Category: Health Care Reform Forum - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Letters to the Editor Re: Health Care - What You Can Do Now

2/23/2021

Letters to the Editors for Health Care
(and other issues affecting the common good)

Health Care Reform Forum

Health Care Reform Forum is working to keep affordable and accessible care in the forefront of legislators and the public. One of the most effective ways to do this is to write a letter to the editor.

To submit letters by email:

QCTimes and Bettendorf News: https://qctimes.com/forms/contact/letter_to_the_editor/

North Scott Press: https://www.northscottpress.com/forms/letters/

Dispatch/Argus: https://qconline.com/forms/contact/letter_to_the_editor/

Tips for Effective Letters to the Editor:

Keep it short (200 words or fewer).
Respond directly to something that's been published in the paper.
Include points about your personal experience.
You are most likely to get published in publications where you live.
If possible, mention the name of your specific legislator.

Themes specific to health care issues:

Everyone needs access to affordable prescriptions when they are sick.
President Biden and the new Congress must make lowering drug prices a top priority as part of their "building back better" efforts.
Without measures to make medicines more affordable, millions here and abroad won’t have access to affordable COVID vaccines and medicines.
To make prescriptions affordable, lawmakers must step in to end the drug corporations’ monopoly control to set prices high and charge us more.
Pandemic Treatment Access & Affordability Act (HR 597)
Lower Drug Costs Now Act (HR 3) - Passed House in November of 2019.

If you'd like more specific letter templates, contact office manager Julie Ross.

What You Can Do Now - Enrollment in the ACA Opened

2/16/2021

New Opportunity For ACA Health Insurance! Update

The Biden Administration is offering a new enrollment opportunity for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (the ACA or Obamacare) from February 15th through August 15th.

An estimated 9 million Americans may be eligible for low- or no-cost insurance from the ACA. Log on to Healthcare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 to explore your options.

If you have lost your health insurance during the pandemic, or for any other reason are uninsured, you may qualify for coverage. If you know someone who may be uninsured, encourage them to check out their options on the ACA.

Please help share this good news by reprinting the flier and posting it at your church, on community bulletin boards, or wherever it may be seen.

Thank you!

The PACG Health Care Reform Forum

Julie Ross

Open Enrollment for ACA Nov 1st to Dec 15th

10/20/2020

Spread the Word About the ACA! Open Enrollment Starts Soon
November 1st through December 15th

Health Care Reform Forum

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is still the law of the land!

Uninsured families, including those who have lost health insurance or have lost income due to the pandemic, may qualify for insurance and/or a subsidy on the ACA Marketplace. Open enrollment is from November 1st through December 15th.

You can help share this good news by:
1. Encouraging any friend, neighbor or family member that you think might need health insurance to check out their eligibility on HealthCare.gov.

2. Distributing or posting a flier about the ACA enrollment on community bulletin boards, in barber shops, salons laundromats, churches, etc. Place these wherever (especially, low income) people might see them.

3. Download and print “Need Health Insurance?” fliers like the one below, or contact me for copies.

Frank Samuelson

need_health_insurance_2020.pdf
File Size:	42 kb
File Type:	pdf

Voting for Health Care In November - What You Can Do Now

9/16/2020

Voting for Health Care
Early Voting and by Tuesday, November 3rd

Health Care Reform Forum

As progressives we know that government support for good health care is a central issue in the coming election. We know that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has been weakened and the number of uninsured Americans has increased over the past four years. An estimated 5.4 million have lost their health insurance since the start of the pandemic. And there is currently a court case seeking to repeal the law completely, with no plan to replace it.

If you believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, please support candidates committed to improving and expanding health insurance, toward the goal of universal coverage for all Americans. You can help by being a health care voter yourself, and also by encouraging others - family, friends and neighbors - to vote for candidates who promise to improve and expand health care and health insurance for all Americans.

Please join us in sending letters to the editors of the QC Times and the Dispatch/Argus in support of this issue. Help us send a flood of letters that will encourage our QC neighbors to make health care a priority as they vote in the coming weeks.

Your letter may be brief or detailed, personal or general. If you have a personal experience, or know a friend who, for instance, has pre-existing conditions, tell that story.

To send your letter to the Quad-City Times click here: Submit a letter.

To send your letter to the Dispatch/Argus click here: Submit a letter.

Letters should be 250 words or less.

Frank Samuelson

Informed Voter Series Town Hall

7/28/2020

Informed Voter Series: Medicare Anniversary Town Hall
via Zoom
Thursday, July 30th at 4:00 pm

Voter Information

Medicare was signed into law on July 30, 1965. We will be celebrating the anniversary of Medicare with a town hall. We have invited both Senator Joni Ernst and Senatorial Democratic Candidate Theresa Greenfield to attend and address voters' concerns about Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, prescription drug policies and health care.

Theresa Greenfield has accepted our invitation and will be present to discuss her health care policies. Senator Joni Ernst has not yet responded to our request.

The Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans, American Association of University Women, Americans for Democratic Action Iowa, Iowa Lower Drug Prices Now, National Organization for Women, Progressive Action for the Common Good, and Iowa Citizen Action Network are partnering to bring you this Informed Voter Series.

An RSVP to this event is required.

