How will the new health care bill help families

This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.

This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.

This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.

This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.

In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.

This year, we'll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country's needs. Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners -- on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Health insurance reform will also curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections:

This year, this bill creates a new, independent appeals process that ensures consumers in new private plans have access to an effective process to appeal decisions made by their insurer.

This year, discrimination based on salary will be outlawed. New group health plans will be prohibited from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that discriminate in favor of higher-wage employees.

Beginning this fiscal year, this bill provides funding to states to help establish offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals in the process of filing complaints or appeals against insurance companies.

Starting January 1, 2011, insurers in the individual and small group market will be required to spend 80 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Insurers in the large group market will be required to spend 85 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Any insurers who don't meet those thresholds will be required to provide rebates to their policyholders.

Starting in 2011, this bill helps states require insurance companies to submit justification for requested premium increases. Any company with excessive or unjustified premium increases may not be able to participate in the new health insurance exchanges.

Reform immediately begins to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses:

This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable.

This year, new private plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. And beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare will do the same.

This year, this bill will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.

This year, this bill starts to close the Medicare Part D 'donut hole' by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. And beginning in 2011, the bill institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the 'donut hole.'

You didn't get mad when...

Regarding the teabaggers and right fundamentalist groups:

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President....

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy....

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you saw the Abu Grahib photos.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city drown.

You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad when.. when... wait for it... when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all ok with you but helping other Americans... well, to hell with them.

Wake up America!

We NEED healthcare reform NOW so that you and your family will always have access to health coverage, no matter if you’re sick, get older, lose your job, change your job, or hit a rough financial patch. Healthcare reform will give you peace-of-mind about your health care, and the freedom to live the life you want without fear you’ll be denied insurance or can’t afford it.

Reform proposals already have passed both chambers of Congress by majority vote. They will NOT add to our deficit, and actually will cut wasteful healthcare spending.

Yesterday, the President added more changes after meeting with both parties, including greater efforts to reduce medical fraud and frivolous lawsuits – and then he called for an up-or-down vote on health reform.

But thanks to politics and the coming election season, some in Congress still want to turn their backs, delay and leave us at the mercy of the giant insurance companies.

Who can change their minds? YOU can! Tell your Representative and Senators to finish the job they started!

Opponents are more fired up than ever, because they know it’s always easier to be against something than have the courage to fix a tough, systemic problem like health insurance. But you ultimately have the power, because your members of Congress are responsible to YOU, their constituent!

You can hold your lawmakers accountable if they don’t deliver:
• Health insurance that can never be denied to you, even if you have a pre-existing condition.
• Your choice of the same coverage members of Congress get.
• Help to buy coverage should you lose your job or have less money coming in.
• Needed preventive care and screenings – mammograms, colonoscopies – covered 100 percent.
• Real insurance industry reforms, including a rebate if your insurance company uses too much of your premium on their profits and overhead.
• Tax credits to help local small businesses cover their workers.
• A Medicare program that doesn’t waste your tax dollars, and is there when you need it.

Contact you Senators and Representative now to finish what they started! They work for you! The next few weeks will be critical if we are to get real change, which is why we need you and everyone you know to weigh in.

Call your representative toll free at 1-877-445-1317
Contact your Senators using this directory http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml