Monday, August 24, 2009

Home Care for Maine's Tentative Agreement goes out for Ratification by Members

Information packets and ballots have been mailed out to Home Care for Maine MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 members today. A full copy of the Tentative Agreement between Home Care for Maine and its workers can be viewed at Home Care for Maine's Tentative Agreement. For questions or to receive a printed copy, contact our field rep, C.J. Betit at 1-800-452-8794, ext. 1119 or contact Helen Hanson, Local 771 president, at helen.hnsn@gmail.com. The negotiating team was able to gain a two percent across-the-board raise as part of this agreement, while eliminating the confusing quarterly stipend program. The increase comes during the worst economic conditions we've experienced in our working lives which has been further exasperated by Home Care for Maine's loss of the Homemaking Services Contract. The Homemaking Services Contract had nearly a $4 an hour higher reimbursement rate than the remaining contract. After having MSEA's expert review the financial books of Home Care for Maine, we were convinced this is the most we can get as a raise at this time and even this amount puts the Agency's budget at a loss (in the red) for the next fiscal year. In order to make up the budget gap and, possibly, increase wages further, we need all workers to work as many hours as they possibly can as this is what increases revenue. The Tentative Agreement includes wage re-openers for a possible bonus and further across-the-board increases based upon the amount of billable hours worked during the course of a year. In addition to the financial improvements above, the team was also able to make other improvements to the contract. A lot of these improvements revolve around finding additional funding to further improve wages, benefits, and working conditions of members. We are also looking at training opportunities for employees, as well as exploring revenue sources that could eventually provide health insurance for employees. There are also new articles around scheduling and maintenance of benefits, which means the Agency cannot make changes to wages, benefits or working conditions not expressly stated in the contract. The members of MSEA Local 771 continue to make improvements to our contract through bargaining. We also continue to fight in the legislature for improvements to the direct care system and improvements in wages, benefits and working conditions for all of us. We encourage all members to vote to accept this contract as we all continue to work for a better future. Please vote by selecting either Accept or Reject on the ballot that was mailed today. The ballots must be received by MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 Headquarters by 5:00 pm on September 18, 2009. Use the enclosed postage-paid envelope to return your ballot. The ballots will be counted at Local 771's chapter meeting on September 19, 2009. All members are encouraged and welcome to attend the ballot count.
NOTICE
What: Membership meetings to answer questions on the tentative contract agreements
When: Saturday, August 29 and Wednesday, September 2
Where: By phone or in person (Sept. 2 only)
Phone-in Number: 1-866-862-9434 (toll free), conference code 674267
Who: Field Representative C.J. Betit and bargaining team members will be available to answer questions.
MEETING 1 (phone only)
Saturday, August 29
9 am to 10 am
Call 1-866-862-9434, code 674267
MEETING 2
Wednesday, September 2
4:30 to 5:30 pm
Call 1-866-862-9434, code 674267
OR
Join us in person at
MSEA, 65 State Street, Augusta
FMI: contact C.J. Betit at 1-800-452-8794, ext 1119

Town Hall Meeting with Senator Susan Collins

Senator Susan Collins is hosting a town hall meeting tomorrow in Kennebunkport. It will be held at the Nonantum Resort, 95 Ocean Avenue, at 12 noon. There is a health care reform rally happening before at 10:30. For more information, please contact Phil Bailey at pbsustain@aol.com.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Health care insurers often dominate market

Little competition among private companies in many regions, studies show Associated Press Sunday, Aug 23, 2009 WASHINGTON - One of the most widely accepted arguments against a government medical plan for the middle class is that it would quash competition — just what private insurers seem to be doing themselves in many parts of the U.S. Several studies show that in lots of places, one or two companies dominate the market. Critics say monopolistic conditions drive up premiums paid by employers and individuals. For Democrats, the answer is a public plan that would compete with private insurers. Republicans see that as a government power grab. President Barack Obama looks to be trapped in the middle of an argument that could sink his effort to overhaul the health care system. Even lawmakers opposed to a government plan have problems with the growing clout of the big private companies. "There is a serious problem with the lack of competition among insurers," said Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, one of the highest-cost states. "The impact on the consumer is significant." Wellpoint Inc. accounted for 71 percent of the Maine market, while runner-up Aetna had a 12 percent share, according to a 2008 report by the American Medical Association. Overhaul supporters tout savings Proponents of a government plan say it could restore a competitive balance and lead to lower costs. For one thing, it wouldn't have to turn a profit. A study by the Urban Institute public policy center estimated that a public plan could save taxpayers from $224 billion to $400 billion over 10 years by lowering the cost of proposed subsidies for the uninsured, while preserving private coverage for most people. "Right now, there's no incentive for insurers or big hospital groups to negotiate with each other, because they can pass higher payments on through premiums," said economist Linda Blumberg, co-author of the report. "A public plan would have the leverage to set lower payment rates and get providers to participate at those rates." "The private plans would come back to the providers and say, 'If you don't negotiate with me, you're going to be left with only the public plan,'" Blumberg continued. "Suddenly, you have a very strong economic incentive for them to negotiate." Insurers contend their industry is extremely competitive, and a public plan is unnecessary. About 1,300 carriers operate across the country, although many only have a small share of the market in their states. "You can have a very competitive market and still have companies with a high market share," said Alissa Fox, a top Washington lobbyist for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Fox points to the federal employee health program, which also covers members of Congress. It offers a total of more than 260 options and 10 nationwide plans. Despite all the choices, about 60 percent of federal workers pick a Blue Cross plan. "Insurers need to be of a significant size to best serve their customers and make sure that people get the best value," Fox said. Nonetheless, lawmakers are concerned. Big insurers are getting bigger. Small businesses in particular have fewer and fewer options for getting coverage. Congressional investigators this year looked at insurers catering to small employers around the country. The Government Accountability Office found that the median — or midpoint — market share of the largest carrier increased to 47 percent in 2008 from 33 percent in 2002. The basic framework lawmakers are looking at for a health care overhaul would encourage competition, even without a government plan. It calls for setting up a big insurance purchasing pool called an exchange. It would be open, at least initially, to individuals and small businesses. The government would offer subsidies to make premiums more affordable. Consumers would find it much easier to shop for a plan through the exchange. For one thing, they would be able to readily compare benefits and premiums in different plans. Also, participating insurers would have to take all applicants and not charge higher premiums to those in poor health. Offering the option of a public plan would supercharge the competition, supporters say. Plan could rival giants Blumberg envisions a plan that pays medical providers more than Medicare, but less than private insurance. Her study estimated it could grow to 47 million members, leaving 161 million with private insurance. Even so, that would make the new public plan one of the largest insurers in the country, rivaling Medicare, Medicaid and big private companies such as Wellpoint and UnitedHealthcare. It's a scenario that gives pause even to traditional adversaries of the insurance companies. "The fear and concern is that the public plan could become the market-dominant plan," said Dr. James Rohack, president of the American Medical Association. "When you've got the federal government involved, it can infuse money into a plan to keep it solvent even if the premiums are lower than its actual costs." Snowe, among the few Republican senators still trying to come up with a bipartisan compromise, wants to hold back on creating a public plan for now and give insurers one last chance to show if they can keep costs in check. That's doesn't go far enough for liberals, who are loath to give the insurance industry tens of millions of new customers supported by taxpayer subsidies. "It would give the industry a windfall without any countervailing force to require them to lower their costs," said Richard Kirsch, national campaign manager for the advocacy group Health Care for America Now. "The insurance companies could continue to jack up premiums while getting a whole new market."

