It's time to get it done and get it done right!
Click here to call your Members of Congress and tell them to get it done now.
Both Houses of Congress have passed a comprehensive health care reform bill, and a compromise between the two was in reach.1 One election in Massachusetts doesn't mean we can abandon reform now, just when we're so close to the finish line. We need to act fast to remind Congress that we support real reform, that they support real reform, and we expect them to finish the job.
We've come too far to give up now. I know you're busy, but can you take a moment and make one phone call?
Click here to join the national call-in day and tell Congress: Finish reform right, NOW!
And if you have a bit more time, can you join our phone banking which will continue until 9:00 pm? If you have done it before, you can jump on our ACTIVATE phone bank system any time. If you haven't been trained on it or a little rusty, you can join conference calls that tell you how to use the system at 3:00 PM, 4:30 PM, 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM. The call in number for the training is 712-451-6000 Passcode is 275893#. RSVP to Athena Ford ataford@philaup.org or 267-257-6968.
Let's be clear. Getting reform done means getting it done right. We need to make sure health care is affordable to everyone, in and out of work. And we need to make sure the health insurance companies are held accountable.
Last week, we sent tens of thousands of additional letters to Congress, telling them to finish reform right. Over the weekend, hundreds of people showed up at the offices of dozens of Members of Congress -- 400 people at seven events did so in Pennsylvania -- telling them to finish reform and finish it right. Today, we're having a national call in day to make sure Congress gets our message.
Click here and call today. They need to hear from us today.
Some in Congress are talking about "scaling down" health care reform.2 That idea can't work. As the Associated Press noted, scaling back reform would mean no ban on denials of care, no affordable health care for all, no nothing. In short, scaling down health reform means no health reform. The insurance companies would win.3
That's not acceptable.
Click here to call your Members of Congress and tell them to get it done.
The Senate bill, while in need of fixing, will do the following:
- Provide insurance for 31 Million uninsured Americans
- Offer full health coverage for a family of 3 making $27,500 for $105/month
- Provide Medicaid coverage to all people making up to 133% of poverty($24,350/ family of 3)
- Do away with pre-existing condition exclusions, recissions and life time coverage limits by insurance companies.
There was, however, one very obvious omission from this well attended meeting of ordinary citizens, the press! Where was the Press? Nowhere to be seen. Let me tell you how I feel about this omission. It is disrespectful, and I personally think, abhorrent, to think that the press who would cover any Teabagger event with gusto would ignore such a positive mid afternoon show of support for a local hero!
desperate need of health care. At least one person referenced the 5,000 people each year who die because they do not have health care. Others spoke about all of the wonderful legislation that Congressman Murphy has voted for that has made a difference not only in the lives of every citizen in the 8th congressional district, but in the entire
country, like helping to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
We owe Congressman Murphy our respect and gratitude for a job well done, and I think that it is time that the local press pays tribute to his man of honor on many fronts.
On Thursday, Jan. 21, I was at Rep. Patrick Murphy's Doylestown office with about 30 other supporters of health care reform from all over the County. Where was the press? Despite having been notified of the event, the Intelligencer chose not to send anyone to cover the gathering. This was especially disappointing since stories have been appearing frequently in the local press even when far fewer people show up in opposition to health care.
The public needs to know that there is widespread support in Bucks County for comprehensive health care reform, and that many are grateful to Patrick Murphy for his courageous support of a bill that will provide many reforms and make health care available to many more people.
As a person of faith, I strongly believe that all our people are entitled to health care as a matter of justice and morality, not just those fortunate enough to be able to afford it, old enough or poor enough to have government provided insurance, or lucky enough to have good employer insurance. Those blessed enough to have access to health care should be grateful for our blessings and work to assure that all God's people can get the care they need. All our major religious denominations support universal health care. Why is our country the only advanced nation in the world that does not provide some form of universal health care? It is long past time for our country to begin to provide health care too.
The Senate bill, while in need of fixing, will do the following:
- Provide insurance for 31 Million uninsured Americans
- Offer full health coverage for a family of 3 making $27,500 for $105/month
- Provide Medicaid coverage to all people making up to 133% of poverty($24,350/ family of 3)
- Do away with pre-existing condition exclusions, recissions and life time coverage limits by insurance companies.
Penn Action and Pennsylvania Health Care for America Now Reacts to Massachusetts Special Election Results
Need for Good,
Affordable Health Care Is Same Today As It Was Yesterday
Penn Action, a coalition partner of Health Care for America Now
(HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care reform campaign – released the
following statement after Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha
Coakley in Tuesday’s special election for the Senate seat in Massachusetts:
Robin Stelly, Penn Action (field coordinator)
“The need for good, affordable health care
for everyone in Pennsylvania and the nation is the same today as it was
yesterday. People in our state and in Bucks County still need to know they
will be protected from medical bankruptcy, won’t be denied coverage for
pre-existing conditions, and can get good, affordable insurance either through
their job or on their own.
Health
Care for America Now is committed to winning a guarantee of good, affordable
health care we all can count on, and we will continue to push aggressively to
get the best health care reform bill possible to the President’s desk for his
signature as quickly as possible.
Tuesday’s vote was not a referendum on
healthcare reform. It was a
referendum on a particular candidate in a climate in which people, hard-pressed by the
economy, are impatient for change. People are clearly angry and want more
change, not less. Congress must keep
going and finish health care reform.
Our
nation’s health care crisis is not an incremental problem and cannot be fixed
with incremental solutions. In survey
after survey, voters continue to voice
strong support for forcing health insurers to stop excluding people with
pre-existing conditions, guaranteeing everyone has access to good, affordable
coverage, and requiring health plans to spend premiums on medical care, not
profits. All those popular core
elements of reform are tied together, and we cannot do one without the others.
Massachusetts
has shown that health reform works, with
98% of people covered and insurers not allowed to deny people based on
pre-existing conditions. It’s time for the rest of the country to have the
same access to good, affordable care.
We are on track to pass a strong comprehensive bill, and we will stay focused on that until
the President signs the bill into law.”
Job Description
Penn Action /Penn Action Education Fund
Executive Director
Posted December 22, 2009
USAction and its sister organization USAction Education Fund (USAEF) are seeking a full time executive director for our state partner Penn Action and Penn Action Education Fund (PAEF). USAction builds power nationally and locally with our 27 state-based affiliates and partners. In our ten years of organizing, we have helped develop the model of the winning modern, coalition-based, progressive issue campaign. We organize for power for social, racial, economic and environmental justice for all. In 2009 we led fights for economic justice and security and for quality, affordable health care for all with Health Care for America Now. Since its founding in early 2006, Penn Action/ PAEF have carried out USAction/USAEF federal issues campaigns and civic engagement campaigns.
USAction/USAEF are dedicating resources to support an organizational rebuilding process through hiring an executive director for Penn Action/ PAEF. In the first six months the executive director will prioritize fund development, a governing board, and advancing political relationships. S/he will supervise regional staff to continue federal organizing campaigns in Erie and Bucks County. The executive director will be based in Philadelphia and will be on USAction/USAEF payroll for the first six months or until a solid foundation has been established. Benchmarks and outcomes will be determined upon hire.
.
Responsibilities
The executive director will be primarily responsible for developing a governing board and financial resources to build and sustain a powerful statewide organization, including the following responsibilities:
- Work closely with USAction staff to design and implement a plan to build PennAction and PennAction Education Fund. This plan should articulate a strategy for power in PA as part of our national strategy for progressive power.
- Establish a diverse board of directors to assist in the growth of the organizations.
- Create and implement fund development plans, including cultivating relationships with foundations, major donors, partners and business.
- Maintain the fiscal health of the organization by working with an accountant to develop accounting systems, financial policies, cash flow projections, and evaluate performance in relation to the organization’s budget.
- Lead the development and implementation of work plans and budgets and evaluate performance.
- Deepen organizational relationships with key allies at the state and national level.
- Represent Penn Action/ PAEF in their relationships with the media.
- Manage field staff in Erie and Bucks County to advance programmatic work.
Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree, with a minimum of 5 years experience in non-profit management, organizing, fundraising, and/or policy development.
- History of successful fund development; relationships with Pennsylvania donors are preferred.
- Experience with budgeting and financial management.
- Previous experience working in partnership and coalition.
- Interest in and/or demonstrated experience in navigating state politics and legislatures.
- Experience managing staff from remote locations, preferred.
- Excellent communication skills including writing, speaking, and interpersonal skills.
- Commitment to social change and to working with diverse people and organizations.
Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience.
Benefits: Includes health and dental insurance and generous leave policy
Deadline: January 22, 2010
To Apply: Send cover letter, resume, two writing samples, three professional references and salary history to: Human Resources, USAction, 1825 K Street, NW, 210, Washington, DC 20006, fax: (202) 263-4530, e-mail: hr@usaction.org.
USAction is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women, people of color, LGBT people, and people with disabilities to apply. We work hard to recruit, retain, and identify leadership positions for staff members who represent these communities and/or who are from low-income backgrounds.
No phone calls, please.
We need you to come to the rally at the Constitution Center this Thurs. Oct. 16 at 4:30 - to show that we want comprehensive health care reform now. We can't afford to wait any longer.
What: Rally for Health Care for America Now with Members of Congress
Rep. Chaka FattahWhen: Thurs., Oct. 16, Come at 4:30pm, the event will start at 5:00
Rep. Bob Brady
Rep. Allison Schwartz
Where: The Constitution Center
Can you volunteer at the event? We need some help greeting people and handing out signs. If you can come by at 4:00 please sign up to volunteer here.
It's time for a change. We need quality, affordable health care that we can count on. Come to the rally and show your support for our Members of Congress who are willing to stand up for a guarantee of quality, affordable health care for all.Our government’s responsibility is to guarantee quality affordable health care for everyone in America and it must play a central role in regulating, financing, and providing health coverage by establishing:
- A truly inclusive and accessible health care system in which no one is left out.
- A choice of a private insurance plan, including keeping the insurance you have if you like it, or a public insurance plan without a private insurer middleman that guarantees affordable coverage.
- A standard for health benefits that covers what people need to keep healthy and to be treated when they are ill. Health care benefits should cover all necessary care including preventative services and treatment needed by those with serious and chronic diseases and conditions.
- Health care coverage with out-of-pocket costs including premiums, co-pays and deductibles that are based on a family’s ability to pay for health care and without limits on payments for covered services.
- Equity in health care access, treatment, research and resources to people and communities of color, resulting in the elimination of racial disparities in health outcomes and real improvement in health and life expectancy for all.
- Health coverage through the largest possible pools in order to achieve affordable, quality coverage for the entire population and to share risk fairly.
- A watchdog role on all plans, to assure that risk is fairly spread among all health care payers and that insurers do not turn people away, raise rates or drop coverage based on a person’s health history or wrongly delay or deny care.
- A choice of doctors, health providers and public and private plans, without gaps in coverage or access and a delivery system that meets the needs of at-risk populations.
- Affordable and predictable health costs to businesses and employers. To the extent that employers contribute to the cost of health coverage, those payments should be related to employee wages rather than on a per-employee basis.
- Effective cost controls that promote quality, lower administrative costs and long term financial sustainability, including: standard claims forms, secure electronic medical records, using the public’s purchasing power to instill greater reliance on evidence-based protocols and lower drug and device prices, better management and treatment of chronic diseases and a public role in deciding where money is invested in health care
