The Supreme Court’s decision to review the constitutionality of health care reform means it will be issuing a ruling in the middle of the 2012 presidential campaign. This can be a highly politicized court, and, for the public good and its own credibility, it must resist that impulse.
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Latest NewsLeila from Louisville, Kentucky says Thanks ObamacareMarch 01, 2012 - Thanks Obamacare on Tumblr Leila from Louisville, KY is saying Thanks Obamacare because coverage of preventative care now includes colonoscopies. When colon cancer runs in your family that’s a big deal. Read full article (Thanks Obamacare on Tumblr website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, women Why Obamacare works: Four reasonsFebruary 23, 2012 - The Denver Post Now that Obamacare is making preventive care available with no co-pays or cost-sharing, Coloradans can get advice they need to stay healthy and the screenings they need to halt a serious disease at an early, more treatable, and more affordable stage. Preventive care has given me the opportunity to live a long and full life; I urge every insured Coloradan to take advantage of this key benefit so you can, too. Read full article (The Denver Post website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, small business, women, young people Why Obamacare is good for AmericaFebruary 23, 2012 - The Denver Post Decisions about our health care are too personal and important to be left to insurance companies. The Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obamacare, is putting all of us back in the driver's seat when it comes to our own health care. While full implementation of reform is being phased in over several years, health care reform has already helped hundreds of thousands of Coloradans access the health care they need. Read full article (The Denver Post website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Obama's populist pitch unifies House DemocratsJanuary 27, 2012 - AP Still, in a sign of Democratic boldness, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., sported a button that said "Thanks Obamacare," the derisive shorthand that Republicans use to describe the president's overhaul of the health care system. Schakowsky said there may come a time when "Obamacare might be up there with Social Security."
Obama's populist pitch unifies House DemocratsJanuary 27, 2012 - AP Still, in a sign of Democratic boldness, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., sported a button that said "Thanks Obamacare," the derisive shorthand that Republicans use to describe the president's overhaul of the health care system. Schakowsky said there may come a time when "Obamacare might be up there with Social Security."
Health law’s backers launch online ‘Obamacare’ gameDecember 15, 2011 - The Hill Supporters of President Obama’s healthcare reforms launched an online game Wednesday to highlight the law’s provisions. Obama admin: 2.5M young adults gain coverageDecember 15, 2011 - Denver Post WASHINGTON—Young adults trying to get traction in a tough economy are getting a welcome assist: the new federal health care law has markedly improved their access to health insurance. The number of young Americans ages 19-25 lacking health insurance has shrunk by 2.5 million since President Barack Obama's health care overhaul took effect, the administration announced in an analysis released Wednesday. That drop is 2 1/2 times as large as the decline indicated by previous government and private estimates from earlier this year, which showed about 1 million had gained coverage.
