CDC Quote from Health Equity Guidebook

“Inequalities in health status in the U.S. are large, persistent, and increasing. Research documents that poverty, income and wealth inequality, poor quality of life, racism, sex discrimination, and low socioeconomic conditions are the major risk factors for ill health and health inequalities… conditions such as polluted environments, inadequate housing, absence of mass transportation, lack of educational and employment opportunities, and unsafe working conditions are implicated in producing inequitable health outcomes. These systematic, avoidable disadvantages are interconnected, cumulative, intergenerational, and associated with lower capacity for full participation in society….Great social costs arise from these inequities, including threats to economic development, democracy, and the social health of the nation.”

- Centers for Disease Control

Reproductive Rights

New Health Care Legislation Includes Troubling Setbacks For Reproductive Rights

The landmark health care legislation signed by President Obama today includes troubling setbacks for women’s reproductive rights, said the American Civil Liberties Union.

While the bill signed by the president today contains positive changes to health care policies that discriminate against women and provides women with access to needed and often life-saving health care services, it also restricts abortion coverage, creating hurdles for both the insurer that wants to include abortion care in its health plan and the insured who wants the coverage. The president, in a move meant to garner the votes of Democrats who oppose abortion rights, also signed an Executive Order today to ensure that current law prohibiting public funding of abortion also applied to any subsidies used to purchase insurance in the exchange.

Today’s law also revives federal funding for an abstinence-only- until-marriage program that Congress correctly allowed to expire in 2008. The ACLU has long opposed abstinence-only programs on the grounds that they censor vital health information, promote gender stereotypes, discriminate against gays and lesbians and sometimes use federal dollars to promote one religious perspective.

The following can be attributed to Laura Murphy, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:

“Unfortunately, health care reform came at a very high price for women’s right to reproductive health care. Providing health care to Americans should not come at the expense of limits on constitutionally protected access to abortion. Moreover, the law wastes millions of dollars by raising from the dead a failed sexual education program – abstinence-only- until-marriage – that thwarts healthy, more effective and life-saving education that is greatly needed by our young people.

“The ACLU looks forward to working with the president and Congress to amend these troubling provisions and ensure that every woman retains the ability to access truly comprehensive health care.”

Not everyone is excited

The health insurance bill that recently passed is not getting poor reviews from just the right wing. Physicians for a National Health Program is also not excited. They see it as a false promise of reform, and note that 23 million Americans will still go uninsured.

And while most of the Democrat commentators on talk radio are ecstatic about the bill's passage. Norman Goldman is still taking the Democrats to task for falling short in this process in so many ways. There are a growing number of people discussing third parties, so if you want to promote that on a media source, this is the place.

Health Care Legislation Passes House

Now we will see where this leads. The President is hailing this a major victory in a 100 year struggle. If this is all we can get after 100 years, it is no wonder that45,000 Americans die each year from lack of insurance!

45,000 Americans

If something killed 45,000 Americans each year would you do something about it?

That's what lack of health insurance does. Every 12 minutes an American dies because of lack of health insurance.

What can you do? Contact your elected officials and let them know you support universal health care access!

Or, work to build the changes in our "system" that would make this possible:

Clean Elections,
Instant Runoff Voting or Proportional Representation,
Fair Ballot Access,
Same Day Voter Registration!

And maybe point out that ultra-conservatives go to Canada for health care!