Tell your members of Congress: Support Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act

Petition to Congress: "Lower prescription drug prices and crack down on Big Pharma monopolies by supporting the Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act." Add your name:

Trump is pushing the same old Republican strategy that led to unprecedented Big Pharma profits and Americans dying because they can't afford medicine: tax cuts and shredding safety rules. Democrats have a better answer. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, together with Sen. Sherrod Brown, just reintroduced an important bill to take on Big Pharma and let Medicare negotiate drug discounts.  Donald Trump made a huge deal out of allowing Medicare to negotiate deep discounts for prescription drugs. All it took was one meeting with Big Pharma executives to drop the act and reject the idea.1 The new Democratic House of Representatives is exposing Trump's scam-artist populism and laying out a real progressive vision. But it's up to us to generate the support to overcome opposition from corporate Democrats and put pressure on Republicans to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices. Resist Trump's Big Pharma scam. Tell Congress to let Medicare negotiate drug prices. Click here to sign the petition. Big Pharma repeatedly threatens to take medicine off the market if the government starts negotiating discounts. These callous threats are enough to make many Americans nervous. But the new Democratic bill has real teeth – if Big Pharma refuses to negotiate in good faith, the government could issue a license to a competitor to produce a generic version of the drug.2 Republicans have stubbornly defended their Big Pharma backers for years and prevented Medicare from even attempting to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Trump made a lot of noise – and sent a few rambling tweets – but as always, when the going gets tough, Trump gets with the richest and most powerful. Nothing his regime has done would lower drug prices – Pfizer even announced price increases right as Trump was bragging about forthcoming price cuts.3 Americans pay the highest prices for prescription drugs of anywhere in the world. In fact, we not only pay high prices for desperately needed medication, but our tax dollars also pay for the research that makes Big Pharma so rich. No wonder permitting negotiation is so popular.4 This bill is what resistance to the Trump-Big Pharma alliance looks like. We need to give it our support in order to expose Trump's drug price hypocrisy and show that progressives have real solutions to the problems America faces. Resist Trump's Big Pharma scam. Tell Congress to let Medicare negotiate drug prices. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/medicare-drug-negotiation?t=9&akid=31808%2E3130208%2EaXX0zd - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Matthew Yglesias, "After meeting with pharma lobbyists, Trump drops promise to negotiate drug prices," Vox, Jan. 31, 2017. Nancy Altman, "Democrats have a Medicare negotiation plan that terrifies Big Pharma," The Hill, July 30, 2018. Ibid. Dylan Scott, "Donald Trump’s phony war on high prescription drug prices, explained," Vox, July 13, 2018.

Tell Democrats: Join Medicare for All Caucus

Petition to congressional Democrats: "Join the Medicare for All Caucus. Every Democrat should be able to support an idea that produces universal healthcare at lower overall costs. " Add your name:

