health care reform

This is a great idea from YDA thanking elected officials for their vote on health care. After the horrible things that happened with people spitting on them and calling them the "n" word and fa**ot, the least we can do is communicate how grateful we are for the dedication to getting this bill past and hopefully start the ball rolling on some day having affordable health care for everyone.

Send them a note saying thanks!

Seriously overboard, don't you think?

Preceding the president's speech to a gathering of House Democrats, thousands of protesters descended around the Capitol to protest the passage of health care reform. The gathering quickly turned into abusive heckling, as members of Congress passing through Longworth House office building were subjected to epithets and even mild physical abuse.

A staffer for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told reporters that Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-M.D.) had been spit on by a protestor. Rep. John Lewis (D-G.A.), a hero of the civil rights movement, was called a 'ni--er.' And Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was called a "faggot," as protestors shouted at him with deliberately lisp-y screams. Frank, approached in the halls after the president's speech, shrugged off the incident.

But Clyburn was downright incredulous, saying he had not witnessed such treatment since he was leading civil rights protests in South Carolina in the 1960s.

"It was absolutely shocking to me," Clyburn told the Huffington Post. "Last Monday, this past Monday, I stayed home to meet on the campus of Claflin University where fifty years ago as of last Monday... I led the first demonstrations in South Carolina, the sit ins... And quite frankly I heard some things today I have not heard since that day. I heard people saying things that I have not heard since March 15, 1960 when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus."

"It doesn't make me nervous as all," the congressman said, when asked how the mob-like atmosphere made him feel. "In fact, as I said to one heckler, I am the hardest person in the world to intimidate, so they better go somewhere else."

As Clyburn went on to note, this is not about health care to these people. It's about their privileged status taking a hit, just like it did during the Civil Rights Movement. The best way to respond is to continue moving forward and expand what should be a universal right for all.

Ari Matusiak is co-founder of Young Invincibles, a national campaign engaging young Americans between the ages of 18 to 34 in the health care reform debate and advocating on their behalf. www.YoungInvincibles.org.

Before Senator Kennedy passed away, he penned a letter to President Obama. It was a reflection on health care reform, “that great unfinished business of our society” and the cause of his life. He concluded that providing every American with quality and affordable health care was nothing less than a moral issue, one that spoke to the very “character of our country.”

Today, the question is whether the election in Massachusetts to replace Senator Kennedy penned the end of health care reform, or whether a Presidential summit will mark the beginning of a renewed push to pass the bill. If you believe the pundits and some elected officials, America has spoken: it is time to slow down, scale back or move on entirely.

But that is not what America is saying.

One year ago, two million people came to Washington to witness President Obama’s inauguration. They traveled from all over America and represented every color, creed and station in life. They were there to ratify a new direction for our country, one that recalled our better history, aspired to our full promise and laid the foundation for long-term prosperity. They were there aware of the challenges ahead, but filled with hope, expectation and a belief in change nonetheless.

Many of the people on the Mall were young Americans, a generation that embraced that spirit and conviction and made Barack Obama President. When there were setbacks during the campaign, we did not quit. We did not lower our sights. We doubled down, gave more and fought harder. There was too much to gain.

One special election in Massachusetts did not change all of that. Yes, some things are different from one year ago. The Democrats, who began this Congress with 58 seats in the Senate, not 60, now have 59, the largest majority either party has had in the upper chamber since 1979. The mood of the country is anxious. A bipartisan summit on reform looms.

But more things have stayed the same. There are still over 50 million Americans who do not have health insurance, living in fear of getting sick or living in pain because they already are. There are still 14,000 Americans who lose their coverage every day, many of them because they have lost their jobs in this recession. There are still millions of Americans who cannot get insurance in the first place because of a so-called “pre-existing condition.” It is still a broken system that determines access to care based on what job you hold or what income you have. It is still one that disproportionately impacts young Americans, the largest group of uninsured in the country.