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Home Care for Maine Bargaining Update

Yesterday, Home Care for Maine's tentatively agreed upon contract was approved by MSEA's board of directors. A packet explaining the contract will go out to be ratified by Home Care for Maine's union members on Monday. Look for it in your mail. The ballots need to be back to MSEA by September 18th. They will be counted at 771's meeting on September 19th. CJ Betit, our rep, is setting up two conference calls on Saturday, August 29, for members to call in with questions and concerns. I urge you to call in with your questions. CJ was great during the negotiations. The times, call in numbers, and access code I will post on Monday. Feel free to contact me, as well, if you've got questions, helen.hnsn@gmail.com

President Obama's message on Health Care Reform

Health Care Proposal Still Not Ready

"Gang of Six" to alter health debate?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Public Option remains in Obama's plan for Health Care Reform

Today, President Obama's Organizing for America held a forum that I watched online. He outlined his continuing support for the public option in health care reform. He said the goals of reform are to lower costs and expand coverage. He said that the crazy allegations and the untruths that are being reported on television and talk radio are just that, untruths. The best offense against this is the truth. What reform means for those that currently have health insurance: if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor; if you like your private insurance, you keep your private insurance. If you don't have insurance, the public option will provide high quality, affordable insurance. Small businesses, the self-employed, working people, low income people will all be able to obtain insurance through the public option. The public option will let these people pick the proposal that works best for them. The public option will be voluntary, being available as a choice. Large employers cannot shift to the public option if they already are providing health insurance coverage. There is a provision preventing employers from doing this. Small businesses on the other hand, often cannot afford health insurance for their employees. The public option would help them. The reform for the health insurance industry will make sure that you will keep your insurance regardless of a pre-existing condition, there will be no yearly caps or lifetime caps on what they pay. You will keep your insurance if you should get sick, change or lose your job. There is no plan proposing to cover illegal immigrants. There is no revoke on federal tax dollars paying for abortion. No one is proposing anything remotely close to a government takeover of health care. There is no such proposal in reform for "death panels." The bill coming out of the House has a provision to provide reimbursement for voluntary counseling for those at the end of life. Counseling for things like a living will and hospice, not suicide or rationing care if you're an elder. Republicans supported this same kind of thing for those that faced a life threatening disease. Reform will make Medicare more efficient. It will close the donut hole for seniors. It will provide preventive care. For all those naysayers who say they do not want the government involved in health care, Medicare is a government run health care program. I personally liked Obama's comments on those reformers from our past. He said that Franklin Roosevelt was accused of being a socialist for enacting Social Security. Opposition to John F. Kennedy's and Lydon Johnson's health care for elders (Medicare) would effect choice of a doctor. This is what is being said of Obama and reform today. In the U.S., we pay $5,000 to $6,000 more per person in health care costs than any other advanced countries. How can we win support from members of Congress? Keep talking to people, getting their stories. Congress is still obsessed with cable news and talk radio. Emphasize to seniors that reform will not be reducing Medicare benefits. It will close the donut hole. Nobody will be messing with needed benefits. The younger generations need the same security that Medicare provides. By making Medicare more efficient, the life of the Medicare Trust Fund will be extended. If we keep health care spending at its current rate, there will be no Medicare for the younger generations. Medicare costs are increasing greater than its income. On the private side, premiums are increasing greater than personal income. This is unsustainable. Reform will also promote prevention and wellness by providing incentives to stay healthy, financial incentives for businesses to promote health. America's young people will also be included in reform. There is a provision to extend parents' coverage to their 25-26 year old children, they can stay on their parent's coverage until they are more stable in their jobs. The young can buy affordable, minimal coverage, based on income, to stay healthy and get those preventive checkups. I found Obama's forum very helpful and very heartening. Especially in the face of the news this week where they were saying that he was giving in to pressure and taking away the public option. I'm sharing this in an effort to spread the truth about reform.

Maine's Rent and Property Tax Refund for 2008

There was an error in the reported amount for the maximum refund of $2,000 for the circuit breaker program. The actual maximum amount is $1,600.

Monday's National Direct Care Partnership Meeting is Postponed

So many members are on vacation or otherwise unavailable I've decided to postpone Monday's National Direct Care Partnership meeting. We'll pick a time in September that will be better attended. Thanks to all and lets enjoy the last few days of summer. Roy G. Gedat, MSW National Advocacy Director Direct Care Alliance 207-739-9179 http://www.directcarealliance.org/

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

National Direct Care Partnership Meeting is August 24th, 4PM EST

A detailed agenda for our next National Direct Care Partnership Meeting will be sent shortly. Meanwhile, please hold next Monday, August 24th at 4pm eastern time for our next call. Thank you. ANCOR and the DCA Team Up for Better Wages Are you concerned about the low wages being paid direct support professionals? Do you wonder what you can do to change the situation? If so, join the Direct Care Alliance and the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) on August 19 for a free webinar to learn about a proposed federal law that would improve our wages - and what the "Power of One" can do to affect the outcome!The DCA and ANCOR have partnered to host a one-hour leadership session. We will:
  • Discuss wage issues impacting the direct care workforce.
  • Give a brief overview of pending federal legislation to improve DSP wages.
  • Provide a tutorial on the legislative process.
  • Share information on how best to communicate with congressional leaders and the value YOUR participation can add to the process.

Space is limited, so sign up today. The presentation has been designed with direct care workers in mind, but friends and allies of direct care workers are also welcome. Your involvement and action could mean the difference between higher wages and business as usual.