Monday, July 30 was the anniversary of the creation of Medicare. For 53 years, Medicare has been providing quality and efficient health care to millions of seniors.1 Today, Trump and his Republican enablers are plotting to privatize Medicare and subject Americans to the whims of for-profit insurers. But the good news is that progressive champions are offering a better alternative: improving Medicare and expanding it to cover all of us. More than 70 House Democrats have launched a new Medicare for All Caucus to fight for this commonsense, life-saving and cost-reducing solution.2 Now, we need your help to convince every other Democrat to get on board. Tell Democrats: Join the Medicare for All Caucus. Click here to sign the petition. American health care costs so much and heals so little in part because predatory insurance companies and Big Pharma stand between people and their doctors and use monopoly power to rob us blind. Medicare for All would leave the medical system in place, but replace the for-profit insurance companies that drive up costs without making us any healthier. Even one recent right-wing study found that Medicare for All would result in more health care coverage and better outcomes while reducing overall U.S. medical costs.3 Medicare for All would also improve the program for today's seniors by including younger people and adding dental and hearing coverage into Medicare. So it’s no wonder that more than half of Americans support Medicare for All, and nearly two-thirds of voters prefer candidates who support expanding Medicare.4,5 Progressives know that we could solve today’s health care crisis by expanding a program that is already up and running – and working. It is time for the rest of the Democratic party to get on board. Tell Democrats: Join the Medicare for All Caucus. Click here to sign the petition. Medicare already covers 40 million Americans over the age of 65, providing quality care at prices that are much lower than the private market. If we start by lowering the Medicare eligibility age, it will provide competition to bloated predatory insurance companies and bring us closer to the day when people are covered from birth. Medicare and Medicaid are our nation’s most-effective and efficient health care programs, but right-wing Republicans have long had their sights set on dismantling our social safety net. Now, Trump is helping them do it. Their ultimate goal has been to end Medicare as we know it and cause skyrocketing premiums and loss of coverage for nearly 57 million of us. We cannot fight back with half-hearted, corporate solutions. Dozens of progressive champions are leading the way. But no Democrat has a good excuse to refuse to join the Medicare for All Caucus. We need to show that the base of the party stands for Medicare for All – and push every Democrat to join in. Tell Democrats: Join the Medicare for All Caucus. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/medicare_for_all_caucus?t=8&akid=29541%2E3130208%2EkkXmu2 - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References: 1. Nancy Altman, "Two Visions for Medicare’s Future: Destroy It, Or Expand It To Cover Everyone," Social Security Works, July 30, 2018. 2. Ibid. 3. Dylan Scott, "Bernie Sanders’s $32 trillion Medicare-for-all plan is actually kind of a bargain," Vox, July 30, 2018. 4. Richard Eskow, “Medicare For All Is Coming, No Matter What They Say,” HuffPost, July 12, 2017. 5. Altman, "Two Visions for Medicare’s Future: Destroy It, Or Expand It To Cover Everyone."

Call Congress and Tell Them to STOP Trump’s #InfrastructureScam

Donald Trump has finally released his infrastructure plan and it’s as terrible as we knew it would be.

Trump said that his infrastructure plan would bring jobs, roads, and bridges to communities in need. It does the exact opposite. The former Apprentice host wants major cuts to the infrastructure programs that are already working - including a 22.2% cut in funding to the Army Corps of Engineers, the elimination of funding for the popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program that provides $500 million in grants to state and local governments¹, and a 19% reduction in the Department of Transportation budget. All of these cuts are in addition to forcing cities and states to raise taxes and fees to cover the $1.3 trillion needed to fund this Wall Street handout. And the $200 billion Trump promised the federal government would chip in? That's coming from a $237 billion cut to Medicaid. 

Over the long run Trump's bait and switch would result in a net reduction of federal support for infrastructure projects - leaving vulnerable communities unable to fund critical infrastructure like new schools, clean energy or clean drinking water. To top it off, Trump is gutting the clean air and water protections that keep us safe from dangerous chemicals, pollutants, and unsafe infrastructure projects. 

Call Congress Today and Tell Them to Say “NO” to the #InfrastructureScam

This is who Trump is. From his days dealing in real estate in NYC to his run as the most divisive Presidential candidate in US history, he has always made big promises he could never keep. This infrastructure plan and the budget that was released on Monday are nothing but a shell game being played on vulnerable communities. In addition to infrastructure program cuts, the new budget also defunds PBS², makes drastic cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, Head Start, and Section 8 housing programs.³ These cuts would decimate many Black communities and leave them ripe for the picking by private corporations who will speed up gentrification and push Black people out of neighborhoods.

To stop Trump’s scam infrastructure plan we need to push Members of Congress to support the bold principles needed to create a just 21st century infrastructure bill.

Call Congress Today and Tell Them to Say “NO” to the #InfrastructureScam

- the Color Of Change team

---

 References:

1. "Fiscal 2019 Budget Request Would Cut TIGER Grants", Transport Topics, 12 February 2018, http://act.colorofchange.org/go/19584?t=9&akid=9173%2E3510445%2EBKNsAk
2. "Trump proposes eliminating federal funding for PBS, NPR", The Hill, 12 February 2018, http://act.colorofchange.org/go/19585?t=11&akid=9173%2E3510445%2EBKNsAk
3. "Trump's 2019 budget: what he cuts, how much he cuts, and why it matters", VOX, 12 February 2018, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/19586?t=13&akid=9173%2E3510445%2EBKNsAk

Robert Reich: Trump's infrastructure scam

Stop Republicans in Congress from gutting our earned benefit programs

he petition to Congress reads: "Do not cut, privatize, weaken or otherwise damage Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. You cannot pay for your disastrous tax giveaway to Wall Street and to the top 1% with our earned benefits." Add your name:

