FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009
Keep calling to support health reform
Vote possible Saturday on HR 3962, which provides immediate relief 

A vote is imminent -- possibly tomorrow (Saturday) -- in the U.S. House of Representatives on HR 3962, "The Affordable Health Care for America Act." And there are still members of Washington state's House delegation that have yet to indicate how they'll vote on this bill supported by labor, senior, doctors and many others.

Many thousands of calls were placed in yesterday's National Call-In Day urging Congress to support health care reform, but it's not too late to call 1-877-3-AFL-CIO (or 1-877-323-5246) and urge your U.S. Representative to support HR 3962, which will provide coverage to 96% of Americans, lower costs, increase choice, expand coverage and stop insurance company abuses. It also will reduce our deficit by $30 billion over the next 10 years.

Importantly, HR 3962 will provide IMMEDIATE relief for millions of Americans, including Medicare participants. Here are the top provisions in HR 3962 that take effect immediately (download a PDF version):

1. Begins to close the Medicare Part D donut hole: Reduces the donut hole by $500 and institutes a 50% discount on brand-name drugs, effective January 1, 2010.

2. Immediate help for the uninsured until Exchange is available: Until the Exchange is available, creates a temporary insurance program (interim high risk pool) for individuals who have been uninsured for several months or have been denied a policy because of pre-existing conditions.

3. Bans lifetime limits on coverage: Prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on coverage.

4. Ends rescissions: Prohibits insurers from nullifying or rescinding a patient's policy when they file a claim for benefits, except in the case of fraud.

5. Extends coverage for young people (up to 27th year): Requires health plans to allow young people through age 26 to remain on their parents' insurance policy, at the parents' choice.

6. Eliminates cost-sharing for preventive services in Medicare: Eliminates co-payments for preventive services and exempts preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program.

7. Improves help for low-income Medicare beneficiaries: Improves the low-income protection programs in Medicare to assure more individuals are able to access this vital help.

8. Provides new consumer protections in Medicare Advantage: Prohibits Medicare Advantage plans from charging enrollees higher cost-sharing for services in their private plan than what is charged in traditional Medicare.

9. Immediate sunshine on price gouging: Discourages excessive price increases by insurance companies through review and disclosure of insurance rate increases.

10. Continuity for displaced workers: Allows Americans to keep their COBRA coverage until the Exchange is in place and they can access affordable coverage.

11. Creates new long-term care insurance program: This new long-term care insurance program, financed by voluntary payroll deductions, provides benefits to adults who become functionally disabled.

12. Help for early retirees: Creates a $10 billon fund to finance a temporary reinsurance program to help offset the costs of expensive health claims for employers that provide health benefits for retirees age 55-64.

13. Community health centers: Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years.

14. Increasing number of primary care doctors: Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals.

Don't forget to call 1-877-3-AFL-CIO (or 1-877-323-5246) -- and have your friends and family call -- to urge your U.S. Representative to support HR 3962.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009
Trumka: More must be done to create jobs

The following statement regarding the October jobs report by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was distributed this morning:

AFL-CIO PRESIDENT RICHARD TRUMKA STATEMENT 
(Nov. 6, 2009)

The alarming news that unemployment has hit double digits should be a wake-up call to sleepy politicians. The nation's jobless rate worsened yet again last month, with 190,000 jobs lost and the unemployment rate climbing to 10.2 percent. A total of nearly 16 million can’t find work.

It is of great concern that there is still little sign of a sustainable private sector recovery. Even more jobs will be lost in the coming months. Despite Wall Street celebrations of what they see as a recovery based on GDP growth of 3.5 percent in the third quarter, American workers know there can be no recovery unless everyone who wants to work can find a good job.

The nation's jobs situation would be even worse without the Obama administration's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Nearly one million jobs have been saved or created because of the stimulus plan and the White House says the nation is on track to meet the president's goal of 3.5 million by the end of next year. Additionally, the extension of unemployment benefits by Congress is an essential and welcome step.

Every day, it becomes more urgent that the federal government step up to the plate with bold actions to boost job creation. Those actions should include urgently needed fiscal relief to state and local governments, community jobs programs, additional investments in infrastructure and green jobs and credit relief to small and medium- sized businesses. Failing to act puts us at very real risk of a lost generation -- of hard-working Americans who can't put food on the table and bright young people who never realize their potential.

We must do better.

 

^{Copyright © 2009 --  Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO}