Entries related to "health reform"

Medicaid

Medicaid is a critical building block for health care reform efforts over the long term. Medicaid pays for medical assistance for individuals and families with low incomes and resources and covers 60 million low-income people, including 29.5 million children. It is administered by the states and funded by both the federal and state governments. Medicaid is larger than any single private health insurer.

RESULTS champions Medicaid expansion and improvements because it covers millions of low-income people, including children, the disabled, and seniors. Expansion is costly however, and is requiring increasing federal support to reach more people at or near the federal poverty line, and to insure that access to care is feasible for them. Some health care providers will not see Medicaid patients unless the provider receives what is deemed a reasonable reimbursement from Medicaid and this also increases the costs of Medicaid expansion.

August 2009 U.S. Poverty National Conference Call and Action: Get Active on Health Care Reform

The August recess is pivotal. Make no mistake; this may be the most important four weeks in our entire Health Care for All campaign. What we and other health reform proponents do this month will determine its fate in 2009. Already industry opponents are mobilizing a massive campaign to kill health reform.

The Long-Awaited Senate Health Reform Bill

On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) released his version of health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. There’s lots of good news here, especially for low-income Americans (our focus in this debate) — Reid’s bill expands Medicaid to all persons at or below 133 percent of the poverty line and prioritizes of funding for community health centers (CHC) along the lines of S.486. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will cost $849 billion over ten years and reduce the federal deficit by $127 billion the first ten years. It is expected to provide 31 million uninsured persons with health coverage through Medicaid and private health coverage, thus covering 94 percent of Americans. However, the Senate must first begin debate. The Senate is expected to vote on a Motion to Proceed with tomorrow (Saturday) at 8 pm. 60 votes will be needed to pass the motion and allow debate to begin. If the motion fails, health reform will stall.

Health care reform that benefits the most vulnerable – keep the pressure on!

President Obama and House and Senate leaders have agreed to forego a formal House-Senate conference committee to reconcile the two health care reform bills and will instead negotiate informally behind closed doors. Democratic leaders stated they will overcome their remaining differences, with the aim of sending a bill to President Obama before his State of the Union address (latest scuttlebutt says February 2). Read Ann’s recap of where things stand and how we’re influencing the process.

Making the Case: Low-Income Tax Credits (and Health Reform) Are Key to Economic Recovery

The Washington switch to the topic of jobs presents us with a great opportunity. RESULTS supports efforts at creating jobs, especially for low-income people in the U.S., and one effective way to create jobs is by investing in anti-poverty programs. Investing in programs that help people meet basic needs, including food, shelter and health care, causes positive changes in the local and national economy. Beginning this month, RESULTS U.S. poverty groups are pushing for expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which incentivizes work by providing substantial tax refunds for workers in low-income jobs, while continuing to push for meaningful health reform. Join us and take action today!

February 2010 Conference Call: Health Reform and Low-Income Tax Credits are Key to Economic Recovery

Every second Saturday of the month, RESULTS groups across the country gather for a national conference call (a U.S. poverty call at 12:30 pm ET and a global poverty call at 2 pm ET). On our February U.S. poverty conference call, Monica Mills of Bread for the World clearly and effectively laid out the case for protecting and strengthening tax credits for the poor in 2010. You can listen to the February 2010 Domestic Conference Call: Health Reform and Low-Income Tax Credits are Key to Economic Recovery on our website using this link.

Health Reform: A Victory for Democracy and the End of Poverty!

This week, the House and Senate finally enacted comprehensive, meaningful health reform. The passage of reform is monumental. And while we’ve heard all the talking points as to what reform will do for all Americans, discussed very little is the fact that this health reform legislation is the largest anti-poverty investment in decades.

Six Month Anniversary Gives Us Ample Reasons to Thank Congress for Health Reform

September 23 marked the six month “anniversary” of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), the landmark health reform bill signed into law on March 23. To coincide with this milestone, key provisions in the law went into effect that day, including . . .