Donald Trump’s Republican lapdogs in Congress recently rammed a massively unpopular, cruel and deeply corrupt Tax Scam into law. Now, Paul Ryan and the rest of the right-wing Republican leadership in Congress is gearing up to slash Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, nutrition assistance and more.1 Republican ideologues like Ryan know their Robin-Hood-in-reverse agenda to enrich their billionaire donors from Wall Street by gutting our earned benefit programs is deeply unpopular. They learned the hard way this past year how unpopular cutting Medicaid is. That is why they are predictably using made-up excuses about the deficit to smear these important programs. We need to make it clear that any attempt to privatize, cut, weaken or damage Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security or any of our earned benefits is completely unacceptable. Tell Congress: Stop the Republican attack on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Click here to sign the petition. Even before the Trump Tax Scam passed, Ryan was talking about his plans to gut Medicaid and Medicare in 2018. “We're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform,” he promised last month, suddenly rediscovering a passion for the deficit after pushing trillions in tax giveaways to the ultra-wealthy.2 Medicare is a fundamental tool of economic security for more than 58 million seniors, and the program is overwhelmingly popular.3,4 And throughout last summer, activists with the disability rights organization ADAPT and others showed Republicans just how important Medicaid is in their daily lives. The majority of Medicaid beneficiaries are children and working-age adults, Medicaid spends more money on long term care for seniors and people with disabilities than anything else.5 Social Security, meanwhile, is totally funded for the next two decades – longer if everyone pays at the same rate – and the only retirement income that most Americans can count on.6 Donald Trump repeatedly pledged during the 2016 campaign not to attack Medicare, Medicaid or our Social Security system but he has since seriously undermined these programs. Ryan’s ultimate goal is to end Medicare as we know it and replace it with a privatized program.7 Now, Trump and his lapdogs in Congress are not just coming after Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, they are attacking programs like Meals on Wheels, SNAP, and other nutritional assistance that families rely on. Republicans are whipping up a fake deficit hysteria after giving massive giveaways to the rich as a Trojan horse to attack our earned benefits. We must go all out to resist any cuts. Tell Congress: Stop the Republican attack on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Click here to sign the petition. If Ryan gets his way, folks who have been working their whole lives counting on Medicare in their retirement won’t ever be able to enroll – instead they will get a check that might help cover their premium for private insurance, if they are lucky.8 And if the Republicans are successful in their attacks on Medicare and Medicaid, they will come next for Social Security. What’s more, our Social Security system is separate from regular taxes and not affected by the deficit.9 Republicans cannot attack our earned benefits without a major fight. More than 70 percent of Americans rely on these programs at some point in our lives, and we are not going to let Ryan, McConnell and Trump dismantle them.10 Tell Congress: Stop the Republican attack on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/No_Cuts?t=8&akid=26660%2E3130208%2E76vAOT - Kaili Lambe CREDO Action Add your name: Jeff Stein, “Ryan says Republicans to target welfare, Medicare, Medicaid spending in 2018,” The Washington Post, Dec. 6, 2017. Ibid. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Medicare Enrollment Dashboard,” accessed Dec. 14, 2017. Dan Mangan, “Medicare, Medicaid popularity high: Kaiser,” CNBC, July 17, 2017. Social Security Works, “Why Medicaid Is Important to Seniors,” accessed Dec. 20, 2017. Carolyn Colvin, "Social Security Funded Until 2034, and About Three-Quarters Funded for the Long Term; Many Options to Address the Long-Term Shortfall," Social Security Matters, June 22, 2016. Josh Marshall, “Ryan Plans to Phase Out Medicare in 2017,” TPM, Nov. 13, 2016. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Policy Basics: Understanding the Social Security Trust Funds," Sept. 21, 2017. Sarah Ayres Steinberg, "The Safety Net is Good Economic Policy," Center for American Progress, March 31, 2014. Rachel West and Melissa Boteach, "House Republican Cuts to Nutrition Assistance Would Harm Families in Every State," Center for American Progress, Aug. 8, 2017.

Stop Republicans in Congress from gutting our earned benefit programs

The petition to Congress reads: "Do not cut, privatize, weaken or otherwise damage Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. You cannot pay for your disastrous tax giveaway to Wall Street and to the top 1% with our earned benefits." Add your name:

Donald Trump’s Republican lapdogs in Congress just rammed a massively unpopular, cruel and deeply corrupt Tax Scam into law. Now, Paul Ryan and the rest of the right-wing Republican leadership in Congress is gearing up to slash Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, nutrition assistance and more.1 Republican ideologues like Ryan know their Robin-Hood-in-reverse agenda to enrich their billionaire donors from Wall Street by gutting our earned benefit programs is deeply unpopular. They learned the hard way this past year how unpopular cutting Medicaid is. That is why they are predictably using made-up excuses about the deficit to smear these important programs. We need to make it clear that any attempt to privatize, cut, weaken or damage Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security or any of our earned benefits is completely unacceptable. Tell Congress: Stop the Republican attack on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Click here to sign the petition. Even before the Trump Tax Scam passed, Ryan was talking about his plans to gut Medicaid and Medicare in 2018. “We're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform,” he promised last week, suddenly rediscovering a passion for the deficit after pushing trillions in tax giveaways to the ultra-wealthy.2 Medicare is a fundamental tool of economic security for more than 58 million seniors, and the program is overwhelmingly popular.3,4 And throughout the summer, activists with the disability rights organization ADAPT and others showed Republicans just how important Medicaid is in their daily lives. The majority of Medicaid beneficiaries are children and working-age adults, Medicaid spends more money on long term care for seniors and people with disabilities than anything else.5 Social Security, meanwhile, is totally funded for the next two decades – longer if everyone pays at the same rate – and the only retirement income that most Americans can count on.6 Donald Trump repeatedly pledged during the 2016 campaign not to attack Medicare, Medicaid or our Social Security system but he has since seriously undermined these programs. Ryan’s ultimate goal is to end Medicare as we know it and replace it with a privatized program.7 Now, Trump and his lapdogs in Congress are not just coming after Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, they are attacking programs like Meals on Wheels, SNAP, and other nutritional assistance that families rely on. Republicans are whipping up a fake deficit hysteria after giving massive giveaways to the rich as a Trojan horse to attack our earned benefits. We must go all out to resist any cuts. Tell Congress: Stop the Republican attack on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Click here to sign the petition. If Ryan gets his way, folks who have been working their whole lives counting on Medicare in their retirement won’t ever be able to enroll – instead they will get a check that might help cover their premium for private insurance, if they are lucky.8 And if the Republicans are successful in their attacks on Medicare and Medicaid, they will come next for Social Security. What’s more, our Social Security system is separate from regular taxes and not affected by the deficit.9 Republicans cannot attack our earned benefits without a major fight. More than 70 percent of Americans rely on these programs at some point in our lives, and we are not going to let Ryan, McConnell and Trump dismantle them.10 Tell Congress: Stop the Republican attack on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/No_Cuts?t=8&akid=26541%2E3130208%2ET8evpT - Kaili Lambe CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: Jeff Stein, “Ryan says Republicans to target welfare, Medicare, Medicaid spending in 2018,” The Washington Post, Dec. 6, 2018 Ibid. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Medicare Enrollment Dashboard,” accessed Dec. 14, 2017. Dan Mangan, “Medicare, Medicaid popularity high: Kaiser,” CNBC, July 17, 2017. Social Security Works, “Why Medicaid Is Important to Seniors,” accessed Dec. 20, 2017. Carolyn Colvin, "Social Security Funded Until 2034, and About Three-Quarters Funded for the Long Term; Many Options to Address the Long-Term Shortfall," Social Security Matters, June 22, 2016. Josh Marshall, “Ryan Plans to Phase Out Medicare in 2017,” TPM, Nov. 13, 2016. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Policy Basics: Understanding the Social Security Trust Funds," Sept. 21, 2017. Sarah Ayres Steinberg, "The Safety Net is Good Economic Policy," Center for American Progress, March 31, 2014.

Time to take back our country

Our Senators have disregarded the will of the people. In this time of great income inequality, both houses have passed tax plans that give huge tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations at the expense of the rest of us.

These tax plans will increase the deficit by 1.4 trillion dollars which will lead to dismantling vital social safety nets such as medicaid, medicare and even social security. Remember the uproar when they tried to dismantle the Affordable Care Act? This bill has a sneaky provision that would destroy it. But it's not only the elderly who will suffer. Students would no longer be able to deduct the interest from their college loans. Tuition waivers for graduate students would be considered taxable income. This bill would also be devastating to our wildlife. Despite whole species going extinct everyday from lack of habitats, this bill would allow oil companies to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

This bill disregards the needs of the American people. It increases the financial divide by handing over billions of dollars to the richest people the planet has ever known. They will have even more expendable income to buy our politicians. They will end up privatizing our decaying infrastructure - including our depleted waterways. They will OWN US.

We can't take this lying down. We have got to do everything we can to stop this disastrous tax bill from destroying the country as we know it. Fortunately, there is still time while the bill is being worked on in the conference committee. You can reach your House members at the Whitehouse switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Ask them not to pass either version of the bill as they now stand, but to work with Democrats to construct a bill that addresses the needs of individuals and families.

This is just the first step. We need a government that represents the people. Time to get organized and stand up for America!

Fight for a humane tax plan and healthcare: Share your personal story with these maverick senators

First, Senator Ron Johnson, an arch-conservative from Wisconsin, came out against the Republican Party's misguided plan to cut taxes for the wealthy and sabotage Obamacare.1 Then, 13 Republicans voted against the House tax bill. Now, Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski seem to be leaning our way, and a new analysis shows the Senate tax plan will actually RAISE taxes on the poor and the middle class--a huge political blow to the bill's chances.2,3

If Sens. Collins, Murkowski, and Johnson vote no, the bill is dead. That's why we're making Senate phones ring off the hook in Washington, D.C., and organizing our members in key states to tell their stories about what this tax DEFORM plan would mean for them.

Desperate for a win, Senator Mitch McConnell and Trump are pushing to pass their rich-person giveaway when they come back after Thanksgiving. That means we've got just one week to raise hell in Maine, Arizona, Nevada, and Alaska--the same kind of organizing that helped us kill Trumpcare earlier this year.

But just like this summer, we have to keep the pressure on senators from these states. We've got the cold hard facts: 13 million will lose their health insurance.4 Americans earning less than $75,000 a year will see their taxes INCREASE.5

We have to back up those facts with the stories of real people, real voters, who can't afford for this dangerous tax plan to become law.

- UltraViolet Action

Sources:

1. GOP tax plan in trouble after Republican senator says he won’t back it, The Washington Post, November 15, 2017
2. Why Republicans may have lost Susan Collins in their tax reform fight, Bangor Daily News, November 16, 2017
3. Murkowski Tax Vote Contingent on Stabilizing Individual Health Insurance Market, Roll Call, November 17, 2017
4. Repealing the Individual Health Insurance Mandate: An Updated Estimate, Congressional Budget Office, November 8, 2017
5. $1.5 Trillion Tax Cut Passed by House in Mostly Party-Line Vote, The New York Times, November 16, 2017

Does the #GOPTaxPlan treat corporations and individuals the same in terms of who gets to keep deductions and who doesn’t? Nope, not even close. WATCH VIDEO.

Contact Republican Senators Susan Collins
https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact
Washington office (202)224-2523

Contact Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email

Phone: (202)-224-6665
Fax: (202)-224-5301

Tax reform roadblocks emerge in Senate: Sens. John McCain and Lisa Murkowski have been wildcards, avoiding taking a public position on the proposal.

Senator McCain is also also a key player in this fight. 

You can contact Sen. McCain at his Tucson Office:

(520) 670-6334
Fax: (855) 952-8702

One way to reach him is to share you personal stories on his website:

https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Here's mine for inspiration:

Dear Senator McCain,

I live in Tucson where so many of your constituents are living paycheck to paycheck. They are one medical emergency from going bankrupt and losing their homes. Everyday I see more and more homeless people - some vets, some people who had to quit their jobs to care for a sick loved one, some who had a medical emergency. I'm urging you to take care of vulnerable Tucsonans. It is just heartless to pass a huge tax cut for the wealthiest Americans on the back of the most vulnerable. Why are you raising taxes on married couples who make less that $19050 a year? When my husband left me, I struggled to get by on spousal support. No one would hire me because I had been a stay at home mom. I could have easily become homeless. So many of us are just one emergency away from being homeless.

