Archive for November, 2009
The Senate to Begin Debate – The Battle is About to Begin!
November 27th, 2009 by catherineThe Current Situation
On Wednesday, November 18th, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Reid introduced his health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is a proposal that works to merge the Senate HELP and Finance Committees’ proposed health reform bills.
On Saturday, November 21st, the Senate Democrats voted to allow the bill to come to the floor for debate. (All 60 Democrats voted to allow debate; no Republicans voted to permit discussion.)
Right after Thanksgiving break, the Senate will begin debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This is when we will all have to become especially vigilant!
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The good news is that as far as abortion rights is concerned, it does not include the Stupak-Pitts Amendment.
In response to cries from anti-choice Democrats, the bill is very specific about the accounting guidelines for the segregation of public and private funds to ensure that no federal money would be used to pay for abortion care. Insurers would be allowed to offer abortion coverage to women in the exchange, including women who choose the public option if the Secretary of HHS ensures that federal money is not being used to pay for the services. The proposed bill also confirms that states would be allowed to pay for abortion services on their own, if the federal government decided not to include those services in the public option.
HOWEVER, in order to save money for the government (not women), the Senate HELP bill that guaranteed women access to family planning services without any extra charges was dropped from the merged bill
States would be allowed the option of covering family planning through Medicaid more easily. Further, other preventive health services and screenings would be covered and exempt from deductibles and co-payment requirements in both public and private insurance plans.
The plan also proposes to do away with gender rating which allowed the insurance industry to charge women more than men for the same coverage. It also would put an end to refusing coverage for pre-existing conditions like breast cancer, domestic violence and cesarean section deliveries and imposing lifetime limits on benefits.
Unfortunately, the plan would not put an end to the insurance industry’s practice of charging older people more than younger individuals. The House bill restricted the age rating price difference to 2:1 while the proposed Senate bill price difference is 3:1.
Feel Good About Ourselves But Not Comfortable
With your help, Choice Matters along with Raising Women’s Voices and other women’s health advocacy groups responded quickly and loudly when the House passed the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. We told Senator Reid not to adopt that amendment or anything like it.
Choice Matters joined the New York Alliance for Women’s Health, a statewide coalition of more than 55 women’s health organizations, to tell Senator Reid not to turn health reform into a political football by including anti-abortion Stupak language.
People for the American Way and other national groups delivered anti-Stupak petitions to Senator Reid’s office with more than 97,000 signatures
Groups not directly involved with reproductive rights expressed outrage. Health Care for All New York sent a letter to Senator Reid on the Stupak language. Health Care for America NOW! and American Public Health Association spoke out against the Stupak language.
A National Day of Action in Washington DC is being planned for December 2nd. Buses are being organized. If you need information, email us: ChoiceMatters@ChoiceMatters.org
*Special thanks to Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need
Take Action Now – Senator Reid to Introduce Health Care Legislation This Week
November 16th, 2009 by catherineSenator Reid is expected to introduce a health care reform bill this week in the Senate. We must demand that it be Stupak-Pitts Free.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP*
# 1 Sign the attached letters to President Obama and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand telling them health care must be Stupak-Pitts free!
Click here to sign the letter to President Obama
Click here to sign the letter to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand
#2 Call or write an e-mail to President Obama telling him that health care reform isn’t reform if women lose the coverage they currently can have for abortion. For example, simple say or write:
“President Obama, you are on record saying that if we liked the health insurance we have, we could keep it. Tell Congress you meant it! Anti-choice extremists and religious zealots should not decide health insurance practices. We are not bargaining chips to mollify the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and anti-choice zealots in Congress who are committed to destroying our reproductive health!”
Click here to email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
Or call: Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414
# 3 Write Letters to the Editor of our local newspaper. Express your outrage at the Stupak-Pitts Amendment and call on the Senate and the President to keep new abortion restrictions out of health care reform.
Here is a sample: Get Religion Out of Health Care Reform http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/112212246342opinionguestcolumns11-11-09.htm
Some Local Newspapers:
The New York Times email to letters@nytimes.com
The Wall Street Journal email to wsj.ltrs@wsj.com
The Journal News http://www.nyjnews.com/contact/letters.php3 or email to letters@thejournalnews.com
The Scarsdale Enquirer email to LLeavitt@ScarsdaleNews.com
#4 Pressure Stupak’s money sources
Here is a list of major PACs that contributed to Bart Stupak’s last election. If you’re a customer, tell the company you are outraged that their officers and employees contributed to Stupak’s re-election. Tell them you are considering withholding your business if they continue to support him. http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/11/07/call-bart-stupaks-donor-pacs-and-tell-them-theyre-paying-for-his-anti-abortion-activism/
#5 Thank the local New York House representatives (Congressmen Engel, Weiner and Hall, and Congresswomen Lowey and Slaughter) who stood with us and voted against the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. Tell them they to vote against any bill that includes Stupak-Pitts language. http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml#ny
In the Senate, our outrage is producing small signs of progress. Already, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has spoken out on the Senate floor and at a press conference to express our concerns. Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas also voiced opposition to any further erosion of abortion coverage when she said that the House amendment goes too far by prohibiting what private plans can offer. We need to thank them!
For Senator Gillibrand: http://gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/
For Senator Lincoln: http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/
What Happened and What is the Stupak-Pitts Amendment?
On Saturday, November 7, 2009, the House of Representatives betrayed women by passing a Health Care Bill that included the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. This was in direct response to pressures exerted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops who threatened to kill health care reform if the amendment was not included.
The Stupak-Pitts Amendment bans any abortion coverage completely from the insurance exchanges that would be established by health reform to provide affordable health coverage. This includes both the private plans in the exchange and the so-called “public option,” which would be the government-run alternative to costly private insurance plans. Even women buying insurance with their own private money will not be able to get a plan that covers abortion. Instead, they will have to buy a separate abortion “rider” to the plan at an extra cost.
This dangerous amendment undermines the ability of millions of women to purchase private health insurance that covers abortion, even if women pay for all or most of the premiums with their own money. This amendment reaches much further than the Hyde Amendment, which has prohibited public funding of abortion in most instances since 1977.
*Special thanks to Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need
Election results
November 4th, 2009 by janeyMost of our endorsed pro-choice candidates won their elections this year including:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY – Janet Difiore
COUNTY CLERK – Timothy Idoni
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 2 – Peter Harckham
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 3 – John Nonna
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 4 – Michael Kaplowitz
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 5 – William Ryan
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 6 – Martin Rogowsky
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 7 – Judy Meyers
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 8 – Alfreda Williams
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 9 – William Burton
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 10 – Vito Pinto
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 11 – James Maisano
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 12 – Thomas Abinanti
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 14 – Bernice Spreckman
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 16 – Ken Jenkins
COUNTY LEGISLATOR – District 17 – Jose Alvarado
We are sad to report that County Executive Andy Spano was unseated by anti-choice Robert Astorino. Andy Spano was a strong supporter of our organization and of choice. Another strong supporter of choice, Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick, was also unseated.
Official Board of Elections results can be found here.