The election in Massachusetts was not a referendum on health care reform. How could it have been? Massachusetts is the one state that provides universal coverage. It is a system that 68 percent of its residents support and is the model for the current reform efforts in Washington. No. The election in Massachusetts was a referendum on the status quo: an expression of frustration one year later with the pace of change. That is why independents and some Democrats went the other direction. That is why 85 percent of young voters stayed home.

Change is not easy. It comes only as a result of persistent struggle, unwavering conviction and a willingness to take risk. That is its character. In 2008, young Americans fought for this moment – this chance to make change. We believed we were sending leadership to Washington with the character to persist, stand strong and deliver for us all.

We are still waiting. What happens now on health care reform will determine whether that belief was justified. The next step cannot be incrementalism. It certainly cannot be the deathly silence that has pervaded the issue the past few weeks. The process – be it a summit, a bipartisan negotiation or reconciliation – is the means, not the end. We want results.

This is not the time to slow down or scale back. This is the time to double down, give more and fight harder. This is the time for leadership. Open discussion and debate must come with urgency and commitment. What we do now will define the character of our country. It will determine whether we have the character to deliver on change. One year ago, young Americans believed we had it. Now is the time for Washington to prove us right.

Action required! See below...Karlo. See the two attachments for more info on the plan and a template letter to send to Congress.

Dear Young Invincible,

3 million young Americans need you right now.

Congress is about to pass major health care reform. This is great news. Unfortunately, the legislation being considered contain provisions for "catastrophic care" plans that create a "doughnut hole" where millions of people - including young people and low- and moderate-income people of all ages - will earn too much to qualify for adequate subsidies, but too little to afford quality insurance.

We're asking you to help us get this fixed before the final legislation is passed. Why? So over 3 million young Americans, the bartenders, salespeople, freelancers and part-time workers, recent college grads in entry-level positions, cooks, security guards and others making between 225% and 325% of the federal poverty level, can get access to basic primary and emergency room care.

What kind of changes are necessary? A "floor" for health plans requiring some basic coverage for primary care, an increase in transparency regarding catastrophic care plans, and an adjustment to minimum deductibles. It's all outlined here [see attached memo], in the letter we're sending to Congress [see attached letter].

Please send a letter to your representatives today and tell them to support these fixes to catastrophic care plans. Then place a call to their office through the U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202)224-3121.

All young people deserve better than insurance in name only. Help 3 million young Americans today.

Don't you wish we could just all jump into a bus and go canvas Connecticut?

In her first outreach event to the Millennial Generation, former Kansas Governor now Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will answer questions by young voters on upcoming health care reform legislation, how the HHS is doing outreach to young people, and what options for young people who continued to be uninsured.

Sebelius was unable to the 80 Million Strong for Youth Jobs summit in July which discussed at length the staggering unemployment rate for Millennials and the over 1/3 of uninsured youth. But former US Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle spoke at length about health care reform.

Daschle identified 3 main problems with today's system

1. Access - 50 million people he says lack health insurance. But 48% of people who do have insurance don't have adequate insurance or are under-insured.
2. Quality - Daschle reminds us that last year the World Health Organization ranked the United States 37th in the world for quality of health care, behind Costa Rica. The US is 31st in life expectancy and 29th in infant mortality, and 24th in overall women's health.
3. Cost - what Daschle says is driving the debate more than anything. When he was born health care was 4% of the nation's GDP, today its 17%, and when we're his age the CBO projects have it at 32% of GDP. Our nation is going bankrupt because of health care.

Last Monday I was in Washington as Speaker Pelosi, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, and Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper joined with young leaders to announce the Young Adult Health Coverage Act which allows young Americans remain on their health insurance plan until they turn 26. The Congress has taken a strong first step in both dialoguing with youth on their needs, but further acting on those dialogues to ensure policy matches those needs. I've been amazed at how eager Members have been to work with young leaders on many of these issues, and I look forward to the White House taking a similar role.