My parents in Missouri are just getting by on their limited retirement plan and social security.  My dad recently had gallbladder surgery. He could not have had that surgery without the help of Medicare.  They finally had to get a home health aide. That is also paid for by Medicare. This immoral tax plan even cuts the dependent deduction that enables families to take care of their elderly parents at home AND the deduction for their medical expenses. How are people supposed to get by? 

Senator McCain, please, don't take away our healthcare or make it even harder on the poor. I know you are a moral man; vote your conscious. Vote no on that cruel tax bill.

Congress is expected to vote on a devastating tax plan before Thanksgiving. Call your rep now!

Where billionaires get their money 

Congress is expected to vote on a devastating tax plan before Thanksgiving. For millions of Americans, this certainly won’t be a time of thanks.

Unfortunately, the legislation represents more of the same policies we’ve been seeing—tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and corporations alongside deep cuts to crucial programs on healthcare, education, nutrition, disaster relief, environmental programs, and other services that support our communities. Even deductions for high medical bills, including nursing home care and hospitalization, may disappear.

“Pass-through companies”—in which income "passes through" the business and ends up on the individual tax returns of the business owner and are thus taxed at the lower, individual level—stand to benefit in a big way. The Trump Organization is an example of a pass-through company.

The bill is anything but a so-called tax break for the middle class.

We will face:

• Up to half-a-trillion dollars cut from Medicare and Medicaid
• Substantial increase in the national debt with no way to pay it off
• Elimination of state and local tax deductions – designed to hit people who live in "blue" states the hardest
• Repeal of an itemized deduction for medical expenses – hitting people who rack up large medical bills because of the inadequacies of our health insurance system
• Repeal of the deduction for interest on student loans
• Repeal of the deduction for teachers purchasing classroom supplies
• Slashed incentives for wind energy and electric vehicles, while maintaining most of the permanent oil incentives and extending nuclear energy tax breaks

Big corporations and the 1% wealthiest people do not need up to $1.5 trillion in tax cuts! What we need is a tax bill that supports a truly green economy, in which social justice and environmental sustainability are the priorities.

We need to flood Congressional offices immediately with calls opposing the Republican tax plan and calling for an economy that supports prosperity for everyone. Wouldn’t that be real tax fairness?

Call today while negotiations over the tax bill are still in process – your action can make a difference!

1. Find your Representative in Congress
  
2. Call Capital Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Sample Phone Message:
Hello, my name is ______ from City/state. I am calling to urge Representative ______ to vote against the House tax bill. I am deeply concerned about the need to maintain support for crucial social and environmental programs. The wealthiest individuals and corporations in our country should pay their fair share of taxes, not less. I urge Representative _______ to oppose this bill and instead to support an economy that truly works for people and the planet – including support for healthcare, education, nutrition, disaster relief, environmental programs and community services. Thank you.

- Fran Teplitz, Green America  

Sign the petition: Stop Republicans in Congress from gutting Medicare

a matter of life and death

Tell Republicans in Congress: "Do not cut, privatize, weaken or otherwise damage Medicare. We should expand this successful program – not destroy it." Add your name:

