President Obama, Howard Dean both supportive of the Senate healthcare compromise

Hopefully all parties will release more details of the apparent Senate compromise of healthcare reform soon. In the meantime, the following story comes from MSNBC:

After agreeing tentatively to jettison a key stated priority — a full-blown government-run insurance option — Senate Democrats woke up Wednesday to some positive signs for the fragile coalition backing President Barack Obama's healthcare bill.

A much-courted moderate — Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman — signaled he might be able to live with a compromise to offer private insurance plans under the auspices of the federal employee health program while also allowing middle-aged people to buy into Medicare. Liberal Democrats also spoke out in favor of the idea.

Meanwhile, former presidential candidate and one-time Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said the Medicare option for people age 55 to 64 was "a positive step forward." Dean, a physician, has been one of the most vocal supporters of the idea that the government should get into the health insurance market. But as it became increasingly clear in recent weeks that a new government insurance plan did not command the necessary votes in the Senate, Dean contacted Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., to offer the Medicare expansion as a way forward.

"Using Medicare makes more sense than reinventing more bureaucracy," Dean said Wednesday on CBS' "The Early Show."

The full story is available at MSNBC.com.

What??!?

The LA Times is reporting at this hour that "Democratic senators say they have a tentative deal to drop a government-run insurance option from healthcare legislation." The Times is including no details, but if the story is true.... hmmmmm. Here's the story as it appears on the LA Times website. More to follow when V4CF hears it.

UPDATE: Sen. Harry Reid says one thing, Sen. Russ Feingold says another. Here's the latest, from CNN.com.

Healthcare reform: What's in and what's out, according to MoveOn.org

With so many 'moving parts,' it's been difficult to discern exactly how the U.S. House's version of the healthcare reform bill differs from the one in the Senate. But that said, MoveOn.org recently sent its members their breakdown of what each version includes, where the differences lie, and their group's thoughts about what in each bill needs to be fixed.

From MoveOn.org:

We decided to put together an overview of where we're at­ -- both good and bad­ -- and what we're all going to need to keep fighting for.

Neither of these bills is close to perfect. But we're entering the home stretch where we risk losing a lot of what's good in these bills and where we have a huge opportunity to strengthen the parts that need work.

Here's where we are: The House of Representatives passed their bill last month. The Senate is aiming to pass its version before Christmas. Overall, both pieces of legislation would do four major things:

1. Create a "Health Insurance Exchange." The bills create a one-stop marketplace where people can choose from various insurance plans, including the public option. The details aren't set yet, but initially the Exchange would likely be open to the self-employed, people without insurance at work, and small businesses. The key with the Exchange is that it brings "the bargaining power and scale that's generally accessible only to large employers" to individuals­ and with that, lower costs and better options.
   
   
2. Provide insurance to over 30 million more people. The House bill would expand coverage to 36 million people by 2019. The Senate bill extends coverage to 31 million.
   
   
3. Outlaw discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and gender. Insurance companies will have to stop denying coverage to people with "pre-existing conditions." And they won't be allowed to charge women more than men for the same coverage.
   
   
4. Eliminate coverage limits and price-gouging. The bills differ on some details, but in general would place limits on how much people have to pay for health care beyond their premiums. They both cap out-of-pocket costs and ban insurance companies from setting limits on how much health care they'll cover for a person each year.
   

Of course, the devil is in the details, and much in these bills still needs work. Here's what MoveOn.org believes still needs to be fixed:

1. Both bills leave millions uninsured. The House bill leaves 18 million without insurance in 2019; the Senate bill, 24 million. Neither comes close to the vision for universal coverage so many of us fought for for years. We'll all need to fight to continue to expand coverage in the bills this year, and in the years to come.
   
   
2. The Senate public option is weak, and conservatives are pushing to make it weaker. The public option is a core piece of reform that will create real accountability and competition for private insurance­ and that's why it's at the center of such a huge fight. While the House bill creates a national public option, the Senate lets states opt out, denying their residents access to it. Plus, conservatives are working to weaken it even more. We're all going to have to fight hard for the strongest version possible.
   
   
3. Many reforms don't start quickly enough. While some pieces of reform go into effect right away, the larger structural changes are not scheduled to go into effect until 2013 (House bill) or 2014 (Senate bill). This includes the Exchange, the public option, and subsidies­ -- the major ways coverage will be expanded.
   