Health Law A Boon To Coverage Of Young AdultsDecember 15, 2011 - NPR There's at least one group for whom the Affordable Care Act would appear to be a big success: young adults under age 26. They can now stay on their parents' health plans thanks to the law. As many as 2.5 million young adults gained health insurance coverage between Sept. 30, 2010, when the provision took effect, and June 2011, says a study from the National Center for Health Statistics. Anti-Obamacare Activist Sees The Light, Changes Sides And Apologizes To ObamaDecember 15, 2011 - Forbes t’s all fun and games, politics and ideology until someone gets…sick. If you don’t believe it, just ask Spike Dolomite Ward, a California progressive and non-profit activist who campaigned in support of the Obama election effort in 2008 only to turn against the President, as many progressives have done, when he disappointed her by not going far enough with the Affordable Care Act. But that was before Spike was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer and found out how just how much the President had, in fact, come through for her and the many others in her difficult position. Under-26 Gain Insurance Under Health-Care OverhaulDecember 15, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal About 2.5 million young adults have gained health-insurance coverage since the health-overhaul law let people stay on their parents' plan until they turn 26, according to government figures released Wednesday. The results could help President Barack Obama's re-election campaign boost support among young voters, whose turnout figures to be crucial to his winning a second term. While the 2010 overhaul law remains unpopular with voters overall, the young-adult insurance extension has emerged as a rare selling point liked even by opponents of the law. CDC: Health reform extends coverage to young AmericansDecember 15, 2011 - CNN Atlanta (CNN) -- About 2.5 million young people have received health insurance coverage as a result of health care reform measures that President Barack Obama signed into law last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. The Obama administration trumpeted the figure as a sign that the controversial legislation is succeeding. About 2.5 million more people, aged 19 to 25, have health insurance than had it before the law took effect because of a provision that lets young adults remain on their parents' insurance plans through age 26, the agency's National Center for Health Statistics said. New Healthcare Game: Let’s Play!December 14, 2011 - SanLuisValleyHealth.org Check out the game of Obamacare: life in 2014, a new online game Spin the wheel and advance through life. As you do, make those important decisions about college, work and family. Read full article (SanLuisValleyHealth.org website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Play the Game of ObamacareDecember 14, 2011 - MomsRising.org Today, I am writing to tell you that we launched an exciting new feature on our website, the Game of Obamacare! As you spin the wheel to advance through life, you’ll be asked to make important decisions about college, work and family. But watch out, there are twists and turns all along the way. What happens when your kid gets sick or you lose your job? Play the game to find out. Just like in life, the better your choices, the happier you’ll be. Read full article (MomsRising.org website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Health law’s backers launch online ‘Obamacare’ gameDecember 14, 2011 - The Hill Supporters of President Obama’s healthcare launched an online game Wednesday to highlight the law’s provisions. Read full article (The Hill website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Holiday Gifts from Health ReformDecember 12, 2011 - Huffington Post This holiday season you may be surprised to find some gifts from the Affordable Care Act (aka health reform) in your stocking. I say "surprised" because a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that the American public still doesn't know what is in the health reform law and what is not. If you haven't been sick this year or are not included in the following categories of people who are benefiting from health reform, it makes sense that you won't have paid much attention. You may not experience concrete benefits until it is fully implemented in 2014. But just in case you know someone in these categories, here's the list of health reform "gifts" available this year (see my blog on the Health Insurance Resource Center for more details): Read full article (Huffington Post website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, young people Fact vs. Fiction -- The Truth About Health Care ReformDecember 12, 2011 - Huffington Post In 2009 and 2010, America was deeply divided over President Obama's health care reform legislation. As a member of Congress, I held a lot of events throughout my district and spoke with thousands of my constituents to get their thoughts on this historic bill. I'm sure everyone remembers the pundits on TV shouting at each other, the raucous town hall videos and of course, the rise of the Tea Party dominating the headlines. Sadly there was a lot of distortion and fear being manufactured by the Republicans. It seemed that almost overnight new Tea Party organizations, founded in fear and funded by the Koch Brothers, arrived on the scene to make false accusations against President Obama and health care reform. Not concerned with getting their facts straight, they said that the bill would kick people off of their current healthcare, they said we were going to take over people's bank accounts, and they even said that we were going to set up special death panels to ration health care. Now, nearly a year and a half later, Americans are getting a clear picture of how health insurance reform positively affects their lives. It means that young people can stay on their parent's insurance policy until they are 26. It means that people won't be denied care based on preexisting conditions. And it means that seniors who receive Medicare, who have fallen through the cracks for far too long, can get out of the doughnut hole. What The Health Care Law Will Mean for Your Small BusinessDecember 08, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal As a small-business owner, you may find your head spinning when trying to figure out what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may bring. How the new provisions impact you, if at all, depends on the outcome of a high-profile Supreme Court case and potentially on the results of the 2012 election. Read full article (The Wall Street Journal website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, small business Health care law changing behaviorDecember 07, 2011 - USA Today WASHINGTON – More than 2.65 million Medicare recipients have saved more than $1.5 billion on their prescriptions this year, a $569-per-person average, while premiums have remained stable, the government plans to announce today. That's because of the provision of the health care law that put a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the "doughnut hole," the gap between traditional and catastrophic coverage in the drug benefit, also known as Part D. Obamacare' to the rescueDecember 06, 2011 - LA Times Fortunately for me, I've been saved by the federal government's Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, something I had never heard of before needing it. It's part of President Obama's healthcare plan, one of the things that has already kicked in, and it guarantees access to insurance for U.S. citizens with preexisting conditions who have been uninsured for at least six months. The application was short, the premiums are affordable, and I have found the people who work in the administration office to be quite compassionate (nothing like the people I have dealt with over the years at other insurance companies.) It's not perfect, of course, and it still leaves many people in need out in the cold. But it's a start, and for me it's been a lifesaver — perhaps literally. A ‘bomb’ in Obamacare? Not quite.December 05, 2011 - Washington Post Over the weekend, Forbes’s Rick Ungar drew a lot of attention arguing that the health reform law contains a “bomb” that’s about to explode: the medical loss ratio. Unger was referring to a new regulation that requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of subscriber premiums on medical costs. Anything above that can go to administrative costs (like advertising) and profits. That new, downward pressure on insurance company profits leads Ungar to predict that “the medical loss ratio will, ultimately, lead to the death of the large parts of the private, for-profit health insurance industry.” To be sure, health insurance companies are not thrilled with the final regulation. But they’re not exactly outraged and definitely not anywhere near the verge of bankruptcy. Quite the opposite, health insurance executives and investors look to be banking on the health reform law’s success.
Read full article (Washington Post website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, improved quality HHS website helps companies insure gay employeesNovember 18, 2011 - Washington Blade The Department of Health & Human Services has expanded its website on health insurance companies to include a filter allowing small business owners to locate plans allowing for same-sex partner coverage. The website, healthcare.gov, was established as a result of the health care reform law that President Obama signed into law in 2009. The website provides details about the Affordable Care Act and offers a searchable database enabling individuals and businesses to find health insurance plans.
Read full article (Washington Blade website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, small business The ACA small business tax credit: Build the bridge wider, don't blow it upNovember 16, 2011 - The Hill We now have a $5,200 deductible. It’s the kind of insurance that works fine until something goes wrong – as I can attest to personally from an emergency hospital stay that left me with bills totaling around $4,000. I had just barely achieved the “American Dream” of home ownership a few years before; these bills forced me to sell my home. Thanks Obamacare! website aims to turn partisan slur into positive termNovember 16, 2011 - Westword The term "Obamacare" was originally conceived by opponents of President Barack Obama's health-care reforms as a way of hanging what they saw as a political albatross around his neck. But now, a group of Colorado activists have embraced the word withThanksObamacare.org, a website that celebrates the legislation by way of features like a just-launched campaign seeking to expose the top ten myths surrounding it. ThanksObamacare.org is a joint project of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) and ProgressNow Colorado Education, the 501(c)3 arm of ProgressNow Colorado; it debuted October 24, with the myths component launching this week. Serena Woods, CCHI's director of strategic engagement, stresses that the site is nonpartisan. It's about the law, she maintains, not about boosting its namesake's chances for reelection in 2012.
Read full article (Westword website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, young people Health Reform and the Supreme CourtNovember 15, 2011 - New York Times If the court follows its own precedents, as it should, this case should not be a close call: The reform law and a provision requiring most people to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty are clearly constitutional.
Read full article (New York Times website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, improved quality Public Opinion Tide Turning On Obamacare MandatesNovember 15, 2011 - Forbes For the first time since passage of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, polling reveals that more Americans support the requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance than those who oppose the measure. In a new CNN poll conducted during the period of November 11-13, 52 percent of those surveyed indicated that they now favor the mandate. This is a 6 percent rise in support since the question was last put to the public by a poll in June of this year and the first time those in favor have moved into the majority column.