Medicare is a fundamental tool of economic security – a guarantee that seniors will not be denied health care just because they cannot afford it. But Republicans in the House, led by Paul Ryan, just voted for a budget plan that would gut Medicare – slashing funding for the program by more than $473 billion.1 Fresh off their failure to pass Trumpcare and take away health insurance for millions, cruel and heartless Republicans in Congress, led by Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, are desperate to tell their insurance industry donors that they have been able to do something to undermine the social safety net, and so they are sneaking this massive cut into their 2018 budget proposal. More than 58 million seniors rely on Medicare, and the program is overwhelmingly popular.2,3 When we have collectively taken action to stop Trumpcare, we have been able to keep the Republicans from gutting health care. With Medicare now on the chopping block, we need to make it clear that any attempt to privatize, cut, weaken or damage Medicare is completely unacceptable. Stop the Republican attack on Medicare. Click here to sign the petition. Ryan has wanted to destroy Medicare for years. His ultimate goal is to end Medicare as we know it and replace it with a privatized program in which seniors would get federal vouchers to help offset the cost of premiums charged by commercial insurance plans. It’s a trick designed to create the appearance of cutting costs by shifting some of the financial burden from the federal government to America’s seniors. If Ryan gets his way, folks who have been working their whole lives counting on Medicare in their retirement won’t ever be able to enroll in Medicare – instead, they will get a check that might help cover their premium for private insurance, if they are lucky.4 The devastating budget bill that Ryan just pushed through the House would destroy the social safety net: slashing funding not just for Medicare, but also for Medicaid, affordable housing and Pell Grants. All so they can give the ultra-wealthy a 1.5 billion-dollar tax cut.5 During his campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly pledged that he would not attack Medicare, but since inauguration, he has only undermined the program. First he appointed Tom Price, who has a long history of opposing Medicare as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Price has since resigned over his use of tax payer-funded private jets, but another Trump appointee and fervent Medicare opponent, Mick Mulvaney, remains the budget director, where he has significant influence on social safety net spending.6These attacks on Medicare are enormously unpopular, and if we speak up now, we can stop cruel and reckless Republicans from gutting this essential program just so they can give a massive tax hand out to corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Stop the Republican attack on Medicare. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Save_Medicare?t=7&akid=25482%2E3130208%2EY9b-19 -Kaili Lambe, Director of Organizing CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Joan McCarter, “House passes $4.2 trillion budget, sets up tax cuts for the rich and guts Medicare, Medicaid,” Daily Kos, Oct. 5, 2017. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Medicare Enrollment Dashboard,” accessed Oct. 3, 2017. Dan Mangan, “Medicare, Medicaid popularity high: Kaiser,” CNBC, July 17, 2017. Josh Marshall, “Ryan Plans to Phase Out Medicare in 2017,” TPM, Nov. 13, 2016. McCarter, “House passes $4.2 trillion budget, sets up tax cuts for the rich and guts Medicare, Medicaid.” Nancy Altman and Linda Bensch, “Five Ways Donald Trump Has Broken His Promise To Protect Social Security, Medicare And Medicaid In His First 100 Days, HuffPost, May 1, 2017.

Do you have concerns about your healthcare? Share your story! These AZ Legislators are ready to listen...

Do you have concerns about the Affordable Care Act and repeal attempts; about the future of Medicare and Medicaid; or about access to care or the cost of drugs?

Whether you are a patient or a provider, we want to hear your medical and health insurance stories. The LD9 and LD10 Legislators are holding an open mic forum in which we listen, you talk, and we all learn.

This is a free educational community event for residents of Pima County. It’s about listening and learning from each other. Senators David Bradley and Steve Farley and Representatives Kirsten Engel, Randy Friese, and Pamela Powers Hannley have confirmed their attendance. (Rep. Todd Clodfelter was invited but has a scheduling conflict.)

In the news, we hear what politicians and big corporations think should be done with our country’s overly complicated and extremely expensive health care system. At this event, the people of Southern Arizona will have an opportunity to tell us their stories and help shape future policy.  So mark your calendars for October 29, 2017 for the 200 Stories: Tucson Healthcare Forum. 

-Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley, MPH
Arizona House, LD9 in Tucson 

200 Stories: Tucson Healthcare Forum

October 29, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson,

4831 E. 22nd St. Tucson, AZ

Please take a few minutes to register with EventBrite by clicking here to make sure there are enough seats.

Watch Facebook and other social media for updates.

Tell Congress to pass Medicare For All

It's time to treat health care as a human right, not a luxury for the healthy and the wealthy.

Right now, Republicans are taking actions to sabotage our health care system. And we're fighting back. But we can do better - we need a simple, seamless, affordable health care system that provides peace of mind instead of stress and anxiety.

We need Medicare for All.

Medicare already covers 40 million Americans over the age of 65, providing high quality care at a cost that is much lower than private health insurance. We need to make this effective and efficient health care program available to every American from birth.

