The Wisconsin State Supreme Court last night has overturned a lower court decision and it is now illegal for Wisconsinite public workers to collectively bargain. This is a detrimental blow to the working middle class of Wisconsin and potentially to the working middle class of the entire country. However this can also be used as a positive. We can use this to open our eyes and realize we all must get involved. Remember we have power in numbers.
If you do not want this to happen here you must call your representatives and tell them to oppose the proposed bill which makes it illegal to negotiate over health benefits or you will not vote for them next election. Have everyone you know do the same. If we do not tell our representatives what we want, they will do what they think we want, or what will help them the most. If you know your Reps name and need a phone number, ask me for it. If you don't know who your Reps are call 888-875-6558 and punch in your zip code and you will be connected.
Also, we will be meeting at the Masonic Temple on Barrak Street downtown at 9:00 AM on 6/16/11 to coordinate for a rally in front of the State House at 10:00 AM. We are going to be joined by other Unions, the teachers, local fire and police and others. If you cannot take off the whole day, try to take a few hours and come down for lunch. We need to show a huge presence to show these politicians we mean business. Don't forget to wear red.
We can no longer sit back and let others do the work. It is time to stand up for our rights. This is the bottom of the ninth with two outs. We are the last batter. Let's hit one out of the park and win this game
Workers will have to pay up to 30% of the costs of their health insurance premiums. But what, if anything, will be done to check the skyrocketing price of those premiums? Sweeney won't say.
New Jersey's two senators and the congressman New Jerseyans most closely associate with health care reform are joining forces to speak out against Governor Christie's "draconian" cuts to Medicaid, which will result would result in the loss of medical care for tens of thousands of residents of their home state.
Christie has shown repeatedly that New Jerseyans falling through cracks are not high priority for him - low-income women and people suffering from pain or cancer can attest to that - but in this case the governor is actually widening those cracks.
I listened to a conference call today in which Senator Bob Menendez continued to oppose the Republican plan to end Medicare (a plan which every New Jersey Republican Congressman supports.) For me, the main takeaway was that Menendez is now pointing out that the Ryan plan would lead to cuts as soon as next year for senior health care, such as wellness visits, and would affect thousands of New Jerseyans. Americans already hate the plan so this message, it seems to me, is very important. He vowed to oppose any plan that would end "Medicare as we know it," including an absurd plan from a questioner where ending Medicare was recast as somehow being like health care plans for federal workers. He is open to improved efficiencies like those Democrats already passed in health care reform last year. In short, he was excellent and we could only wish the Democrats from other states were as reliable on this issue.
I'm sorry that this is such a short post and that I didn't ask the Senator any questions myself, but when I called the state police for a helicopter to take me to work they hung up on me. Then my limo didn't show up and I had to walk a hundred yards. So you can see I just won't have time to blog well for a few days.
Twas a good convention. I was moved by speeches given by Chair John Wisniewski, our Senator Frank Lautenberg and most notably the one passionately delivered by Speaker Sheila Oliver. The theme of all was: remember why we're Democrats, and go back to the grass roots who share our values. Young people, candidates, vendors and many interesting folk in attendance. The breakout sessions were informative, and meeting other Dems was most satisfying. Made some great connections with other women throughout the state who want to help with the womens' access to health care issue. Also enjoyed meeting some of the very famous Blue Jersey bloggers in person. They were all over the convention. Rosi, with her trusty computer, kept all of you up to date in real time.
But why do some in our ranks continue to try to plant negative stories with the press? Not designed to help anyone!
Along with the Women's Political Caucus, we hosted the Women's Health Roundtable in Trenton this past week. Very well attended and representatives of the various groups including nurses and other health professionals, womens' organizations, and providers were outspoken in describing what the cuts to these health programs mean for women and their families. Thanks to Jay Lassiter for being there with his camera. I did describe the Governor as having initiated a "war on women". Mike Drewniak, Gov's press secretary, responded with: 'that's over the top - everyone knows Chris Christie is a loving husband and devoted father to two daughters'. I would assume that's very true, and would only add: And they have very good health insurance and access to health care! more below...
Medicaid serves as a critical lifeline for the poor, disabled, and elderly. Now more than ever, New Jerseyans are relying upon Medicaid for access to the life-saving care and medications that they need.
That's why when Governor Christie announced in his budget proposal that a comprehensive Medicaid waiver would be submitted to the federal government, I reacted with concern. The Governor has said that he anticipates a savings of $300 million from this waiver, but has not released any of the details explaining how and where he intends to realize this savings.
