The Alliance for a Just Society released the following statement from Executive Director LeeAnn Hall in response to Tuesday’s 4-4 Supreme Court verdict in the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case. The decision lets stand a lower court ruling upholding public sector unions’ ability to collect “fair share” fees to cover the costs of collectiveContinue reading “LeeAnn Hall: Supreme Court Verdict Assures Unions Can Continue to Help Workers”
Category Archives: LeeAnn Hall
Cracking Down on Abusive Debt Collectors
This article first appeared in OtherWords Have you ever picked up your phone to find an aggressive voice on the other end demanding payments on a debt you know nothing about? You’re far from alone. Once you’re in the sights of a debt collector, the impact on your life can be devastating: Your wages canContinue reading “Cracking Down on Abusive Debt Collectors”
It’s a Matter of Life and Death: Insurers Must Cover Language Services
A 14-year-old girl accompanies her Somali-speaking father to his medical appointment. Because the clinic doesn’t provide an interpreter, the girl has to inform her own father than he has been diagnosed with cancer. She remains his interpreter through eight years of treatment, sometimes hiding information to protect him from the bad news. A group ofContinue reading “It’s a Matter of Life and Death: Insurers Must Cover Language Services”
Defending Planned Parenthood is Essential for the Whole Progressive Movement
(This opinion by LeeAnn Hall was originally published in Common Dreams) Planned Parenthood is an easy target for rage and righteousness as we saw too plainly in the shootings in Colorado Springs late last month. The ongoing conservative attack on Planned Parenthood funding depends on the same extreme rhetoric but, it’s also part of aContinue reading “Defending Planned Parenthood is Essential for the Whole Progressive Movement”
Next Attack on Workers – Will Conservatives Champion “Free Riding” to Justify It?
Building power through strength in numbers. It’s one way regular people can overcome opposition from corporate and wealthy special interests to win concrete improvements in our everyday lives. We may not be able to match opponents who can write seven-figure checks dollar for dollar, but by banding together, articulating collective demands, and negotiating with powerfulContinue reading “Next Attack on Workers – Will Conservatives Champion “Free Riding” to Justify It?”
Let’s Block Too-Big-To-Fail Insurance Mergers
By LeeAnn Hall and Wendell Potter This article was originally published in Roll Call. If you thought too-big-to-fail banks were dangerous, watch out for too-big-to-fail health insurance companies. This summer, the country’s top insurers announced a spate of merger plans, lighting up the business pages nationwide. Health insurance giant Anthem unveiled its intention to absorbContinue reading “Let’s Block Too-Big-To-Fail Insurance Mergers”
Health Insurance Is Great – Navigators Needed to Help People Use It
This spring, Adriann Barboa and her colleagues at Strong Families New Mexico went on a five-county tour, fanning out across the state to share findings from the Breaking Barriers study they’d conducted on progress under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The report is part of a ten-state series by the Alliance for a Just Society.Continue reading “Health Insurance Is Great – Navigators Needed to Help People Use It”
To Fight Racism, Protect Voting Rights
The cold-blooded murder of nine people at a Charleston church made it impossible to deny the persistence of racism across the nation. So do the symbols of support for slavery and segregation that remain emblazoned on public property throughout the South, and scattered among some Northern states as well. What will it take to bringContinue reading “To Fight Racism, Protect Voting Rights”
Celebrate 50 Years of Medicaid by Expanding It to Cover More People
Persistence pays off. Let’s remember this as we celebrate 50 years of Medicaid on July 30. In 1965, Medicaid entered the world as a Medicare add-on for low-income families. Now, the program provides comprehensive coverage to more people than any other insurer in the United States. Almost 70 million people in the U.S. turn toContinue reading “Celebrate 50 Years of Medicaid by Expanding It to Cover More People”
Winning on Student Loan Reform … From CT to MT
Across the country, student loan borrowers and their allies have been organizing to make college more affordable and push for state-level reforms that address the mountain of student debt that’s weighing down students and families. And they’re winning… all the way from Connecticut to Montana. In Connecticut, where the 2015 legislative session ended at midnight onContinue reading “Winning on Student Loan Reform … From CT to MT”