Add your name to make health care simpler and affordable for all Americans!

https://www.signherenow.org/petition/medicare-for-all/becerra/

Petition sponsored by: 

 

Jeff MerkleyU.S. Senator from Oregon 

 

Earl BlumenauerU.S. Representative from Oregon 

Nanette BarragánU.S. Representative from California 

Peter DeFazioU.S. Representative from Oregon 

Ruben GallegoU.S. Representative from Arizona 

Jim McGovernU.S. Representative from Massachusetts 

Rick NolanU.S. Representative from Minnesota 

Xavier BecerraAttorney General of California 

Paul KerrCandidate for Congress from California 

Harley RoudaCandidate for Congress from California 

Cathy GlassonCandidate for Governor of Iowa 

Betsy SweetCandidate for Governor of Maine 

Daily Kos 

Progressive Change Campaign Committeee 

Red to Blue California 

Beyond calling our senators, what can we do to stop this cruel healthcare bill?

The Republicans want you to believe that their plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act is dead. They want to slip in below the radar and take one more run at repealing health care coverage for millions of Americans.

Here’s the reason they are moving now: Senate Republicans have until September 30th to repeal the Affordable Care Act with only 50 votes.

And here’s the scary fact: They just might have the votes to do it.

The Cassidy-Graham bill that the Republicans pulled out of the trash is their worst “health care” bill yet.

• It guts funding for Medicaid – so if you need a nursing home or your baby is born with complex medical needs, you’re on your own.


• It rolls back protections for people with pre-existing conditions – so if you have a heart attack or get a cancer diagnosis, too bad.


• And it completely eliminates help for families to buy health insurance – so if you can’t afford health insurance, good luck out there.

Make no mistake: This Cassidy-Graham “health care” bill is Trumpcare on steroids – and millions of Americans will lose their health care if the Republicans pass this piece of garbage in the next 11 days.

Remember everything you did to stop the Republicans from repealing the Affordable Care Act seven weeks ago? We need you to do it again.

1. Share your story again about why the Affordable Care Act or Medicaid matters to you or someone you love. Email it to your friends and family. Post it on Facebook or Twitter. Take a photo or record a video on your phone.


2. Our Senate Democrats are still united against this bill – but if you have family or friends who live in a state with a Republican senator, make sure they know what’s happening to health care this week. Call, text, email, message – check in and then spread the word.


3. Join a group. If you belong to an organization that has been fighting to save the Affordable Care Act, keep your eyes peeled. If you don’t belong to a group, find one. Organizations will be holding events, making calls, sharing content, and keeping people informed about what’s going on. Two voices are more than twice as powerful as one. Ten voices are more than ten times as powerful. And thousands – even millions – of voices working together can stop this ugly bill. Don’t delete all those emails.

Meet with Your Members of Congress

Members of Congress are about to head to their districts to begin a week-long recess. It’s the perfect time to pay them a visit and demand action on a crucial issue in grave danger under the Trump administration: health care. With Tom Price confirmed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Republicans determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act, we must act now to protect the gains of the ACA and demand a way forward toward true universal health care. Here’s how you can get involved:

1) Head to TownHallProject.com to find a town hall in your area.

2) Use Resistance Recess to find a town hall or rally near you, along with talking points specific to fighting for health care.

3) If you can’t attend a meeting or make a personal visit, give your representative a call.

What To Ask For

1) Demand that your representatives protect Medicaid. Republicans have long been advocating to turn Medicaid into a block-grant program. Block-granting is an old idea that was already used to gut welfare and would almost certainly mean major cuts. You can read more about the tactic in a 2014 article for The Nation by Mike Konczal and Bryce Covert.

2) Fight for a real alternative to the Affordable Care Act: Medicare For All. Representative John Conyers recently introduced HR 676, the Explanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, a bill that would implement a single-payer “Medicare For All” system. Tell members of the House of Representatives to co-sponsor the bill and to advocate for it publicly and loudly. For more ways to get involved, check out Medicare4All or sign up for the Campaign for Guaranteed Healthcare.

3) Defend the gains of the Affordable Care Act. While nowhere near perfect, the ACA has made coverage possible for more than 20 million people and cut the uninsured rate by nearly half. Tell your representatives that we can NOT go backwards. Resistance Recess provides talking points for defending the program.

Postcard Campaign

Since Paul Ryan has blocked his office phones and fax numbers, and is turning away people who show up to deliver petitions, time to change tactics. Please mail postcards to his HOME address saying NO to repealing the ACA, and NO to privatizing Medicare!

PAUL RYAN
700 ST. LAWRENCE AVE.
JANESVILLE, WI 53545


Please, paste and copy this info and share. Let’s see what 67 million cards in the driveway looks like.