Public workers gained the right to negotiate terms and conditions of employment, including health care, in 1968. Governor Christie thinks he can erase 43 years of successfully laying out fair agreements with the unions. He claims it is shared sacrifice for the good of the State. He is really trying to springboard himself to a national playing field.
If Governor Christie was interested in "shared sacrifice" as his rhetoric would have you believe, would he cut taxes on millionaires while increasing them for lower income workers? That makes no sense. His real goal is to bust the unions.
The state and the workers have been at the table for over a month now, with no result, because Christie is stalling for time to try to pass his union-busting bill that will strip public workers of their right to come to a fair agreement over health care benefits. This does not sound like a man who "loves collective bargaining"
"Language matters" - loving collective bargaining, shared sacrifice. The Governor needs to sit down and get some language into a fair agreement between the State and the workers.
Governor Chris Christie, self proclaimed "lover of collective bargaining" refuses to collectively bargain over health care. Is he a liar? Is he confused about what love is? Is he only concerned with union busting? Lets examine the facts.
The CWA proposed a health care system, over a month ago, that saves the tax payers millions of dollars. The Governor refused to bargain health care. That sound like a lie. Then Chris stooped to name calling. That doesn't sound like love. Public workers have been collectively bargaining over conditions of employment including health care benefits for 43 years. Mr. Christie insists that health care will be legislated from now on. That sounds like union busting.
The CWA is serious about coming to an agreement that benefits workers and tax payers. Governor Chris Christie needs to stop grandstanding for the cameras to enhance his true ambitions, a run for the presidency, get out of his cage, and start working together to come up with a plan that benefits all of the people of the great State of New Jersey.
Yes, the Republican plan to abolish Medicare, cut Medicaid, and slash everything but the military ends up increasing the amount of debt at the end of ten years. That's the conclusion of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. (They give the money away in tax cuts.)
For a typical 65-year-old with average health spending enrolled in a plan with benefits similar to those currently provided by Medicare, the CBO estimated the beneficiary's spending on premiums and out-of-pocket expenditures as a share of a benchmark: what total health-care spending would be if a private insurer covered the beneficiary. By 2030, the beneficiary's spending would be 68 percent of that benchmark under the proposal, 25 percent under the extended-baseline scenario, and 30 percent under the alternative fiscal scenario.
This song, Bread and Roses (that's Judy Collins singing), takes its words from the poet James Oppenheim, whose writing was inspired by the women union organizers of his day. Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. The global recognition of women's struggle for voting, economic & civil rights had its birth in the socialist movement, and has always been observant of women's and children's economic vulnerability.
Today, 3 women on the Assembly Budget Committee - all Dems - took note of the setbacks women in NJ are dealing with under the Christie administration. A "monumental step backwards," as Nellie Pou calls it. Bonnie Watson Coleman talked about the real meaning of Chris Christie's "new normal"; it means "adjusting to a lower standard of living unless you are part of the wealthiest one percent in this state." Joan Quigley pointed out this marks the 2nd year the Christie administration "decided that access to cancer screenings, birth control and preventative care are unimportant for the working poor women of this state," adding "NJ has long been known as a progressive and compassionate state, but under the Christie administration we have taken a major step in the wrong direction."
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses! - full lyrics of this lovely poem/song posted after the jump
Disparaging public employees: There was a reference to "keeping faith" with public employees in Gov. Christie's budget address today. But the public-employee bashing came in the form of: "the rich benefits of the privileged few" who "do not contribute enough". And that sounded more like the man.
Rich: Indeed, for a governor who threw his lot in with New Jersey's richest the same year he touted "shared sacrifice", the only references in the entire speech to "rich" came not in describing his own wealthy contributors and slush fund pals, or the cushy class he protected by vetoing the millionaire's tax. In fact, that word - "rich" - was only used by Christie to describe New Jersey's public employees. A great number of whom are represented by labor unions, the very definition of middle class.
For-profit companies "turn around" hospitals, not with a magic bullet but with by, cutting corners, services, and staff. They do it with our tax dollars. And they do it in the dark. The New Jersey State Senate has an important opportunity on January 6 to bring the financial operations of these companies into the public light and out of secret boardrooms.
These for-profit hospitals use the same increasingly scarce public sources of funding - Medicare, Medicaid, Charity Care, and Family Care, as our non-profit hospitals. Yet the current financial reporting requirements are very weak. For-profit hospitals must be held to the same standards of financial transparency and accountability as our non-profit hospitals. Shouldn't the communities they serve know how much is being spent on compensation for top executives or on supplies and services provided by the owners' affiliates and subsidiaries-particuarly when much of the revenue is the result of our tax dollars? Maybe, but they are not.