I look forward to hearing about Secretary Sebelius's take on young people who are uninsured or under-insured and any solutions the White House is proposing. To join in the event register here. It's unclear if there will be video available or if the event will be live streamed but if it is we'll bring you the information.

FutureMajority is part of the Y.I. Want Change coalition. Congratulations to the Y.I. organizers for a successful event! - Karlo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Contacts: Rebecca Abou-Chedid (Young Invincibles): media@younginvincibles.org, 202-256-4096
Chrissy Faessen (Rock the Vote): chrissy@rockthevote.com, 202-368-1706

Young Americans continue push for health care reform on Hill, hail inclusion of key provision in House bill

Coalition of over 20 youth organizations announce major policy victory, release health care policy agenda, and spend day lobbying key Senators and Representatives in Washington, DC

Washington, DC – Young Americans from 30 states are on Capitol Hill today to continue the push for comprehensive health care reform. Y.I. Want Change, a national coalition of over 20 youth organizations representing millions of young Americans, organized the lobby day. In addition to bringing young people to the Hill today, the Y.I. Want Change coalition released its policy agenda and announced with Speaker Pelosi and Representatives Van Hollen and Dahlkemper a major policy victory for young people that will be included in the final House bill: a provision allowing young Americans to stay on their parents’ insurance through the age of 26.

“Speaker Pelosi and Representatives Dahlkemper and Van Hollen’s leadership on this key provision – and other important pieces like the public option and strong anti-discrimination language – is a testament to the House’s commitment to provide health care coverage that is affordable, competitive, continuous, comprehensive and fair for young Americans,” said Heather Smith, President of Rock the Vote. “We are going to take the momentum from this day and work with the House and Senate to ensure the remainder of our policy priorities are incorporated into the final legislation.”

“Young people have fought all summer to have our voices heard in this debate, and Congress is listening,” said Erica Williams, Deputy Director of Campus Progress. “The health care crisis is young America’s crisis. Affordability, not invincibility, is the reason young people don’t have health insurance, and we are committed to making quality health care affordable for young Americans.”

In addition to the provision allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance through the age of 26, the Y.I. Want Change coalition is pushing six other policy priorities as part of the Y.I. Care Agenda released today (full details available at www.yiwantchange.org):

o Increasing premium support for low-income Americans and limiting out-of-pocket expenses to ensure that health insurance is affordable;
o Including a public option to provide greater choice for young Americans;
o Ensuring that any “young invincible” plan covers preventative and chronic care and limits out-of-pocket expenses;
o Including funding to provide education and workforce training to young Americans to assist in the transition;
o Ensuring affordable access to health insurance exchanges for all Americans; and
o Ending discrimination in the provision of health insurance.

“Health care reform that is good for young Americans is good for all Americans. That is why these policy priorities must become an integral part of the final legislative package,” said Ari Matusiak, co-founder of Young Invincibles. “The time of leaving people uninsured, unprotected and insecure has passed. The coalition we have convened is the clearest indication yet that health care is an issue all Americans care about. We’re here to tell Washington that it has to act.”

For more information and resources, including a detailed analysis of the Y.I. Want Change policy priorities, please visit www.yiwantchange.org. To speak to coalition spokespeople please contact Rebecca Abou-Chedid at media@younginvincibles.org / 202-256-4096 or Chrissy Faessen at chrissy@rockthevote.com / 202-368-1706.

###
Y.I. Want Change is a national coalition of more than 20 youth organizations and their affiliates, including Advocates for Youth, Black Youth Vote, Bus Federation, Campus Camp Wellstone, Campus Progress, Center for Community Change, Choice USA, College Democrats of America, Daily Get Up, Energy Action Coalition, 80 Million Strong, Forward Montana, Future Majority, Generation WE, Generational Alliance, NAACP Youth and College Division, Rock the Vote, Roosevelt Institution, Student PIRGs, Young Democrats of America, Young Invincibles, and Young People First. For additional information please visit www.yiwantchange.org.

