|
|
| Home | Calendar | About Us | Join Us/Renew | Contact Us | |
|
|
Advocacy - Health Care |
|
|
Member: Forget the password?
Contact the . |
Members Testify At Senate Hearing  Sidney Watson, Women's Voices member and professor of law, Center for Health Law Studies, St. Louis University, told the committee why Missouri should set up its own exchange rather than allow the federal government to create one under the Affordable Care Act. Members Amy Smoucha and Stacey Sickler were responsible for the large number of attendees at this hearing. There was standing room only, and it was estimated that 75 percent of those in attendance were supportive of the ACA and Missouri implementing health insurance exchanges. Members Joyce Clark, Bunnie Gronborg and Jeanne Bubb also attended the hearing. Of the 37 people who testified, only seven were opposed to creating a health exchange in Missouri. You Can Help Move The Affordable Care Act ForwardWomen's Voices has joined 130 other organizations by endorsing the Missouri Health Care for All principles affirming that every Missourian should have access to quality, affordable health care, no matter where they live or how much money they make. Women's Voices is advocating for two important provisions of the Affordable Care Act. One is the development of an insurance marketplace (health exchange) where individuals and small businesses can compare and choose health insurance policies that fit their needs. Another is the creation of a rate review process for Missouri which would give consumers the ability to easily compare insurance premiums offered by all carriers. Here are ways you can help: Numbers Count - Endorse Our PrinciplesLegislators can be influenced if they know that tens of thousands of Missourians stand for health care justice. We want you to add your name to those of the 7,400 individuals who have endorsed the Missouri Health Care for All principles. Read the principles, and if you agree, you can add your endorsement by clicking the link on that page.Stoies Speak - Tell Us YoursHas a member of your family been eagerly awaiting turning 65 to become eligible for Medicare? Is the deductible or co-pay (or both) so high on your health insurance that you put off going to the doctor? Are you thrilled that your grandchild with a medical condition who is in his early 20s is now able to stay on his parents' insurance? Tell us your experience with the health care system and what you think needs to be fixed.The Women's Voices Health Care Advocacy group is collecting stories relating to problems with health insurance, such as rate increases, huge premiums and high deductibles which have interfered with your ability to secure affordable, quality health care. These stories will be used by Missouri Health Care For All, Jobs With Justice, and other groups when advocating for implementation of the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act. Contact us at with "Health Story" in the subject line (or print this form and send it to the address at the bottom of the form), and we will arrange a time to talk with you. We will then put your account into a narrative form for use on a website or in a publication. We may also use it as testimony for legislative hearings or public meetings. After talking with us, you can choose whether to have your name made public or to remain anonymous when your story is released. If you don't have a personal story, you may have a friend or relative who does. Please urge them to share their story with us. With your stories, the organizations on the ground will have the tools they need to demand quality health care for us all. Presentations on the Affordable Care ActOver the last year members of the Women's Voices Health Care Advocacy Committee have coordinated power point presentations for groups interested in learning about the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Participants in the programs were pleased to learn how the new law affects them and their families. Their questions were answered by expert presenters from Missouri Health Care For All, Jobs With Justice, or the Missouri Foundation for Health. Several more presentations have been scheduled for the fall of 2011.To request a presentation for your group send an email to , and a member of our committee will contact you. Questions about the Health Care Act?These documents show how the law affects us all and what it means for children, seniors, workers, small businesses and more. You can also see a time line of when some of the important changes will take effect.Missouri Health Care For All: Fact Sheet What health care law means for women What health care law means for children What health care law means for seniors What health care law means for seniors - long term care What health care law means for Missouri's workers How law helps rural communities How law helps small businesses How law helps health care professionals How law helps those with disabilities Health care reform and mental illness St. Louis University Center For Health Law Studies: What happens immediately The New Law Missouri Budget Project: The Clock is Ticking - Timeline for reforms healthcareandyou.org (New website created by coalition of medical groups) Timeline By state Alliance For Retired Americans: How to Respond when someone says "The New Health Care Law is Bad for Seniors" Health Care Benefits for Seniors in 2011 This short, animated movie — featuring the “YouToons” — explains the problems with the current health care system, the changes that are happening now, and the big changes coming in 2014. Written and produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Narrated by Cokie Roberts, a news commentator for ABC News and NPR and a member of Kaiser’s Board of Trustees. Creative production and animation by Free Range Studios. Here's the link to the video, if you want to share it with friends: http://womensvoicesraised.org/advocacy.shtml#healthVideo |
"Unlike other advanced countries, we treat access to health care as a privilege rather than a right. This attitude turns out to be inefficient as well as cruel." ... Paul Krugman |