Roy G. Gedat

MSW National Advocacy Director

Direct Care Alliance

(207) 739-9179 rgedat@directcarealliance.org

Upcoming Trainings

The Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association announces educational opportunities. Creating a Therapeutic Environment: Tips & Techniques for the Pros Tuesday, August 25, 2009 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Columbia Street Baptist Church 63 Columbia Street Bangor, ME Cost: $30 per person Space is limited. Advance registration required. This workshop will cover the following areas: Overview of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, communication strategies, how to create a therapeutic environment, dealing with challenging behaviors, therapeutic activities and the importance of knowing the resident’s life story. Behavior is Communication: Deciphering the meaning behind the reaction and developing effective interventions. Monday, August 31, 2009 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Maine Health Care Association 317 State Street Augusta, ME Cost: $30 per person Space is limited. Advance registration required. This workshop will cover the following areas: Overview of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, wandering/agitation/verbal/physical aggression, psychotic symptoms, identifying the cause of behaviors, understanding triggers, communication strategies, environmental modifications. Breaking the Silence: Sexuality and Dementia Monday, August 31, 2009 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Maine Health Care Association 317 State Street Augusta, ME Cost: $30 per person Space is limited. Advance registration required. This workshop will cover the following areas: Overview of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, caregiver attitudes, spousal intimacy, assessing the behavior, effective strategies, sensitive and dignified interventions. FMI or to register for any of these workshops please call 800-772-0115

Monday, August 17, 2009

We want you to know first ...

When SEIU endorses a candidate in your backyard.

When your Senator or Congressman needs to hear our voices on the health insurance reform, Employee Free Choice, or immigration debates.

When our members -- your brothers and sisters -- require support at the workplace, the state capitol, or in the streets.

You can be the first to know by texting SEIU to 787753 (PURPLE) right now, or click the link below to sign-up for our new mobile alerts program.

http://action.seiu.org/seiumobile

Two weeks ago, "Tea Party" protesters physically assaulted an SEIU staffer at a health care town hall event in Missouri.

Video of the event had well over 400,000 views on YouTube.

And despite the fact the video showed our staffer -- dressed in purple -- on the ground at the start of the clip, Glenn Beck and his tea-bagging friends launched daily attacks on SEIU claiming we perpetrated the violence.

It's time like this that we need immediate coordination, and being a part of our mobile alert list is a critical piece of our rapid response infrastructure.

So, please, text SEIU to 787753 (PURPLE) right now, or click the link to sign-up for mobile alerts right now!

http://action.seiu.org/seiumobile

Thanks for reading and signing up.

In solidarity,

Tim Tagaris

New Media Director, SEIU

Will the Public Option be part of Health Care Reform?

Dean wants Obama to stand by Public Option

'You can't really do health reform without it,' says former DNC chair, doctor msnbc.com staff and news service reports updated 1 hour, 13 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Former Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean said Monday he doubts there can be meaningful health care reform without a direct government role, putting him at odds with President Barack Obama who says such a public option is only a sliver of the solution. Dean, a leading figure among the party's liberals, carefully tried to avoid criticizing the president openly, but he urged the administration to stand by statements made early on in the debate in which it steadfastly insisted that such a public option was indispensable to genuine change. Dean said Medicare and the Veterans Administration are "two very good programs that have been around for a long time." Dean appeared on morning news shows Monday amid increasing indications the Obama White House is retreating from the public option in the face of vocal opposition from Republicans and some vocal participants at a town-hall-style meetings around the country. The former Vermont governor was asked on NBC's "Today" show about President Barack Obama's statement over the weekend that the public option for insurance coverage was "just a sliver" of the overall proposal. Obama's health and human services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, advanced that line, telling CNN Sunday that a direct government role in a system intended to provide virtually universal coverage was "not the essential element." Dean, a physician, argued that a public option is fair and said there must be such a choice in any genuine shake up of the existing system. "You can't really do health reform without it," he said. Dean maintained that the health insurance industry has "put enormous pressure on patients and doctors" in recent years. He called a direct government role "the entirety of health care reform. It isn't the entirety of insurance reform ... We shouldn't spend $60 billion a year subsidizing the insurance industry." Dean also said he doesn't foresee any Republican support for a public option. "I don't think the Republicans are interested and in order to have a bipartisan bill, you've got to have both sides interested," he said. On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Dean contended that the public option might be added to the legislation during the Senate's budget reconciliation process between the two chambers, when it would need only 51 votes to pass, instead of the 60 usually required for contentious bills. Reconciliation is really part of the budget process and provisions in the bill that are not relevant to spending or to tax revenue could be deleted from it. "But I think we will have a public option at the end," Dean said. However, Sen. Kent Conrad, D- N.D., a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has repeatedly said that it will not be possible to use the reconciliation process to enact the health insurance overhaul — partly because too much of the bill is not directly related to the budget. The shift in the administration's stance on a government-run insurance program leaves open a chance for compromise with Republicans that probably would enrage Obama's liberal supporters but could deliver a much-needed victory on a top domestic priority. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who is co-chairman of the Middle Class Caucus, said that "leaving private insurance companies the job of controlling the costs of health care is like making a pyromaniac the fire chief." But Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., told reporters in Philadelphia on Monday that the success of health care overhaul doesn't hinge on any one element and co-ops might provide the same results under a different name. "I believe that the president has to make the evaluation as a matter of leadership as to what the administration wants to do. There is an alternative to the so-called public option by having co-ops. I think these matters are subject to exploration," Specter said. Officials from both political parties are looking for concessions while Congress is on an August recess. Facing tough audiences, lawmakers and the White House are looking for a way to cover the nation's almost 50 million uninsured while maintaining political standing. Sebelius said the White House would be open to co-ops instead of a public option — a sign that Democrats want a compromise so they can declare a victory. Under a proposal by Conrad, consumer-owned nonprofit cooperatives would sell insurance in competition with private industry, not unlike the way electric and agriculture co-ops operate, especially in rural states such as his own. With $3 billion to $4 billion in initial support from the government, the co-ops would operate under a national structure with state affiliates, but independent of the government. They would be required to maintain the type of financial reserves that private companies are required to keep in case of unexpectedly high claims. "I think there will be a competitor to private insurers," Sebelius said. "That's really the essential part, is you don't turn over the whole new marketplace to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing." Obama's spokesman refused to say a public option was a make-or-break choice. "What I am saying is the bottom line for this for the president is, what we have to have is choice and competition in the insurance market," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday. A day before, Obama appeared to hedge his bets. "All I'm saying is, though, that the public option, whether we have it or we don't have it, is not the entirety of health care reform," Obama said at a town hall meeting in Grand Junction, Colo. "This is just one sliver of it, one aspect of it." Lawmakers have discussed the co-op model for months, although the Democratic leadership and the White House have said they prefer a government-run option. Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, called the argument for a government-run public plan little more than a "wasted effort." He added there are enough votes in the Senate for a cooperative plan. I want to learn more about these co-ops. I'm disappointed in that the public option might be off the table. -Helen

