This bill would take away health care from millions of Americans, would cut the Medicaid program, will hurt the elderly, and give $600 billion in tax breaks to the wealthy.

With the amendments to this bill, states could get rid of protections for people with pre-existing conditions, which will hurt many people.

Note to You:  If you have a family member with a pre-existing condition or who is on Medicaid, or is elderly, please mention that you are very concerned that this bill will hurt them, and that their health depends on Representative _____ voting "NO" on the House health care bill (the "American Health Care Act").

This is extremely important to me and I will be watching closely.  Thank you for your time.


3)  If Your House of Representative's office tells you that he/she Opposes the Republican health care bill, then say to them:

That’s great! Please tell Rep. ____ thank you for opposing the bill.

I will like to hear him [or her] speak out in the media, or on the House floor , against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. He [or she] needs to make it clear that he [or she] wants to protect people with pre-existing conditions, those on Medicaid, the elderly, and everyone else who depends on the Affordable Care Act for their health.

This is extremely important to me and I will be watching closely for her/his public statements opposing this bill.

Thank you for your time.

78General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Fri May 05, 2017 1:33 am

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

Sadly, the House Republicans and Trump were successful in passing their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.  The Republican House bill now progresses to the Senate.  If the Senate then passes their version of a bill, whatever version of a bill that the Senate passes then will have to be reconciled with the House.

It is absolutely crucial that people--that constituents--hold accountable those Republican House of Representatives who supported repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act!

Hold them accountable by:
--
By setting up and attending a meeting at your Representative's district office,
--By showing up at your  Republican Representative's town hall meetings,
--By telephoning your Representative and expressing your anger,
--By supporting and funding their Democratic rivals in the midterm elections of (November) 2018, and without a doubt,
--By voting against your Republican Representative in the midterm elections of 2018.


Note: There were 20 Republican Representatives who went against their party and voted Against the Republican replacement health care bill.  They should be applauded for caring about their constituents' lives, more than they care about having a "victory" for their Republican president and the Republican House majority.  If your House of Representative is not on this short list of 20 Republican Representatives who opposed this bill, then you may assume they voted in support of the Republican replacement health care bill ("Trumpcare") and in support of repealing the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.  You may also click on the Washington Post link (see below) to get a complete list of how each House of Representative voted.

Here is the list of 20 Republican House of Representatives who stood up for their constituents and voted AGAINST this Republican replacement health care bill/Trumpcare.  If one of them is your Representative, please call them and thank them for valuing the health of the people who they represent.

Republicans who voted NO:
Andy Biggs, Ariz. (*Freedom Caucus)
Mike Coffman, Colo.
Barbara Comstock, Va
Ryan Costello, Pa.
Charlie Dent, Pa.
Daniel Donovan, N.Y.
Brian Fitzpatrick, Pa.
Jaime Herrera Beutler, Wash.
Will Hurd, Tex.
Walter B. Jones, N.C.
David Joyce, Ohio
John Katko, N.Y.
Leonard Lance, N.J.
Frank A. LoBiondo, N.J.
Thomas Massie, Ky.
Patrick Meehan, Pa.
Dave Reichert, Wash.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Fla.
Christopher H. Smith, N.J.
Michael R. Turner, Ohio


*Andy Biggs, as a Freedom Caucus member, felt the House Republican replacement health care bill did not go far enough in repealing Obamacare.

Source:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/ahca-house-vote/?utm_term=.be329a30e5d4, (has the complete list of which representatives voted against or for Trumpcare)
and http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/04/politics/ahca-act-vote-breakdown/





Here is suggested language to use while calling your House of Representative (basically from Indivisible, with some edits):

1) If your Representative voted For Trumpcare:
I'm calling to say how disappointed and angry I am that Representative _____ voted for the Republican replacement health care bill and to repeal Obamacare. 

Why would Representative _____ vote to end coverage for 24 million Americans, to increase the cost of insurance for elderly people, to limit Medicaid coverage for low-income children and the elderly and those with disabilities, and to end protections for people with pre-existing conditions?!

If Rep. ____ gets another chance to vote on an effort to repeal and replace Obamacare with a Republican replacement health care bill, I demand that she [he] vote "NO"!   I also want her [him] to justify her [his ] vote by holding a town hall meeting this recess.