If you're wondering why every newspaper refuses to endorse Jon Runyan, here's a summary of his Tuesday night debate performance:
He says members of Congress should read all the bills they pass; he wants to fully repeal the health care reform bill; and, it turns out, he hasn't read the health care bill.
With Chris Christie spending most of this month out of state for GOP political trips - sometimes with a powerful GOP lobbyist along, sometimes getting in the face of people with questions - NJDSC produced a video primer of our Governor, with some of the things he might not be mentioning as he helps Republican candidates rake in the money in the days leading up to the November election. Here it is, called "Consequences of Christie. Does it tell the story?
It's been a little over 24 hours since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act went into effect. Now, we have real reform that lowers costs, holds insurance companies accountable and guarantees more choice for consumers. Together, we fought against and beat back powerful special interests and partisan extremists to deliver real results and meaningful reform for Central Jersey's middle-class families. Not only were we able to ensure that this reform would be deficit neutral, it will even lower the debt by slowing the growth rate of health care costs. And this was all done in an effort to bring about better, more-accessible, high-quality health care for all.
more below the fold
There's a rally being planned outside the State House. Noon, Monday September 20th, the day of the veto override. More later. - promoted by Rosi
Blue Jersey, it's been a while since my last post here--too long, really--but I'm writing today on an issue I know you'll agree is of the utmost importance to our state. On September 20th, the state Senate will vote on whether or not to override Governor Christie's veto of life-saving women's health care funds.
You all know the statistics associated with this funding. $7.5 million. 136,000 patients served. $150 million in savings to the state last year. $9 in federal funds brought in for each state dollar spent.
But this issue is about more than statistics. It's about people. Keep reading below
I normally don't cross-post articles from my deciminyan blog that are not NJ-specific. But this topic will be a function of how the states proceed. With Gov. Christie's track record, it is important to keep the pressure on him to avoid additional blunders.
With the exception of newlyweds and doting grandparents, there are few celebrations of a six-month anniversary or birthday. Yet, this month - September 23rd specifically - there is an important half-year milestone for the United States.
That day will mark six months since the President signed the historic Affordable Care Act into law. And while the implementation of the provisions of the act will be phased in over the next several years, some of its benefits will start on September 23rd.
The bill that was signed last March is severely flawed. It is complex and will result in 50 somewhat disparate systems because much of the implementation is left up to the states. A Single Payer approach ("Medicare for All") would have been a better, more fiscally sound system, and the current bill is a boon to for-profit insurance companies. Nevertheless, it is a good start with some tangible benefits to be realized this month.
Coverage Expansion for Young Adults - Young adults up to age 26 can participate in their parents' health care plan.
No Rescissions - Bans all health plans from dropping people from coverage when they get sick.
No Lifetime Limits on Coverage - Prohibits all health plans for placing lifetime caps on coverage.
Tightly Regulates Annual Limits on Coverage - Tightly restricts the use of annual limits by all employer plans and new plans in the individual market, to ensure access to needed care.
Free Preventive Care Under New Plans - Requires new private plans to cover preventive services with no co-payments and with preventive services being exempt from deductibles.
New, Independent Appeals Process for New Plans - Ensures consumers in new plans have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal decisions.
No Discrimination Against Children with Pre-Existing Conditions - Prohibits all employer plans and new plans in the individual market from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Already exists in New Jersey, but will now be extended throughout the country.
Gov. Christie sat for an hour-long public TV interview called Christie: on the Line Thursday night. During the interview with Steve Adubato, the Governor said he wouldn't rule out joining other states - mostly with GOP governors - filing a lawsuit against the president's health care overhaul, despite acknowledging those same reforms allowed NJ to restore funding for seniors' prescription drugs.
After the show, NJDSC Chair John Wisniewski issued this statement:
Last week Chris Christie, bowing to pressure from Democrats, announced he was reversing course on huge cost increases for seniors in New Jersey's PAAD program. In passing he mentioned more money was available because of Health Care Reform passed by congressional Democrats and President Obama. On April 29th the Christie administration informed federal officials that New Jersey wanted to take part in a program of the Health Care Reform package that would distribute $141 million to the state for a high risk insurance pool.
Yet tonight on 'Christie on the Line' Governor Christie continued trying to appease the Tea Party and right wing of his party by saying he's still considering having the state join a lawsuit to overturn Health Care Reform and the enormous benefits it will bring to New Jersey families.
Since the Governor still isn't convinced that health care reform shouldn't be overturned, is he going to turn down the $141 million coming to the state for the high risk insurance pool and the roughly $45 million that he is using to restore his original cuts to PAAD?