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Here Are the Real Facts on the Proposed Health Care Reform

by Mike Hall, Aug 12, 2009 Last night at a Portsmouth, N.H., town hall meeting on the health care reform proposal now making its way through Congress, President Obama said there is room for disagreement, but that disagreement should center on what is actually in the legislation, not “wild misrepresentations.” Telling the crowd it was time to ”set the record straight,” Obama went point by point:
  • Under the proposed health care reform, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.
  • If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.
  • The majority of Americans will still get their health care from private insurers under the plan. One key goal of reform: Make sure private insurers are treating you fairly.
  • This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. Have a public option as part of that would keep the insurance companies honest.
  • Insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage because of a person's medical history. Period.
  • Insurance companies will not be able to drop your coverage if you get sick.
  • Another myth that we've been hearing about is this notion that somehow we're going to be cutting your Medicare benefits. We are not.

Obama also pointed out that reform will help bring down the soaring health care costs that are eating working families’ paychecks with fast-rising premiums, growing co-payments and staggering out-of-pocket expenses as insurance companies reduce or drop coverage altogether.

No one holds these companies accountable for these practices…that will change when we pass health care reform.

A provision in the House bill allows Medicare to reimburse people for consultations about end-of-life care, setting up living wills, the availability of hospice care and other difficult decisions families face. But that has been deliberately spun by reform opponents as government “death panels.”

The rumor that’s been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the House of Representatives voted for “death panels” that will basically pull the plug on Grandma. I am not in favor of that.

So I just want to clear the air here. the intention of the members of Congress was to give people more information so that they could handle issues of end-of-life care when they’re ready, on their own terms. It wasn’t forcing anybody to do anything.

The bottom line, said Obama:

If you don’t have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options once we pass reform.

Click here for more health care facts.

from AFL-CIO NOW blog

Working Women Speak Out for Employee Free Choice

by Seth Michaels, Aug 5, 2009 Here are three great op-ed pieces from around the country—Colorado, Pennsylvania and Maine—that highlight why the Employee Free Choice Act is critical to working women in this tough economy. Linda Meric, the executive director of 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women, writes a great op-ed about the need for Employee Free Choice in the Denver Post. Meric notes the advantages that the chance to form a union offers to women in Colorado and around the country: The Employee Free Choice Act is one sure way to address this gender-based pay gap. Unionization can provide important economic security for low-wage Colorado women and their families. The benefits of union membership for women in low-wage occupations are even greater. Among those working in the 15 lowest-paying occupations, union members not only earned more than their non-union counterparts, they were also 26 percentage points more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and 23 percentage points more likely to have a pension plan than those who were not members of a union…. Health insurance is just one of the positive workplace standards unions can provide for working women. Union representation is also one of the strongest predictors of family-flexible workplace policies. In Maine, three union members—Rebecca Westleigh, Shianne Valenzuela and Mary Hall—write in the Lewiston Sun-Journal about what union membership means for working women like them: We all agree: having a voice on the job and collective bargaining rights has dramatically improved our lives and enabled us to support our families. We want to see those benefits and opportunities extended to all workers…. Now more than ever, we need to rebuild an economy that works for everyone. We strongly encourage our senators to support Mainers and women by voting for the Employee Free Choice Act. This common sense legislation would give workers the freedom to join a union without intimidation and bargain collectively for better wages and benefits. And in Pennsylvania, Donna Bernhard, a registered nurse, explains in the Pottstown Mercury why her union matters to her, her community and the patients she cares for—and why all workers need the chance she had to bargain for a better life: As a nurse, I know I can do my job because I have the support I need. I don’t have to worry about finding health care for my own family. And the reason is because I and my co-workers bargain together as a union for higher wages, benefits and better working conditions. But most people aren’t that lucky. Most experience intimidation, coercion and even firing when they want to form a union. According to polling, 60 million people would choose to form a union today if they could, but too few ever get that chance because U.S. labor law is too weak to help them…. I know firsthand the benefits unions bring to my family and I believe that our community would be better served by a system that restores balance in our workplaces. It’s clear that protecting working people’s freedom to form unions is the best way to guarantee livable wages, health care benefits and retirement security to working people. As a result, it is also the best way to strengthen and expand the middle class. from AFL-CIO NOW blog

Anti-Worker Group Pays Rove $100,000 to Fight Employee Free Choice

by Seth Michaels, Aug 5, 2009 Here we go again. Yet another misleadingly named, corporate-funded front group has been created to block the freedom to form unions and bargain and scare people away from the Employee Free Choice Act. And where there are big corporate dollars and smear campaigns, you can bet that repudiated and disgraced political hacks like Karl Rove can’t be far behind. This time, reports Think Progress, the “Economic Freedom Alliance” (EFA) is paying the checks to Rove. The EFA, a new corporate front organization “partnering with a number of Midwestern statewide employer organizations,” has paid Rove, George W. Bush’s sometime top political operative, $100,000 this year for his services as a high-priced consultant to their disinformation campaign. The EFA, with Rove’s assistance, is using websites, billboards and other tactics to try and pressure U.S. senators to vote against the Employee Free Choice Act. It’s another desperate attempt, fueled by a big bankroll, to block real change for working people. (Sounds familiar, huh?) The corporations who fund the EFA and line Rove’s pockets know the Employee Free Choice Act would give workers—not their bosses—the choice about how to form a union and bargain for their fair share. from AFL-CIO NOW blog

Property Tax and Rent Refund - Circuit Breaker Tax Relief now available

Maine Residents Property Tax and Rent Refund Program The program to apply for refunds of property tax assessed and/or rent paid during 2009 begins August 1, 2010. The Maine Residents Tax and Rent Refund Program or, "Circuit Breaker" as it is called, is now accepting applications again. The new application period runs from August 1, 2009 through June 1, 2010. During the last year, Maine homeowners and renters received on average a $525 refund from the state. To download an application or apply online, visit the Maine Revenue Services website at www.maine.gov/revenue/taxrelief. You may also call (207) 626-8475 to request an application. Nearly 200,000 Maine households qualify for a partial refund of property tax assessed and/or rent they paid in 2008. The maximum refund available is $1,600. You may qualify for a refund if: * You do not have a spouse or dependent(s) and your 2008 household income was $61,400 or less; or * You do have a spouse or dependent(s) and your 2008 household income was $81,850 or less AND * Your 2008 property tax was more than 4% of your 2008 household income; or * The rent you paid in 2008 was more than 20% of your 2008 household income. NOTE: Seniors do not need to meet this requirement when their household income is below $13,900 for those living alone or below $17,200 for those living with a spouse or dependent. See the application booklet for more information on who qualifies for the senior portion of the program. an email from Senate President Libby Mitchell

Reality Check for Health Care Reform

From the Whitehouse... What President Obama and his staff are saying about Health Care Reform. Check it out at Reality Check.