"Obamacare" inspires Coloradan to leadership in president's campaignNovember 07, 2011 - Denver Post When Americans talk about "Obamacare," it's personal for Katherine Archuleta, the Coloradan tapped to serve as political director for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. Her daughter, Graciela Gonzales, was diagnosed in 1999 with ovarian cancer. Gonzales, who attendsBrown University, will turn 23 next month. Because of Obama's Affordable Care Act, she can stay on her parents' insurance until she turns 26. And starting in 2014, Gonzales can't be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition. "She is the single most important reason I am doing what I am doing," Archuleta said. "My story is not an unusual story. People come to this campaign for personal reasons."
Read full article (Denver Post website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, women, young people Democrats Block Usage of the Word 'Obamacare' in Congressional MailingsNovember 02, 2011 - Forbes I’ve never understood why some liberals think that it’s unfair to use the term “Obamacare” to describe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (Was it equally partisan when people described Ronald Reagan’s economic policies as “Reaganomics”?) It’s easy to pronounce, and accurately describes the law that the President considers to be his signature legislative achievement. I’ve used the terms “Romneycare” and “Ryancare” to describe those politicians’ health policies.
Enough Is Enough: While we fight over health care reform, more blameless Americans grow sick and dieNovember 01, 2011 - Time The smell was unmistakable. I recognized it immediately – a fungating infection. It’s what happens when a cancer breaks through the skin and the puss oozes out and aerosolizes, producing an unsurprisingly foul odor. This is what late-stage cancer looks like if left unchecked, like many cancers were 100 years ago and still are today in the developing world. But I encountered this case this month, and Yvonne, the woman who sat crying before me, lives in Los Angeles. She lost her job two years ago, and when her insurance expired, she was too ashamed to seek help for a mass she felt in her right breast. Now the tumor had replaced her entire breast and blasted through the skin. Being cared for now — so late in her illness — was surely not what she would have wanted; and just as surely, it could have been avoided. How did we let this happen in America? ANALYSIS: Obama plan helping those with pre-existing health conditionsOctober 27, 2011 - iWatch News "Will people with pre-existing conditions EVER get health care for their pre-existing conditions?" The short answer to your question is “yes,” thanks to the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. ObamaCare. Some background: One of the reasons the number of Americans without insurance has increased to more than 50 million is because it has been perfectly legal for insurance companies to refuse to sell coverage to people who have been sick in the past. This includes those who were born with birth defects or who were diagnosed with chronic illnesses when they were children. In fact, many parents have learned that they could not add a child to a family policy because the child had been treated for a condition that was on their insurer’s automatic denial list. Supporters Of Health Overhaul Look To Reclaim 'Obamacare'October 26, 2011 - NPR "Thanks Obamacare." Sounds like sarcasm, right? Sure, opponents of the federal law overhauling health care tagged it with the "Obamacare" moniker to belittle the measure even before it had passed. To many of them, the law is an ill-considered attempt to fix America's health care problems with a one-size-fits-all approach that thrusts the government into the most personal of issues. But now, two nonprofit advocacy groups, ProgressNow Colorado Education and the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, are trying to take back "Obamacare," as something to be proud of. They're painting it as a positive brand in a campaign (complete with its own Twitter feed and hash tag, #thanksobamacare) that launched Monday. Americans Take Back 'Obamacare'October 25, 2011 - SEIU Blog Progressive advocacy groups Colorado Health Access and Progress Now Colorado have launched a brand new website and hashtag to call attention to the many things "Obamacare" does to give people better access to affordable, quality health care: As the Washington Post's Sara Kliff points out, "In the political conversation about healthcare reform, the term "Obamacare" is almost always used as a pejorative, hurled at the law in long floor speeches and short political ads deriding the Affordable Care Act." With Thanks Obamacare!, supporters of the Affordable Care Act want to change that and bust the misinformation and myths put out there by the anti-reform naysayers of Obamacare. Here at SEIU, we'd like to add our support and amplify the message: Thanks Obamacare! Groups Thank ‘Obamacare,’ And Not SarcasticallyOctober 25, 