It's time for Governor Christie to stop the hypocrisy and do what's best for New Jersey, not what's best for his national conservative reputation.
Here's the transcript of the relevant exchange on Christie: On the Line:
Steve from Chatham: Governor is there any chance New Jersey might join the other 20 or so states suing the federal government regarding health care?
Governor Christie: Yes there is a chance. I have the Attorney General and the Health Commissioner studying it and they'll advise me at the appropriate time.
As National Nurses' Week winds down, many nurses and healthcare workers are disheartened by the disconnect between nice ceremonies recognizing the importance of our work and the attacks on our working conditions and on the patient care we provide.
Nurses and health care workers fight to get healthcare right 365 days of the year. While lunches and ceremonies are nice, what we really want are the tools, the staff and the support we need to provide safe and effective care every day for our patients.
When our new Governor plays politics with our health care by recklessly slashing funding for programs like Family Care, family planning clinics, and prescription drug supports for seniors, he is making it harder for our patients to get the care they need, when they need it. That results in more uninsured patients in our crowded emergency rooms, or with patients sicker when they get to their doctor or hospital, because they couldn't afford their necessary medications.
Governor Christie boldly declared in his late-March budget address that the day of reckoning had arrived. His spending plan would chart a new course, he promised.
That course plunges New Jersey into dangerous waters, with women and children going first. Christie proposes slashing all state funding for women's health and reproductive services - $7.5 million - in a move that would undermine basic health care and erode fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the law.
No budget crisis can justify the evisceration of women's rights.
That funding allows over 50 health centers across the state to screen thousands of women for potentially fatal diseases such as breast cancer and cervical cancer. The centers dispense birth control, conduct annual gynecological exams, and provide prenatal care so that all children in New Jersey enter the world with a clean bill of health, regardless of their parents' income.
And while some family planning centers do provide abortions, the procedure constitutes only a sliver of the overall services these centers provide, and moreover, none of the state funding may go toward abortion.
In reality, these centers do more to prevent abortions than to provide them. Rather than decreasing the number of abortions, closing these centers would increase the number of unwanted pregnancies, which health centers could have prevented - the primary goal. In 2009, family planning agencies helped prevent 39,872 unintended pregnancies.
Most of the 140,000 patients treated at family planning centers last year were low-income. At least 70 percent of patients relied on family planning clinics as their sole health care provider, lacking health insurance or independent means to pay for medical care.
If these women qualify for benefits under the health care reform bill, they won't kick in until 2014 - a long time to wait for a checkup. According to The Washington Post, a single mother of two making $25,000 would not be eligible for Medicaid, which extends only to people making 133 percent of the poverty line or below.
The costs quickly add up. Without insurance, birth control costs women hundreds of dollars per year, and a pap smear - one of the most important tests for potentially deadly diseases - can cost thousands. People already struggling to make ends meet will avoid the doctor if it means putting up rent money or their children's winter coats to pay for it. The governor isn't cutting the budget; he's gambling with the fate of women's health.
Without state funding next year, the centers would serve 40,000 fewer patients, leaving an already vulnerable population with even less. In the midst of a recession, these services are more critical than ever. The recently passed health care legislation may offer some assistance in the coming years, but it won't keep the lights on in the only medical centers serving neighborhoods that need them the most.
Making matters worse, the Christie administration also withdrew an application for a Medicaid waiver that would have allowed these clinics to expand services using federal dollars. Clearly, the governor's financial concerns tell only part of the story.
Denying access to health care is just another way of denying women the ability to participate fully in society. In 1992, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor acknowledged the link between reproductive rights and gender equality in an opinion that she co-authored, along with Justices Anthony Kennedy and David Souter.
"The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the nation has been facilitated," O'Connor wrote, "by their ability to control their reproductive lives."
The ACLU-NJ has fought for women's control of their lives since it began 50 years ago. We helped establish abortion rights in New Jersey before Roe v. Wade, defended a doctor in the early Seventies who was arrested under the state's obscenity laws for giving housewives information about birth control pills, battled farcical restrictions denying women tubal ligations and beat back countless restrictions on the right to abortion.
Christie's proposed cuts could make us one of the least progressive states in the country when it comes to taking care of our residents.
It will cost New Jersey far more in the long run, both for the economy and society. For every dollar spent on family-planning services, the state saves four dollars in Medicaid costs. If these cuts go through, only women wealthy enough to afford skyrocketing medical costs or those with stable jobs and good benefits will be able to see a doctor.
Adding a medical crisis to a budget crisis is no cure. It's bad public policy and a catastrophe for public health.
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