And they say we don't need Health Care Reform?

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Talking about Maine's Direct Care Workforce

State of the State with the DCA's Roy Gedat.

Direct Care Alliance - Brenda Nachtway's Video Diary

Brenda's video is very moving. She's compassionate about her work and about the Direct Care Workforce.

M.A..I.N.: MaineCare Survey

Dear M.A.I.N. Members and Supporters, Maine Equal Justice Partners has been working closely with a small group of organizations that care about health. We are working on a report that will identify ways in which we can improve the health of Maine people and families. We invite you and others in your network to to participate in an on-line survey. We would particularly like to hear from people who are on MaineCare, but the survey is open to anyone. We want to know what you think about some of our ideas. We also want to hear any other ideas you have. The survey won't ask for your name or other identifying information. Participation is voluntary and you can stop, skip questions, or ask questions at any time. You must be 18 years or older to participate. To learn more and take the survey online go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=i9iL8yuKwlbezs5MgeFxHA_3d_3d IMPORTANT NOTE: The answer to the very first question is CODE #4. This lets the group know that you received the survey from Maine Equal Justice Partners. Please circulate this information on to other people in your networks! If you have questions about this survey, please contact: Kim Crichton, Program Officer Maine Health Access Foundation (207) 620-8266 x103, or kcrichton@mehaf.org Thank you! Ana Hicks

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

LEAN Process for Long-Term Care in Maine Starts Today

Four bills in this past legislative session are being included in this LEAN process. A LEAN process is a means by which businesses figure out what is duplicated, what is not necessary and then eliminate those things. Maine's Department of Health and Human Services has decided to do the same thing with the way long-term care is delivered in Maine. The four bills included in this process are: LD 400, the Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendations for home based care; LD 1078, the bill that is the driver behind this LEAN process, it is streamlining the way services are delivered, shifting from nursing home care to home and community based care; LD 1059, the bill to gain health insurance for direct care workers, based on a plan that the State of Montana has implemented this past January; LD 1364, the bill to raise wages for direct care workers. This initial meeting is meet all the stakeholders involved and to introduce them to the LEAN process,. The real work will not begin at this meeting. I am very excited to be at the table, representing the Direct Care Alliance, the Kennebec Valley Organization and Local 771. These three organizations are all involved in working towards improving wages and gaining benefits for workers. As this process moves along, I'll keep posting updates.

Home Care for Maine Bargaining Update

Home Care for Maine's new contract has been tentavively agreed upon by both the bargaining team and management. It is now awaiting approval by both Home Care for Maine's and MSEA's board of directors. Once it gains approval by both boards, it will be sent out to workers to ratify. As I know more, I'll post it.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Evelyn Coke, Home Care Aide Who Fought Pay Rule, Is Dead at 74

By DOUGLAS MARTIN New York Times Published: August 9, 2009 Year in and year out, Evelyn Coke left her Queens house early to go to the homes of elderly, sick, often dying people. She bathed them, cooked for them, helped them dress and monitored their medications. She sometimes worked three consecutive 24-hour shifts.
Evelyn Coke, April 2007
She loved the work, but she earned only around $7 an hour and got no overtime pay. For years Ms. Coke, a single mother of five, quietly grumbled, and then, quite uncharacteristically, rebelled. In a case that reached the Supreme Court in 2007, Ms. Coke sued to reverse federal labor regulations that exempt home care agencies from having to pay overtime. “I hope they try to help me because I need help bad,” she said in April 2007 after listening to oral arguments. She had stopped working after being hurt in a car accident six years earlier, and by then used a wheelchair. The court unanimously rejected her claims, saying that Congress had given the Labor Department explicit authority to include home care workers in minimum wage and overtime protection and the agency had chosen to exclude them. “I feel robbed,” Ms. Coke said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I feel glad it’s come to everybody’s attention; people are supposed to get paid when they work.” Ms. Coke’s health deteriorated until she died of heart failure on July 9, in Manhasset, N.Y., her son Michael Findlay said last week, after returning from his mother’s burial in Jamaica. He said he believed a serious bedsore had contributed to her death, and recalled the many people she had helped with bedsores. Ms. Coke was 74. As a symbol, Evelyn Coke remains alive as both Congress and the Obama administration review regulations that carry out amendments to a 1938 law on wages. In June, 15 senators and 37 House members wrote to Hilda L. Solis, secretary of labor, urging her to eliminate the exemption for home attendants. “Evelyn Coke, who took a case all the way to the Supreme Court, spent two decades working more than 40 hours a week caring for others,” the senators wrote. “Yet, when she suffered from kidney failure, she could not afford a health care worker to take care of her.” Ms. Solis responded that she intends to “fulfill the department’s mandate to protect America’s workers, including home health care aides, who work demanding schedules and receive low wages.” Nearly half of home care workers — overwhelmingly low-income, female and minority — rely on food stamps or other public assistance. The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act required employers to pay a minimum wage and overtime pay for those who work more than 40 hours a week. In amending the law in 1974 to extend protection to domestic employees like maids and cooks, Congress specifically excluded baby sitters and “companions” for the old and infirm. They were exempted because many were thought to be friends, relatives and neighbors. The law did not mention aides employed by third parties. When the Labor Department wrote regulations to carry out the legislation in 1975, it strongly considered extending wage protection to home aides employed by third parties. But it eventually decided to exempt them. The Clinton administration, in its next-to-last day in office, proposed rules to give such employees overtime and minimum wage protection, but the Bush administration scrapped the proposal, saying it was too costly. Ms. Coke’s suit questioned whether Congress really intended to exempt aides employed by a third party, and whether the interpretation of the law by the Labor Department was correct. The Supreme Court ruled on the narrower ground that the department had undisputed authority to issue rules. But much had changed since the 1970s legislation and regulation. Home care agencies are a growing industry, expected to employ nearly two million aides by 2014. The Labor Department says the only faster-growing occupation is systems and data analysts. The agency that last employed Ms. Coke, Long Island Care at Home of Westbury, N.Y., said in court that it had followed state law on wages and overtime. It said it would sustain “tremendous and unsustainable losses” if forced to pay overtime. New York City submitted a friend-of-court brief estimating that overtime payments to home aides would increase Medicaid costs by $250 million a year and warned of the possibility of big service cuts. “In the worst cases, some clients, especially those with high hour needs, might no longer be able to be serviced in their homes and might have to be institutionalized,” the city said in a brief filed jointly with the New York State Association of Counties. Ms. Coke was born in Westmoreland, Jamaica, on Dec. 25, 1934. Her first jobs in Jamaica were in home care, and she stayed in the field when she came to the United States in 1970. She lived in Florida and Maryland before settling in New York City. By 1973, she was able to send for her children. Even without overtime, her savings grew as a result of frugality and many, many hours of work. In 1980, she bought a wood-frame house in Corona, Queens, where she lived until she died. Ms. Coke was hit and injured by a car in 2001, and saw a lawyer. When he examined her pay stubs, he recognized what she had been privately complaining about for years: her pay stubs showed she sometimes worked 70 hours a week with no overtime. He invited her to bring a test case, which she filed in 2002. The Service Employees International Union later took it over. The union has made the broader argument that inadequate pay was fueling turnover rates among aides of from 40 to 60 percent annually. When Ms. Coke became old enough for Medicare, she got the medical checkups she had skipped when she had no medical insurance from her job and was ineligible for Medicaid, the insurance program for poorer people. Doctors found that her kidneys were failing. She ended up having dialysis three times a week. Ms. Coke never married. In addition to her son Michael, she is survived by her sons Dean Roy Cox and Leroy Cox; her daughters Myrna Porter and Eunice Mahorn; her sisters Olive and Sharon Coke; and six grandchildren. The Associated Press reported that despite her claims of unfair treatment, Ms. Coke did not become bitter. “I don’t regret taking care of old people,” she said. The letter to Secretary Solis, mentioned above, was the work of the Direct Care Alliance! We did it, got 15 senators and 37 members of the House to sign on.
I admire Ms. Coke and her determination to fight for what she saw as an injustice to Home Care Workers. We must continue the fight until we win fair wages for this crucial workforce. Helen