2011 - Kaiser Health News “Thanks Obamacare.” Usually Americans hear that phrase only in the most sarcastic contexts. Opponents of the health reform law have hung the “Obamacare” moniker on it to belittle the measure as nothing more than an attempt to fix America’s health care problems – varied as they are – with a one-size-fits-all approach they say expands the reach of government to never-before-seen levels. Read full article (Kaiser Health News website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, small business Can Progressives Reclaim 'Obamacare'?October 25, 2011 - Good Magazine It's safe to say the word "Obamacare" has a negative connotation, given how it's been thrown around on the Senate floor, in campaign videos, and during GOP debates. But a new campaign called "Thanks Obamacare!" seeks to wrest the term back from conservatives. Run by two progressive Colorado organizations, the website features a top-10 list of good things about the Affordable Care Act, along with a lively video and a handy timeline. Read full article (Good Magazine website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Progressives Launch 'Thanks Obamacare' Campaign, Embracing PutdownOctober 24, 2011 - NPR Some defenders of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have decided that if you can't beat them, join them, at least when it comes to the term "Obamacare" so often used as an epithet by the new law's opponents. A couple of progressive groups in Colorado have launched a campaign called "Thanks Obamacare" to focus attention on provisions of the law they believe should be widely hailed. Read full article (NPR website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Yes, please call it “Obamacare,” say supporters of the Affordable Care ActOctober 24, 2011 - Denver Post “Obamacare” is typically the put-down conservatives use to describe the Affordable Care Act signed into law by the president in 2010, and the moniker offends some people who favor the measure. But liberal groups in Colorado are now embracing the term, effectively saying conservatives may have shot themselves in the foot by making the health care reform law synonymous with President Obama’s tenure in office. Read full article (Denver Post website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Healthcare reform law’s backers hope to reclaim 'ObamaCare' labelOctober 24, 2011 - The Hill Supporters of the healthcare reform law launched a new campaign Monday to reclaim the term “Obamacare” and highlight the law’s benefits. Two Colorado-based groups created the website “Thanks, Obamacare,” which outlines provisions such as the ban on insurers discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. There’s also a “Thanks, Obamacare” Twitter account. Read full article (The Hill website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Taking back ‘Obamacare’?October 24, 2011 - Washington Post In the political conversation about health-care reform, the term “Obamacare” is almost always used as a pejorative, hurled at the law in long floor speeches and short political ads deriding the Affordable Care Act. Now, health reform’s staunchest supporters want to change that. Today, two Colorado-based groups are launching “Thanks Obamacare!,” a new site and campaign to promote the health reform law. Read full article (Washington Post website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people More Small Businesses Offering Health Care To Employees Thanks To ObamacareOctober 24, 2011 - Forbes The first statistics are coming in and, to the surprise of a great many, Obamacare might just be working to bring health care to working Americans precisely as promised. The major health insurance companies around the country are reporting a significant increase in small businesses offering health care benefits to their employees. Health care discussion Nov. 4 in FriscoOctober 23, 2011 - Summit Daily News A health care discussion on the Affordable Care Act and on a proposed Colorado Health Care Cooperative, led by state Sen. Irene Aguilar, will take place Nov. 4. Read full article (Summit Daily News website)
Keywords: children, cost savings, expanded access, improved quality, seniors, small business, women, young people Opinion: Health reform helps ColoradansSeptember 22, 2011 - The Denver Post For years, Coloradans have lived with uncertainty about their health insurance: lifetime caps, recisions, coverage for life-saving screenings. New provisions that begin Thursday, the six-month anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, address some of the biggest concerns consumers had about the failing health system. These new requirements will help transform worry about coverage into stability, security and peace of mind for health care consumers. Read full article (The Denver Post website)
Keywords: cost savings, expanded access, improved quality 
© 2011 ProgressNow Colorado Education and the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
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