Haven't done one of these in a while, but there's enough reading material to warrant a quick hits post. So here goes:

• Millennials - What is your plan for the future? Inquiring minds want to know.
• Dean: We need youth involved in health care debate
• UCF Symposium to Focus on Challenges, Opportunities for Millennials in New Economy
• Rick Santorum - The next voice of the GOP? God, I hope so.
• A problem with youth activists is that we sometimes create organizations that replicate mission statements of other organizations. Think twice before starting a non-profit.
• Students believe their colleges aren't giving them enough civic education (even though colleges believe they are).
• If you wear baggy pants and a hoodie, you're apparently a thief.

In a piece this week, Winograd and Hais put forth an interesting examination of civility in political rhetoric and how it connects to the larger generational cycle Howe and Strauss coined.

As generational theorists, William Strauss and Neil Howe pointed out, an idealist generation animated by moral beliefs, such as today's Baby Boomers, have, in their youth, regularly shaken American society by confronting the cultural values of older generations. Such generations have always been followed by an alienated, individualistic generational archetype, which tends to be rude and disrespectful, especially toward its elders. The most recent historical examples of this archetype are the Lost Generation who came of age in the 1920s and Generation X, born 1965-1981. As members of these two types of generations mature and assume positions of leadership, society coarsens and rhetoric escalates from being merely confrontational to speech that is deliberately designed to provoke and incite. It's the difference between Boomer rock n' roll and Gen X rap--or between Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin.

But inevitably, this harsh cultural style engenders a backlash from an emerging civic-oriented generation. The most recent civic generations are Millennials (born 1982-2003) and, in the 1930s and 1940s, the GI Generation. Historically, the type of generational alignment we see now is associated with the most traumatic and significant crises in American history: the American Revolution and adoption of the Constitution, the Civil War, and the Great Depression and World War II. The way this generational confrontation has been resolved in American history should give pause to those who encourage incivility, either by their silence or their direct involvement.

With Boomers and Xers holding most of the traditional societal power today, the no-holds-barred style of politics surrounding us shouldn't be much of a surprise. Because most institutions in America - the media, Congress, the parties, lobbying organizations, even the president -- are led by people in these generations, each institution is able to lean on each other to reinforce the brash/crude rhetoric. Thus, the hostile approach to political opponents continues, led by the opinionated and the alienated.

Meanwhile, another kind of alienation is taking place. Millennials, labeled the "Young Invincibles" because we apparently aren't afraid of our futures enough to care about health care (even though it's our generation's most important issue according to polls), can't win these days. We watch our elders mindlessly debate each other on toxic cable news shows, we see swastikas and pictures of Hitler on placards, and this summer we observed the media actually treat the manufactured anger at town hall meetings seriously. The issue -- health care reform -- is important to us, but an unproductive, hateful way of grappling with it is repulsive to us. But these institutions can't implicate themselves as being part of the problem, so, since the label's there, ready to slap on these youngsters - why not? Apathetic. Privileged. Entitled. Invincible.

The testimony of Matt Segal, at yesterday's House Education and Labor Committee hearing, though, covered by Karlo here, says we're far from invincible. The death of Kimi Young, the recent college grad from southwestern Ohio, from pneumonia (rumored to be H1N1, but those reports are false according to the Ohio Health Department) is another example - Kimi didn't pursue care immediately after falling ill because she didn't have health insurance.

So I think the question Millennials have is - when are we as a country going to grow up and make a good-faith effort to solve the problem? Until it happens, we'll be on a collision course with something I fear will be much worse, as Winograd and Hais indicate.

Even though you might not get it from today's Senate Finance Committee vote, far more than a simple majority of Americans support the addition of a public option to health care reform.

Thanks to Speaker Pelosi for the image above.