Today or tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives will pass a bill that repeals the Healthcare Reform Act that was signed into law last year. That, of course, is the law that has generated so much controversy in this country. I personally support this much needed law.
If you also support this law, don’t worry at all when you hear that the House has repealed it. It’s all a big show.
The Republican Party campaigned in 2010 promising to repeal the law. And they will take this first step. But that’s as far as it will go. The next step would be for the repeal to be considered by the U.S. Senate and the Democratic Party still runs things over there. But, let’s think worst case scenario. Let’s say that the Senate also repeals the law. In that case, the next step is the repeal legislation would go to the President and guess what he will do? He’ll veto the bill.
When a bill is vetoed, it goes back to the House and the Senate. Both of those bodies can override what the President did but they have to get two-thirds of their body to vote for repeal. And the Republicans don’t have those numbers.
So, you can watch what is going on with interest if you’ve got nothing to do. The Republicans are just doing this so they can go back to their constituents and tell them that they “fought” to repeal that “horrible law.”
At this point, I assume you know that a new health care system is being implemented in this country. If you don’t know this then…..well, there is no sense in reading this cause, honey, you are on another planet.
We’ve heard all the arguing and seen some of the commercials and watched the elections and all. We’ve heard how the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has vowed to repeal the new law. Well, that’s a total crock because while the House of Representatives will vote to repeal it, it’s unlikely that the Senate will do the same and, if by some chance they do repeal it, well, Obama-Man is sitting there with his ole veto pen. End of story.
We’re gonna be living with this new law for some time. That being the case, I thought I would regularly send you a short explanation of what all of this means to you to cut through all of the stuff that you see and don’t have time to sort out.
A number of the provisions of the law will not take effect for quite a while, but some things are already in effect. So, right now, here’s the deal:
Any health plan that you get through your job or any new individual plan has to let any kids you have under 19 to have coverage. In other words, they cannot be denied coverage if they are already sick or have some medical condition.
If your health insurance allows you to have coverage for your dependents, then they can be covered until they are 26 years old. After that, you kick them out of the house and they’re on their own.
Insurance companies cannot drop you from their plans when you get sick just because you made a mistake on your coverage application.
Many insurance companies say that during your lifetime you can only be covered up to a certain point. Today, there are no limits.
If your employer offers a health plan, you generally can’t be turned away or charged a higher premium because of your health status or disability. This protection is called “nondiscrimination.”
If family members are eligible but are not currently enrolled under your health plan at work, you may be able to add them during a “special enrollment” opportunity outside of the usual “open enrollment” period.
In keeping with my promise to keep you informed of issues in the U.S. Congress, I wanted to bring to your attention legislation that was recently introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Congresswoman Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) that will raise the public’s understanding and awareness of Emergency Contraception (EC).
The bill is called the “EC Education Act” and it would fund public-education campaigns about this medication, letting people know that it is available, safe, and effective at preventing pregnancy. The bill would allow states to fund outreach programs to doctors, pharmacists, and women to increase their awareness about EC. This effort comes at a good time because some studies indicated that many women do not use EC because they underestimate their chances of becoming pregnant. Improving public education and awareness could help reduce the estimated three million unintended pregnancies that occur in the U.S. every year. In the U.S., emergency contraception is now available over the counter for adults and by prescription for those under age 17.
Of course, we expect the radical anti-abortion groups to come out in opposition to these bills. As they have always done, they will try to confuse the public about EC by comparing it to abortion.
So, what can you do today to help this bill become law?
If your Senators and Congressman are pro-choice (contact me if you’re not sure), send them a simple email asking them to “cosponsor this legislation.” After a bill is introduced, it – along with thousands of other bills – is referred to a committee. That committee will not consider the bill unless they have an idea that there is support for it. So, a Member of Congress can indicate that support by “co-sponsoring” the bill.
If your Senators and Congress are anti-abortion, tell them they should support the bill because Emergency Contraception is one way to prevent abortions! And don’t let them tell you that 72 hours after unprotected sex, there is a “baby” in the woman’s uterus. Gimme a break!
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