So, what's in the healthcare reform bill?

From our member Ruth Afifi comes this, a most succinct summary of what the healthcare reform bill is designed to do:

• 10 million of the most struggling Americans will be covered by Medicaid
  
  
• We will provide subsidies to help working class Americans afford their insurance
  
  
• Americans with preexisting conditions will immediately have access to insurance through a high risk pool
  
  
• Insurers will be required to spend at least 85% of premiums on care
  
  
• Reform will reduce the federal deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next twenty years
  
  
• There will be tax credits this year to help small businesses give their employees health insurance
  
  
• Health care reform will end denial of coverage because of preexisting conditions, first for children and later for all adults
  
  
• We will prohibit lifetime caps on benefits
  
  
• Insurance companies will be unable to drop you from your coverage because you get sick

Medicare will see multiple improvements:

• We will immediately begin closing the Medicare donut hole
  
  
• We will immediately remove copays for preventative care
  
  
• We require Medicare Advantage plans to spend at least 85% of premiums on care
  
  
• We extended the solvency of Medicare by many years

The summary comes from a larger article on the Daily Kos website written by Rep. Louise Slaughter. For more details, read the full article at http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/23/849607/-A-Transparent-Process-to-a-Great-Accomplishment

'This is what change looks like.'

From our friends at Whitehouse.gov:

After a historic vote in the House to send healthcare reform to the President, he speaks to all Americans on the change they will finally see as they are given back control over their own health care.



If the viewscreen above is not visible, President Obama's remarks can be viewed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/22/what-change-looks.

The House passes healthcare reform! But it's not quite over yet...

Yes, the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Obama's healthcare-reform bill yesterday, by a vote of 219-210 and after more than a year of constant effort. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden applauded as the House announced the bill's passage.

But there is still much work to be done. CNN.com has a great outline of what comes next. It's not over yet. From CNN:

Washington (CNN) -- Now that the House has passed the Senate's health care reform bill and a package meant to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bills, the next step is for members of the Senate to sign off on those changes. That won't be as easy as it sounds.

Senate Republicans have indicated they will use any and all legislative tactics in order to slow -- even stop -- the reconciliation bill from passing.

For details, read the full story on CNN.com.

Costa, Cardoza announce they'll vote 'yea'

Looks like that rally and those phone calls did some good. Check this out... from the Fresno Bee:

WASHINGTON – Reps. Dennis Cardoza of Merced and Jim Costa of Fresno declared today that they will support a $940 billion health-care reform package, moving their fellow Democrats much closer to the finish line.

With the House scheduled to vote on the massive bill Sunday, Cardoza and Cardoza separately concluded the legislation would benefit San Joaquin Valley residents at a reasonable cost. Both praised specific health coverage reforms as well as projections that the bill would reduce the federal budget deficit.

Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/03/20/1866540/costa-says-he-will-support-health.html#ixzz0ikVWjGOG

The Final Push: Join us at a Rally for Healthcare Reform March 18, outside Rep. Costa's office

Volunteers For Change-Fresno -- along with HCAN, several unions and other allies in the Central Valley Healthcare Reform Coalition -- invites you to join us at a Rally For Healthcare Reform scheduled 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, March 18, outside the office of Rep. Jim Costa at 855 M Street in downtown Fresno.

This rally is part of a final push to pass President Obama's healthcare-reform vision before the Fall elections.

At last report, Rep. Jim Costa remains a holdout against reform despite overwhelming support among his constituents for those reforms. At the rally we'll make our voices heard, encouraging Rep. Costa to listen to his constituents and support his district's need for meaningful healthcare reform. And of course, we'll remind him (should he not follow his constituents' wishes) that we do indeed vote.

Bring signs to the Rally, or use those the Coalition will provide. Consider bringing quarters to pay for metered parking, or use mass transit to get there. But most important, make your voice heard.

This is it. Time to Be the Change!

Healthcare reform: It's time once again to hit the phones and encourage Rep. Costa. Repeatedly.

From the Central Valley Healthcare Reform Coalition -- comprised of we at Volunteers For Change-Fresno, HCAN, several trade unions and other healthcare-reform supporters -- comes this Call to Action:

If you support meaningful healthcare reform, we need your help now.

Beginning now until his vote is cast, call Congressman Jim Costa to ask if he plans to vote YES on healthcare reform.

Voting YES on the House version of the Senate Health Reform Bill plus the Reconciliation Bill would mean more affordable coverage options, would end discrimination for preexisting conditions, and would bring greater accountability to the prevention of insurance industry abuses.

Rep. Costa's Fresno office: (559) 495-1620
Rep. Costa's Washington, D.C. office: (202) 225-3341

A YES vote is a vote for the American public! A NO vote is a vote for the insurance companies!

Okay, V4CF: We've done it before. Let's do it again. Let's smile and dial! And let's Be the Change!

'Restore Democracy to California' petition now available for signing right at home

With Volunteers For Change-Fresno members working to gather signatures needed to get the California Democracy Act (a.k.a. the 'Lakoff Petition' or the 'Majority Rule' initiative) on the ballot this November, we thought we'd share this update from Californians For Democracy, the organization coordinating these efforts:

The California Democracy Act is a simple, 14-word initiative that would end the 2/3 rule that has left the state in the hands of a minority of legislators who have prevented the government from doing what it was created to do: protecting and empowering its residents:

"All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote."

Want to help? Californians for Democracy will now accept what they call 'single-signature petitions.' What this means is people interested in supporting this initiative can now print, sign and mail the petition from their own homes. Here's how:

1. Download the petition and print it. Do not shrink or enlarge it; print it only at 100%, single sided, on white, 8.5" x 11" paper only. Please be sure to follow the printing and mailing instructions carefully.
   

2. Sign the petition and mail it to the campaign. Mailing instructions are included on the petition document itself.

Why is this important? Because we believe the 2/3 rule is largely responsible for the deterioration of California—K-12 education, the state colleges and universities, the state parks, the social service net, the transportation infrastructure—the list of essential services that are not getting adequate funding goes on. California could raise money by taxing oil extraction (as they do in Texas and Alaska), taxing the super-rich (the state has more than its share) and other measures that would not burden most of us. But as few as 14 people in the State Senate can stop any of these progressive actions—and they do, over and over again.

Time is of the essence. After April 5, it will be too late to get on the November ballot and we will need to start all over again. And California just can't wait.

For more information, contact V4CF member Ruth Afifi via e-mail, or visit the California For Democracy website at http://californiansfordemocracy.com/.