   
4. Required insurance could still be too expensive for many. Both bills require virtually all Americans to have insurance. But the caps on how much we're expected to pay are way too high, and the subsidies are way too low. Many progressives are working to fix this, but it's going to be a significant fight.
   
   
5. Reproductive rights are severely restricted in the House bill. An egregious anti-choice amendment in the bill virtually prohibits anyone purchasing insurance in the Exchange from buying a plan that covers abortion even if paid for with their own money. We need to make sure the final bill doesn't include this rollback of reproductive rights.
   
   
6. The Senate bill could discriminate against lower income workers. The current Senate legislation retains a version of what's called the "free rider" provision, which essentially penalizes employers for hiring lower income workers. This provision needs to be fixed before the bill is finalized.
   

There's a lot going on in these bills, and we're all going to need to be vigilant to ensure the good pieces end up in the final bill, and the bad ones are fixed. It's going to be a rocky ride. But if we fight together, we'll come out stronger in the end.

A hat tip to V4CF member Nancy Griesser for sending this along.

Healthcare, Santa, Stupak and Afghanistan: 'So, what's happening lately?'

Hello, all! Yes, it's been a while... and although we've not had occasion to send along our usual Calls to Action or updates on important issues, we of V4CF thought it would be a good time to send along a general update. So, with that in mind...

Next meeting: As announced at our recent Election Day Anniversary celebration, there will be no V4CF General Meeting scheduled in December. We'll plan to gather the group once again in early January... so please stay tuned for updates!

Healthcare Reform: The U.S. Senate's version of healthcare reform legislation is continuing to move slowly through the process. The bill does not appear to have stalled, but it doesn't appear to be the topic of action scheduled this week, either. Recent news reports state the Senate may work through the December holidays to move it forward.

As for V4CF's involvement in healthcare reform, at this point nothing has really been asked of V4CF with regard to helping reform pass the Senate. Whether this is because our Sens. Feinstein and Boxer have already stated their support for healthcare reform that includes a public option or because of other divisive issues like the Stupak Amendment remains to be seen. But, the Action Blog will keep you informed as to next steps, so again please stay tuned.

Santa's Village: Kris Arden reports our group has collected a good number of toys and other donations for the event, which begins next week. If you have any last-minute donations, please contact Kris at (559) 978-1736 or via e-mail at kkarden@yahoo.com, and she'll find a way to get 'em there.

Afghanistan, Copenhagen, Stupak, etc.: Wow, it's been a tough set of weeks for divisive issues, eh? Given that, and given the rumors we've heard about folks peeling off their Obama bumper stickers in the wake of some of these issues, we'd like to know where our members stand on these three. Got an opinion here? Please send your thoughts to V4CF via e-mail at v4cfresno@yahoo.com.

In the meantime, we're hoping that December is treating you well. Sound off, and keep Being the Change!

Santa's Village donations update

Announcing the donation count for Santa's village:

57 toys and 10 articles of clothing

Donations for Santa's Village will be accepted through Dec. 9. Each night the volunteers will be fed, so additional donations of the following items are also being accepted:

• Coffee, Sugar, and Creamer
• Paper Plates
• Napkins
• Plastic Tablecloths, Utensils, and Cups
• Desserts

To make a donation, please contact Kris Arden at kkarden@yahoo.com or 559-978-1736.

Next steps in the battle for healthcare reform

So, in the wake of the U.S. House's narrow passage last week of healthcare-reform legislation, and after some obvious spin from the right wing announcing the House's bill would be 'dead on arrival' in the Senate, what's really next in the fight for healthcare reform?

According to a report on CNN, the next step is for the Senate to vote to begin debate. And there are indeed a few hurdles to be overcome before that 'vote to begin debate' can happen. The article states:

Democrats need 60 votes to pass the motion to start debate. While there are 60 members in the Democrats' coalition, Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat from Nebraska -- says he hasn't decided which way he'll vote, and won't until he sees the actual bill.

In fact, no one has seen the Senate health care bill yet. Reid won't release the legislation until he knows the cost of the bill.

So, the Senate's consideration of healthcare reform remains on hold, for a few days anyway. Read CNN's full article, and stay tuned to the V4CF Action Blog for more information and next steps.

V4CF sends its thanks to all veterans today

On this Veteran's Day, Volunteers For Change-Fresno sends its sincere and heartfelt thanks to all veterans.

And for those in harm's way tonight, especially for those in Iraq and Afghanistan, Volunteers For Change-Fresno wishes you a safe and speedy return home!