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Health care can suffer when job fears affect decisions on drugs, doctor visits

by Scott Monroe Staff Writer Kennebec Journal Morning Sentinel published August 8, 2009 Paul MacDonald thought he had found a way to save a good chunk of money he was spending on his prescription medication. MacDonald, 67, of China, said his medications, such as blood-pressure and cholesterol pills, are covered under a Medicare program, though it still costs him about $250 out of his own pocket each time. MacDonald said he recently found a program through a supermarket in Augusta to save about $580 each year by purchasing generic medication brands, or about $120 out of pocket. But he isn't allowed to under the program, at least not until Jan. 1. MacDonald, who says he's on a fixed annual income of $28,000, said the inability to save on his medications right now is a burden, especially in an economic downturn and with rising expenses. "It would save Medicare what it would cost me," MacDonald said. "Here you are trying to save some money and they don't want to. I'm sure there's plenty of people that really need the program and want to be in it, but surely there are a lot of people in my predicament." MacDonald's efforts to save money on health-related needs and expenses represent one example of how some people are trying to save money when it comes to health care. But are more and more people actually delaying -- or even forgoing -- necessary appointments, medications or procedures? There have been some indicators that, nationally, that could be happening. A study released by the Center for Studying Health System Change, a Washington, D.C. health policy research group, said that, in 2007, more than 28 percent of the 72 million working-age people in the U.S. with chronic illnesses such as depression lived in households that struggled to pay their medical bills. The study also said that while the uninsured are most vulnerable, medical-bill problems were growing among people with insurance, too. According to the National Employment Law Project, more than a million jobless Americans will exhaust their unemployment insurance benefits by the end of the year. More calls have been coming into Crisis & Counseling Centers, a private, nonprofit social-service agency with offices in central Maine. Lynn Duby, CEO of Crisis & Counseling, said calls to the agency increasingly deal with complex needs, in which health services are cut out or cut back. "One phenomenon is people who have been unable to get services they might have gotten in the past and they find their situation worsening, so by the time they call us they're much more likely to need services at a higher level," Duby said. "Our job is to try to help people earlier so they don't need to be hospitalized for services, so when people delay as a result or lose support, then their situation doesn't deteriorate." Hospital officials in central Maine reported no noticeable trend in people cutting back on health needs, though postponing or "spacing out" expenses has been noticed. "Our primary-care physicians have not experienced appointment cancellations associated with the poor economy; in fact, schedules are busier than ever," said Frances Renye-Smith, administrator for employed-physician practices at Inland Hospital in Waterville. "However, several specialists have reported seeing patients postpone routine or elective procedures because of their concerns regarding extended recovery times, time away from work, etc. It's a concern because postponing certain medical procedures can put a patient at risk for future complications." For example, a patient had been scheduled for a colonoscopy at Inland, but after learning of a pending layoff at his place of employment, he postponed the procedure out of fear of losing his job for time he would be away from work, Renye-Smith said. Karen Mosher, clinical director of Kennebec Behavioral Health, echoes that observation. "I know we've seen some of that -- people feeling they need to space things out, so they can afford their co-pays and so forth," Mosher said. MaineGeneral Health Associates, with hospital campuses in Augusta and Waterville, is seeing more "self-pay" for services, perhaps highlighting the pressures on employer-offered health insurance, said company president Dr. Barbara Crowley. That could suggest employees sharing more of a burden with employers to pay for health-insurance premiums and higher deductibles. In order to help people avoid facing costly services, MaineGeneral offers several programs such as preventative visits and screenings, Crowley said. One example is an outreach effort to encourage women over 40 to have mammograms to detect breast cancer, she said. Crowley also pointed to the company's CarePartners program, which is a group of doctors, hospitals and other health care providers who volunteer to provide check-ups and other preventative services to people either under-insured or uninsured and not covered by MaineCare. Although there are signs nationally of the economic downturn leveling out, the cost pressures on health needs are bound to get worse in Maine where state government faces mounting deficits, according to Duby, of Crisis & Counseling. "Hopefully legislators ... are open to creative ideas to address the problem because just cutting services is not always the best solution," Duby said. Scott Monroe - 861-9253 smonroe@centralmaine.com FIRST IN A THREE-PART SERIES Sunday: Why doctors offer fewer free prescription samples. Monday: Area hospitals offer voucher programs to help fill the health-care gap. BENEFITS 'EXHAUSTION' According to the National Employment Law Project, about a half-million people in the U.S. will exhaust their unemployment benefits by the end of September. That number will total more than 1 million by December. The organization estimated these "exhaustions": * 542,921 in the U.S. by the end of September * 1,492,830 in the U.S. by the end of December * None in Maine by the end of September * 5,573 in Maine by the end of December