Allison Ambrose, President

ACA Deadline for Laid-Off Workers

6/2/2020

ACA Deadlines Near For Laid-Off Workers

Health Care Reform Forum

Workers who were laid off due to the coronavirus shutdown, and who lost their employer health insurance, have a 60-day window of opportunity to seek replacement insurance on the Affordable Care Marketplace.

Low-income or unemployed workers may be eligible for subsidized insurance on the ACA. If you know anyone who might qualify for this benefit, encourage them to go to www.healthcare.gov/ to see if they qualify. They must apply within 60 days of becoming unemployed.

Frank Samuelson

What You Can Do Now - ACA Enrollment After Job Loss Due to the Pandemic

4/16/2020

Letter to the Editor - Important Update
Regarding ACA Enrollment After Job Loss

Health Care Reform Forum

On behalf of, and with the approval of, the PACG Health Care Reform Forum, I submitted the letter that follows to the local QC newspapers, and it was published on Saturday, April 11. My involvement with PACG was duly noted. If you know of anyone who has lost his/her job and associated health insurance, please bring the potential assistance that might be available at healthcare.gov to his/her attention.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, millions of Americans are losing their jobs. Those with employer-provided health insurance may also be losing that coverage at the worst possible time: leaving them with potentially no income and, if they become ill, no insurance coverage. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) offers them valuable resources.

Iowa and Illinois residents in that situation may be able to get insurance on the federal ACA Marketplace. They may also qualify for a premium subsidy or for coverage under Medicaid. The website healthcare.gov allows them to explore their options. It is important to note that they have a 60-day window after losing their employment in which to apply.

Although some insurers have waived some consumer costs of coronavirus treatment, such costs can still be very high, especially if hospitalization is required; moreover, other health care issues (broken leg, appendicitis) may still arise. Having good health insurance is essential.

The coronavirus pandemic has made us acutely aware of how important it is for all Americans to have access to good health care. The Affordable Care Act has already provided health insurance for millions of uninsured families, and it is there for many of us who need the coverage now. Our people need our government to uphold that law, not seek its overthrow in the courts.

One of the lessons we must learn from this terrible time is that good health care coverage needs to be strengthened and expanded to cover everyone, in good times as well as bad.

Karen Metcalf, Co-facilitator
Health Care Reform Forum
Progressive Action for the Common Good

After Action Report - PPE Donation by Health Care Reform Forum

4/2/2020

Lending a Hand - After Action Report

Davenport Salvation Army

Health Care Reform

Some of you will remember that way back before the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the PACG Health Care Reform Forum had a project to collect hand prints from individuals in our community as part of our advocacy for national health care legislation. Participants used latex gloves to protect their hands from the paint that was used. When the ACA was passed, the project was discontinued, but we still had many gloves.

This week, as the call went out in our community for personal protective equipment (PPE)—including latex gloves—the Forum was able to donate our surplus of gloves for the use of firefighters and EMTs (for whom protection, but not sterility, is critical). And just how many gloves did we provide? Between 5000 and 6000! It felt good to help our community, even in this small way. Truly, this is the core mission of Progressive ACTION for the COMMON Good.

Iowa Caucus Monday, February 3rd at 7:00 pm

1/28/2020

The Iowa Caucus Is Less Than A Week Away!
Monday, February 3rd at 7:00 pm

Message from the President

Hello Progressives,

Can you believe that, after all these months, the Iowa Caucus is less than a week away? I encourage you all to attend and participate in our democracy!

If you want to know more about the process for your party's caucus, please see Iowa Democratic Caucuses or Iowa Republican Caucuses Blog posts on our website.

In addition, the PACG Forum Facilitators have written resolutions that they would like to see in both parties' platforms. You can access these from our website through the Resolution Blog post links below. I encourage you to download these resolutions and take them to your caucus site where they will be gathered. The more that are turned in, the better the chance of getting them into the platform.

If you are passionate about an issue, volunteer for the Platform Committee. Inquire at the caucus about this.

We look forward to gathering with our members and neighbors at the caucuses on Monday, February 3rd!

Note: These resolutions express the position of our forums and not necessarily of PACG as a whole.

Civil Rights Forum Platform Resolutions
Drug Policy Forum Platform Resolutions
Environmental Forum Platform Resolutions
Health Care Reform Forum Platform Resolutions

Allison Ambrose

Health Care Reform Forum - 2020 Platform Resolutions

1/27/2020

2020 Platform Resolutions - Health Care Reform Forum

Here are the Health Care Reform Forum party platform resolutions. Print the ones you support and bring them with you when you caucus on Monday, February 3rd.

health_care_reform_platform_resolutions_2020.docx
File Size:	13 kb
File Type:	docx

health_care_reform_platform_resolutions_2020.pdf
File Size:	62 kb
File Type:	pdf

Issue: the Cost of Prescription Drugs for Iowans

Whereas Americans of all walks of life are feeling the pressures of the high price of prescription drugs;

Whereas several states, including some bordering Iowa, have discussed banding together in a consortium to address the price of prescription drugs;

Whereas studies have shown that the larger the purchase of a particular drug, the lower the price; and

Whereas a consortium of like-minded states could enable a smaller state like Iowa to participate in the cost savings of large purchases that Iowa alone would not be able to realize; now, be it

Resolved that the state of Iowa shall willingly and with all possible speed agree to join such a consortium if one is discussed with like-minded states, in order to realize the largest possible savings on prescriptions for the citizens of the state.