The Grassroots Meets the Inside/Out, and One-on-One Strategies
For advocates of health equity and immigrant rights in Oregon, the 2013 legislative session has been particularly sweet,
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Oregon Affiliates Help Lead 2013 Legislative Victories
Austerity versus Dignity for Senior Citizens: A Case for Strengthening Medicare
It seems we keep referencing Bill Daley’s recent post Has The Budget Crisis Du Jour Got You Down?. Maybe that’s because it gives you have a pretty good sense of the impending debt lid crisis that
is due to hit in July, and that we need to be ready to push back against efforts to cut Medicare and Medicaid as the debate over the budget deficit heats back up.
Frankly, we need to move austerity off the table.
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2012 Job Gap Report
“Broken Bootstraps: Falling Behind on Full-Time Work,” is the 14th annual installment of a joint study by Alliance for a Just Society and its affiliates in 7 states.
Unemployment rates in all states are still high. A modest $9.00/hr. minimum wage has been mentioned at the federal level. Even that income would leave most low-wage workers needing to utilize public assistance programs. Continue reading
Daley’s View: Are we winning the fight for the expansion of Medicaid?
The Supreme Court ruled that the Medicaid expansion in the ACA would have to be voluntary. The entire future of this expansion seemed to be in doubt. Resource strapped states were fighting to cut programs not to expand them. The entire expansion of Medicaid was challenged by Governors calling for the program to be “block granted,” or they were just flat out saying ‘no’.
The winds are shifting.
What we advocates have done exceptionally well to get people realizing the overwhelming benefit to states in saving benefits, saving lives and saving money. Keep pouring it on, you are winning. Continue reading
Oregon Health Equity Alliance launches 2013 legislative campaign
Alliance affiliates Oregon Action and Center for Intercultural Organizing are key organizations in the newly formed Oregon Health Equity Alliance (OHEA), which officially launched their 2013 legislative campaign at a celebration in Portland on November 29th. Continue reading
The Value(s) of Medicaid: 47 Years Later
July 30th marked the 47th anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare. It’s hard to imagine that 47 years ago, these critical programs that we have grown to love and rely on, were controversial sticking points that were hotly contested for years prior to being passed through the legislature- similar to the Affordable Care Act; passed only 2 years ago. What is the commonality between these programs? They reach communities that are left behind by the money-driven health care system that has [dominated] our country. We are seeing first hand which members of Congress and Governors will come to bat for these communities when their very lives are at stake. Continue reading
Will the Affordable Care Act Help Eliminate Disparities?
Many provisions of the Affordable Care Act are designed to overcome health outcome disparities caused by social factors associated with race, ethnicity, language, and culture. Will they work? Continue reading
The Distasteful Politics of Food
How, what, and where we eat everyday is strongly influenced by the federal government, in partnership with major food corporations, through a piece of legislation called the Farm Bill. Many of the social determinates of health that impact our communities find their roots in the Farm Bill a massive piece of legislation up for renewal in 2012.
We need to pay close attention to this legislation in the coming months. In particular, we need to focus on the ways in which the Farm Bill enables corporate practices that contribute to racial disparities in health, set us back in terms of racial equity, and promote greed over need. In a climate where Congress is looking to make cuts, corporate agribusiness will be working hard to protect their interests, leaving the rest of us with a huge tab that will cost not just in dollars but also in lives. Continue reading
New State Health Insurance Exchange Rules Must Be Strengthened
Earlier this summer, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a preliminary set of regulations that instruct states in the development of their new health insurance marketplaces, also called exchanges. These rules govern all aspects of how the exchanges are run and are a key mechanism for reigning in health insurance company profiteering.
There are a few key aspects of the rules that could be strengthened to ensure that the exchanges function for the benefit of people, not health insurance companies. Right now, HHS is accepting comments to help them revise the rules. This is our opportunity to set a high bar for states to meet or exceed – click here to sign a petition telling HHS that they must ensure that state exchanges: Continue reading
Community Health Care Clinics Under Attack
Community clinics are an indispensable component of the health care infrastructure in the United States. They are widely regarded as a cost-effective way to provide basic care, saving the health care system billions of dollars every year. Clinics serve over 20 million people in America, and one out of three people in poverty rely on them for their medical needs. Community clinics are also critical for access to care for immigrants, many of whom have been shut out of health insurance coverage post-reform. Continue reading