High costs put preventative Health Care out of reach

America's current health-care system needs fixing now. Many working families are one illness away from losing everything they've worked for if a family member gets sick. We cannot keep the status quo. It is not working. The skyrocketing costs of care put preventive measures out of reach for many. I had my annual physical and mammogram and that alone came to a little over $400. People used to receive health insurance as a benefit through their work. Many businesses now cannot afford to provide coverage for their workers. Companies lay off workers in order to be able to maintain their benefit package, or they simply choose an insurance plan that covers less. Those fortunate enough to have health coverage through their work are finding that their co-pays, their share of the premiums, their deductibles have increased. Those who purchase individual health insurance policies are at the whim of the insurance company. Extremely high deductibles, $5,000 to $10,000 annually to allegedly make the policy "affordable," the high co-pays, then what is and isn't covered does not make for good coverage. I'm one of the uninsured. I work, but my employer does not offer insurance because she cannot afford to. My family had a catastrophic plan, until I learned that our deductible was $30,000 per year, instead of the $10,000 I thought it was. We need health-care reform now. Reform needs to contain cost, cost of insurance and cost of care. Helen Hanson South China my Letter to the Editor published in the Kennebec Journal August 2, 2009

Health Care Reform Opponents Resort to Mob Rule

by Mike Hall, August 4, 2009 The extremist fringe of the anti-health care reform movement—with a wink and a nod from more mainstream health care opponents—is using mob rule to disrupt town hall meetings and community forums set for the congressional recess. Mob rule tactics stopped the Florida vote count during the contested 2000 presidential elections, ultimately turning the presidency over to George W. Bush—a strategy now emulated by the anti-health care reform lobby. As Slinkerwink at DailyKos wrote yesterday: The crazies are coming out in full force to local town hall and community events being held by Democratic lawmakers—with only one goal—to interrupt the Democratic lawmaker on health care reform, and shout right-wing talking points at him or her to scare the rest of his or her constituents at that event by sowing confusion and fear in the crowd. The coalition of extremists groups, including FreedomWorks, Right Principles, American Liberty Alliance, even has written game plan. The anti-government group Right Principles is telling people how to take over a meeting. Be disruptive early and often. You need to rock the boat early in the rep’s presentation. Watch for an opportunity to yell out. The goal is to rattle him…stand up and shout out. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions. At town hall meeting in Setauket, N.Y., Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) was confronted by a loud mob that yelled criticisms of his stands on health care, energy and the economy and shouted down his answers. He even suspended some scheduled town halls. I have no problem with someone disagreeing with positions I hold….But there is no point in meeting with my constituents and [to] listen to them and have them listen to you if what is basically an unruly mob prevents you from having an intelligent conversation. On Sunday, a group of protestors showed up at a town hall in Philadelphia with Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. They shouted and booed loudly enough to drown out remarks from both officials and questions from the audience. On America Blog, Joe Sudbay describes these tactics as “thuggery that undermines democratic principles.” But thuggery seems just fine with some Republicans who, like Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Politico the days of civil town hall meetings are “over.” When asked if the Republican Party would use similar mob and shout tactics against Democrats, he said simply, “Wait until next year.” As Think Progress reported last week, these disruptive tactics have been used at a growing number of meetings and forums. This growing phenomenon is often marked by violence and absurdity. Recently, right-wing demonstrators hung Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.) in effigy outside of his office. Missing from the reporting of these stories is the fact that much of these protests are coordinated by public relations firms and lobbyists who have a stake in opposing President Obama’s reforms. The lobbyist-run groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, which orchestrated the anti-Obama tea parties earlier this year, are now pursuing an aggressive strategy to create an image of mass public opposition to health care and clean energy reform. The union movement has always supported free speech rights and the right to demonstrate and picket. But that’s not what these disruptions are about—they are crude and anti-democratic efforts to silence speakers, elected officials, in fact, in meetings with constituents—and intimidate people’s exercise of associational rights. Thousands of supporters for health care reform rallied June 25 in Washington, D.C., and with Congress on recess in August, union members and our allies plan to pack town halls and hold rallies across the nation to convey the message that Congress needs to enact health care reform now. Later today we will have more on recess actions on health care reform. AFL-CIO NOW Blog

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Enough to Sign

In the “A Better Union Bill” editorial (BDN, July 23), the paper rehashes the worn-down stereotype of a key provision of the employee free choice act — majority sign-up. When I enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and later the U.S. Army, I signed my name both times. When I bought a car, I needed to sign on the dotted line. No one questioned my choices. I was not coerced nor tricked into fighting for my country, nor buying a car. The BDN correctly recognized the stalling, abuse and harassment that workers often face when forming a union, so why not recognize my signature as proof that I want a union? Majority sign-up is based on a simple idea: If a majority of workers say that they want a union, they should get a union. The Employee Free Choice Act also allows workers to form a union through a ballot election, but the point is that workers are in control, not the boss. The editorial needlessly questioned the status of majority signup in Congress. Majority sign-up is alive and well because it restores balance and is the best way for workers to form a union freely and fairly, without intimidation or harassment. Speculating on what may be part of a bill that has yet to be introduced is both fruitless and counterproductive. Congress must vote on majority sign-up because we desperately need legislation to level the playing field for working people. Ted Rippy Brewer Ted is 771's secretary. His letter was published in the August 1, 2009 edition of the Bangor Daily News. GO TED!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Own a piece of the movement

Yesterday, August 4th, was our President's birthday. And we wanted to celebrate in style.
SEIU has partnered with Florida-based artist Derek Gores to create an original piece of art for those closest to the movement to fix health care. Using words, photographs, and symbols of our movement as inspiration, Mr. Gores has captured this unique moment in our nation's history.
The past few weeks have proven that in order to break the gridlock in Washington, we're going to have try harder, shout louder, and be more active in our communities than ever before. But if each of us pitches in, there's no doubt we'll win this thing.
The current bill in Congress, H.R. 3200 "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," will dramatically expand access to care and finally put a leash on health insurance companies. As we prepare to fight for reform with everything we've got, take a moment to enjoy Mr. Gores' vision of what our country might look like once we win.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Obama trims sails on Health Reform

