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Friday, February 23, 2007

In this Washington CAN! e-newsletter, you will find:

1.                  Seattle Cancer Patient Lobbies for Insurance Reform

2.                  Call Today to restore Basic Health!

3.                  Town hall Meetings: An opportunity to speak up for health care!

1. Seattle Cancer Patient Lobbies for Insurance Reform

Meet Washington CAN! member Jeanne Sather.  Jeanne is a cancer patient, a journalist, a prolific blogger, and an inspiring activist.  Check out her blog at www.assertivepatient.com

This week, Jeanne writes about her experience lobbying with Washington CAN!

I get my health insurance through a very expensive plan in Washington state, a high-risk pool for people like me who health insurance companies refuse to insure.

…Because the premiums are so high, many, if not most, of the people this plan was designed to insure cannot afford it, and they are without health insurance.

The other big problem is that there is a cap on benefits of $1 million. Now, that may sound like a lot of money, and it is, but it doesn’t buy a lot of health care in today’s market, especially cancer care.

…My care costs more than $300,000 a year, or about $30,000 a month, so I calculate that I will hit that cap before the end of the calendar year.

…What to do? Well, as a start, I took myself off to Olympia yesterday, to lobby my state lawmakers.

I tagged along with a grassroots organization called WashingtonCAN, which was there to lobby for better health insurance coverage for all, and also for immigration reform.

… we lobbied for House Bill 1569, which is intended to reform the private health insurance industry by making it harder for health insurance companies to “cherry-pick” healthy people to collect premiums from and leave the sick folks like me to scramble as best we can for coverage.

Will you join Jeanne in lobbying your legislators on health care reform?  Email your legislators today!

http://action.washingtoncan.org

2. Call today to restore Basic Health

Legislative debate about state budget priorities is heating up.  Is health care one of your priorities?

Call the toll-free legislative hotline today or email your legislators to let them know.

1-800-562-6000

“Restore 20,000 Basic Health slots”

Basic Health is a popular state program that provides sliding scale health coverage to low-income Washington residents.  Yet despite broad public support, legislators have failed to sufficiently fund the program.

Take action today to restore Basic Health!

1-800-562-6000

“Restore 20,000 Basic Health slots”

In 2001, Washington voters approved Initiative 773 that provided dedicated funding to expand of the Basic Health Plan.  At that time, approximately 130,000 Washingtonians had health insurance through the program.

While enough revenue has been collected each year to dramatically expand Basic Health, I-773 was never enacted as the voters intended.  Instead, amidst budget pressures, the Legislature chose to cut enrollment by 30,000 slots and re-direct the I-773 funds. Washington missed the opportunity to expand affordable health care to tens of thousands of people each year. 

We’ve felt the consequences.  The numbers of uninsured have risen dramatically.  There are now 600,000 uninsured Washingtonians. 

Today, the Basic Health Plan has an enrollment of 106,500.  This year, we’re asking legislators to restore 20,000 Basic Health slots, returning enrollment close to 2001 levels. 

Join us!  Take action today to restore Basic Health!

1-800-562-6000

“Restore 20,000 Basic Health slots”

3. Town Hall Meetings: An opportunity to speak up for health care!

Many legislators host town hall meetings to meet with their constituents and hear their concerns.

Attending a town hall is your chance to tell your representatives and senators which issues are important to YOU!  These meetings provide the perfect opportunity to send the message that all Washington residents deserve secure access to quality, affordable health care.

Visit our website for information about a town hall in your area and sample questions on health care!

Washington CAN!


 With over 30,000 members across the state, Washington CAN! is the state’s largest grassroots community organization. Washington CAN! fights for progressive social change at the local, state, and national levels, with a focus on issues that most directly affect the lives of Washington residents. Our mission is to achieve economic fairness in order to establish a democratic society characterized by racial and social justice, with respect for diversity, and a decent quality of life for those who reside in Washington State. www.WashingtonCAN.org

 

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