LeeAnn Hall is the Executive Director of Alliance for a Just Society. Today the United States Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act – the federal health reform bill that grassroots leaders across the country fought so hard for. We are gratified that our efforts will continue to bear fruit and bringContinue reading “Supreme Court Upholds the ACA”
Tag Archives: health insurance companies
New Main Street Alliance Video: Foxes Guarding the Hen House
The Main Street Alliance has a great new video highlighting the dominating role insurance companies are playing in state health insurance policy. “Foxes Guarding the Hen House” is part of MSA’s ongoing campaign to ensure that the health insurance exchanges that are created in each state work for small businesses.
HHS’s Language Rule Excludes Millions of People
What would you think about a rule designed to give translation of important insurance documents to those who do not speak English well, if that rule required this service in nine counties in New Mexico, but excluded the entire City of Albuquerque?
On Tax Day, Time to Tell Corporations that the Game of Tax Dodgeball is Over
This year Uncle Sam pushed Tax Day back to April 18, giving us all a three-day tax filing holiday. It’s almost enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Until, that is, you hear about GE, which apparently is on extended vacation, paying essentially nothing in taxes for 2010 despite raking in $5.1 billionContinue reading “On Tax Day, Time to Tell Corporations that the Game of Tax Dodgeball is Over”
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 onContinue reading “Community Health Care Clinics Under Attack”
What Health Care Repeal Would Mean for People of Color
If you woke up tomorrow and discovered that you were a Member of Congress, what would be your first order of business? The economy is in the tank, so maybe you would endeavor to create a jobs program to curb unemployment. Poverty is on the rise, so you could consider options for strengthening the country’sContinue reading “What Health Care Repeal Would Mean for People of Color”
Health Insurer Lobbying, Sopranos Style
It’s been public knowledge for a while now that the health insurance industry secretly funneled money to the US Chamber of Commerce to fund its smear campaign against health care reform in 2009. What we didn’t know, though, was just how much money. Now, thanks to some good investigative reporting by Bloomberg News, we do.Continue reading “Health Insurer Lobbying, Sopranos Style”
A Victory for Health Care Implementation
Last week, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) finalized their recommendations to President Obama on how to implement a critical piece of health care reform: medical loss rations. Their recommendation is a significant victory because, according to the Washington Post, it largely favors “the views of consumer advocates over those advanced by the insuranceContinue reading “A Victory for Health Care Implementation”
On Language Access, Holding HHS Accountable to People, Not Insurance Companies
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently creating the regulations that basically put the meat on the bones of this country’s health care reform law. It is the outcome of these rule-making decisions that will determine the success, or failure, of reform. NWFCO, with the Health Rights Organizing Project, has been weighingContinue reading “On Language Access, Holding HHS Accountable to People, Not Insurance Companies”
HROP Members Tell HHS: “We’re Sick Of Not Being Heard”
Almost nine percent of people in the United States are of limited English proficiency. To understand and navigate their health insurance–and get the care they require–they need access to competent interpretation and translation. Access to such language services is a matter of civil rights and is currently under threat by new rules established by HealthContinue reading “HROP Members Tell HHS: “We’re Sick Of Not Being Heard””