White House alters pitch in bid to reinvigorate president’s signature issue by Ceci Connolly WASHINGTON - From the start of his presidency, Barack Obama made clear that his plan for enacting comprehensive health-care reform came down to three words: fast, broad and bipartisan. That was then. Now, as lawmakers begin to flee Washington for a month-long recess, the White House team is retooling its message and strategy, hoping a more modest approach will reinvigorate Obama's signature domestic policy initiative and give him a first-year victory for Democrats to carry into the 2010 mid-term elections. Legislative wrangling, a well-coordinated Republican opposition and the sheer complexity of an issue that consumes nearly one-fifth of the nation's economy have taken a toll on the president and his bold ambitions. Polls show that support for Obama's handling of health reform has declined as anxiety deepens about its effect on middle-class, insured Americans. "There was a view that because of the recession this could be sold as an economic fix," said Howard Paster, President Bill Clinton's legislative affairs director in 1993. "That's not selling. The public has spoken loudly." With the debate shifting from partisan-charged Capitol Hill to the kitchens, diners and churches of America, Democrats are under pressure to counter the GOP's "risky experiment" story line. Four congressional committees have approved bills, largely on party lines, that would require that every person carry health insurance, would offer credits to families and small businesses that have trouble affording coverage and would begin to realign financial incentives toward performance-based care. A key fifth committee in the Senate is negotiating a more centrist bill, which could pave the way for a less-ambitious compromise. "Over the next few weeks, we must build upon the historic consensus that has been forged and do the hard work necessary to seize this unprecedented opportunity," Obama said Saturday. Eyeing success By leaving the bill-writing up to Congress, Obama is better-positioned to claim success no matter which bill is adopted. Already, he has abandoned his opposition to the proposed requirement that everyone have insurance, known as an individual mandate, and signaled a willingness to consider financing schemes -- including tax increases -- that originally were not on his agenda. His patient, hands-off style -- reminiscent of his methodical primary campaign last year -- has frustrated some anxious Democrats but stands in stark contrast to Clinton's unsuccessful strategy of crafting a 1,300-page bill in secret and then pressing lawmakers to approve it. Both political parties and dozens of interest groups intend to be heavily engaged throughout August with television ads, door-to-door campaigning, traditional town hall meetings and Internet-based, grass-roots activities. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, previewing a hectic month of travel for the entire Cabinet, makes appearances in Philadelphia on Sunday and Connecticut on Monday. Obama, too, will strike out beyond the Beltway with large rallies to energize supporters. Emphasizing market reforms Guided by polls, the administration intends to emphasize insurance market reforms -- prohibiting practices that have made buying coverage impossible or excessively expensive for many who are sick, older or had a prior illness. The theme of Sebelius's event Sunday with Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and a webcast Friday is "Health Insurance Reform: What's in It for You?" Those regulatory changes -- included in every bill in Congress -- address the most common frustrations of the 180 million people who have health insurance. "If you're an American with insurance, you're saying, 'Where am I in this debate?' " said senior White House adviser David Axelrod. "We want to make sure that people understand" the many items in the legislation targeted to such individuals. Axelrod acknowledged that two critical constituencies -- senior citizens and women -- need to be reassured that reform will translate into the "security and stability" that Obama promises. "That's work that we need to do," the adviser said in an interview. For months, the White House assiduously courted industry trade groups, attempting to neutralize historically powerful opponents of change. But the talking points for the August recess have moved to a sharper critique of business interests. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and top lieutenants have warned that they are not bound by deals the White House struck with drugmakers and insurers. "The glory days are coming to an end for the health insurance industry," she said Friday. More than rhetoric The shift may be more than rhetorical. Speaking of the 100 members of the Senate, White House health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle said: "I could get 100 votes" on the insurance changes being touted by Obama. If Congress enacted only the insurance provisions, it would still represent a significant achievement, though far less than the broad overhaul many expect. Administration officials have also begun whispering a phrase used during the presidential campaign, speaking of putting the nation on a "glide path" to universal coverage rather than the insurance-for-all trumpeted by many Democrats. Though few remember, Obama never promised coverage to all 47 million uninsured Americans. A slower, phased-in attempt to cover everyone would help reduce the cost of legislation. "A bill that gets us on a glide path is a win," said one Democratic strategist who recently visited the White House and spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment on administration strategy. Many of Obama's problems of the past six weeks mirror the natural course of a new president pursuing a broad agenda. Although some allies question the wisdom of Obama's get-it-done-now approach, Republican pollster Bill McInturff said it made sense. "The longer legislation is around, inevitably the more you focus on the pain part," he said. Weakening his brand The Obama brand -- long the envy of politicians of every stripe -- has weakened as voters examine a record that has thus far entailed huge government spending to help the economy, said McInturff, who was a key strategist in the defeat of the Clinton plan. "This is not irrevocable, and it doesn't mean the fate of health care has been settled," he said. "We're going into this incredibly intense period where the fight for the hearts and minds of these members of Congress will be substantial." Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) said, "Voters will punish people if we don't move ahead." But he and other senators have voiced frustration at being shut out of the negotiations. Splits Democrats say they are concerned that they are losing the message wars and facing substantive disagreements within their ranks. "Americans are asking what's in it for them, and I don't think the Democrats have responded as directly as we should on that," said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). With so much attention focused on the legislative brawls and missed deadlines, he said, "it looks like we're drifting." Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) fretted that the debate has been "dizzying" for the average American and that "there's an awful lot of substance that needs to be fleshed out as well." Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) said that there is sufficient time for Congress to deliberate but that Obama should be "very aggressive" this month in rebutting attacks by well-funded interest groups. "He's got to get tough," Rockefeller said, "maybe tougher than he's ever been." The tensions have prompted Senate Democratic leaders to revive threats to use a parliamentary procedure to force health-care legislation through on a simple 51-vote majority rather than a filibuster-proof 60 votes. A month away from Washington may provide a much-needed "breather," as Rockefeller put it. But there are inherent risks for Obama when lawmakers who have yet to cast a vote are exposed to four weeks of intensive lobbying at home. "He needs to make sure he doesn't have a lot of defections" by Democratic lawmakers or industry groups that could return in September with new demands, Paster said. "His first year is going to be judged by how well he handles this issue," Paster continued. "If there is a health bill by Christmas, it will be deemed to have been a good first year." from MSNBC.com

SEIU Working to Repeal Provisions that Reduce Social Security Benefits if You Start Working in Public Sector

The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) are two provisions under Social Security which either reduce or eliminate retiree Social Security benefits upon retirement. Tell your Representative and Senator to repeal these harmful provisions. There are a variety of proposals which have been offered that would either revise or eliminate the GPO and WEP. SEIU supports the Social Security Protection Act (S. 484/H.R. 235) sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representatives Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and Buck McKeon (R-CA) that would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) allowing public employees to collect the benefits they have earned upon retirement. It is great to see Senator Collins' name on the list of sponsors. Click here to show your support by signing SEIU's petition.