Please take down my contact info.  I would like a written explanation for her [his] vote.


2) If your Representative Voted "No" to Trumpcare:

I’m calling to say thank you to Rep. ______ for voting against the Republican replacement health care bill. I know that Donald Trump and Paul Ryan were pressuring her [him] to vote in favor, and so I appreciate her [him] standing up for her [his] constituents.

There is a good chance that this bill returns after getting changed in the Senate. Will Rep. ____ commit to me, her [his] constituent,  that she [he] will vote against this bill if it comes back to the House?


Please take down my contact info. I would like to hear more from Rep. _____ as the bill moves along.






This has been going around Tumblr, pass it along and please call or meet with your House of Representative, if your Representative voted to repeal Obamacare, in support of Trumpcare.

General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Tumblr_opfxx3JJw91qcffyto1_500

General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Tumblr_opfxx3JJw91qcffyto2_500

General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Tumblr_opfxx3JJw91qcffyto3_500

General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Tumblr_opfxx3JJw91qcffyto4_500


I'm not so good at copying Tumblr conversations, but thought I'll try to copy this relevant one:

bemusedlybespectacled:
sashayed:
sashayed: wrote:
sashayed:

If your representative voted Yes on Trumpcare, there’s an upside: You still have a crucial, furious job to do.

The most effective protest, and the one with the best optics, is the one you make physically: showing up at your shitbag Representative’s district office, camera in hand. Be there when he gets to work in the morning. Be there when she leaves. Ask her if she is embarrassed. Ask him if he is ashamed. Tell her interns and assistants about yourself, about your loved ones. Explain to your local newspaper, to neighborhood blogs, to your facebook friends and Twitter followers why you are furious and disappointed and why you will not forget. 

If you would rather call, here’s a potential script. It is maybe not the best? I’m pretty angry.

Hi. I’m calling to register my anger and disappointment at Rep. ____’s Yes vote on the AHCA. [I/my loved ones] am now at risk of losing my insurance, and I am appalled that social programs that personally affect me and my loved ones will be stripped in order to provide tax breaks to the wealthy. Rep. ____ should be ashamed of himself. I and my community will not forget this vote. Will you please take down my information and send me confirmation that the Congressman is listening to constituents? Thanks.

If your rep voted YES and you don’t want to call them, there are PLENTY of people on tumblr who will call on your behalf.
sashayed:

Just to add another thing: if your representative voted no (mine did), consider calling them up and telling them how much you appreciate that. I’m serious. I just finished calling Annie Kuster’s office to tell them that I was glad that she had taken a stand against Trumpcare. Two minute call, tops, and it makes it clear what side I want them to stay on.
via gottalivealoha (thanks Lilikoiluv)

79General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Fri May 05, 2017 8:45 am

*Jeremy*

*Jeremy*
Advanced II
Advanced II

*Jeremy* wrote:In my country, everybody has an health insurance. 

There is a main coverage that generally covers 3/4 of the cost of a medical intervention. If you have a job, your boss pays a premium for you (or you pay it yourself if you're your own boss) and, if you don't have a job, you just have that coverage for free. 

There is also an additional coverage and it costs less than 10$ a month. 

Abortion is included in the main coverage. So, women who want to get an abortion just have to pay a few dollars.

It may be the wrong moment to post this but I realize I forgot an important detail. They also have the "maximum to pay". It means there is an annual limit to what people have to pay to doctors etc. If you already have reached the limit this year (494$ for the armest people and 1978$ for the richest), you don't have to pay anymore, your insurance covers everything until the end of the year.

But that whole system also means high taxes you may not have in the US. If you have a boss, (s)he takes every month 13% of your gross salary to finance social security (health care insurance but also unemployment benefits, pensions...). I don't know how this works in the US.

80General News You Want to Talk About - Page 4 Empty Re: General News You Want to Talk About Sat May 06, 2017 12:34 am

Poppy

Poppy
Administrator
Administrator

That's amazing that there is an annual limit as to how much one has to pay for medical expenses each year, Jeremy!

I believe that an employee gets a significantly lower percentage taken out of his/her paycheck in the U.S. for Social Security, than the 13% you mentioned.

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