| The latest news from and for state health care advocates |
April 2010 |
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In This Issue:
Buzz around the States
Ohio Consumers for Health win a battle at the ballot box against a group seeking to opt-out of reform.
Several Pennsylvania health care groups call on Attorney General Corbett to resign after he joined other attorneys general in the lawsuit to take down health reform.
Consumers for Affordable Health Care’s (CAHC) consumer helpline is getting more calls and helping more people than ever before.
Florida advocates win fight against harmful Medicaid overhaul.
OKWatchdog uses the media to promote the creation of a high-risk pool in Oklahoma.
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States in Focus
Arizona Fights to Bring Back KidsCare
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The Bring Back KidsCare campaign is yet another example of how highlighting personal stories in the media is a very effective tactic. By bringing forward the human perspective of the program, they were able to help save it! |
On Thursday, March 18, Arizona’s Governor signed a budget eliminating KidsCare, Arizona’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This drastic cut will be effective July 1, 2010, making Arizona the only state without a CHIP program and leaving thousands of children uninsured.
Rather than giving up after this drastic cut, the Arizona advocacy community turned up the heat, and Arizona’s Children’s Action Alliance created the Bring Back KidsCare campaign. The campaign built a website, created radio and internet ads, and engaged several other state organizations interested in children’s health in the effort.
Matt Jewett, Health Policy Director at Children’s Action Alliance, stressed the importance of using consumer stories to get the word out about the positive history of CHIP and how it has helped Arizona children. The Bring Back KidsCare campaign generated media coverage by sharing the stories of families who lost KidsCare coverage due to previous cuts to the program and those who are still on the program’s waiting list. In addition, Bring Back KidsCare found families to testify in front of the state’s legislature about how essential KidsCare has been in keeping their children healthy. The campaign used their networks to generate hundreds of emails and calls to the legislature urging that the program be reinstated.
Thanks to the Bring Back KidsCare campaign’s efforts and the timely passage of national health reform, it is extremely likely that the KidsCare program will continue. The Arizona House will vote this week on whether they will restore KidsCare and appropriate $9 million to continue health insurance coverage for the children who are already enrolled through the next fiscal year.
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By passing statewide health reforms, Colorado advocates have been able to lay the groundwork for federal reform. Although some of the reforms they passed are included in the new health reform law, their passage on the state level shows that there is support for these changes and also paves the way for implementation. |
Colorado Moves forward on Implementation Legislation
In some states, governors and attorneys general have been trying to block health reform, but this attitude is not universal. In fact, many states, such as Colorado, have taken the lead in laying the groundwork for smooth implementation of the new law. Guided by the urging of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI), Governor Ritter appointed a new director, tasked with implementing federal reform, and also signed a series of state bills that will accelerate implementation.
Under the Governor’s recently signed laws, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to discriminate against women; insurance plan descriptions will be written at a tenth grade reading level; and in six months insurance companies won’t be able to deny coverage for children with pre-existing conditions. Kelly Shanahan, Policy Director at Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, credits the legislative success to their coalition’s work educating committee members and their strong relationship with Marcy Morrison, Colorado’s Commissioner of Insurance.
As Colorado Consumer Health Initiative geared up to testify on gender discrimination, they prepared data from each state House district, comparing how much more a woman pays in premiums than a male smoker of the same age. Kelly Shanahan said, “After elected officials saw the outrageous cost disparity in their specific district, the bill gained a lot of legislative support and media interest.” The attention inevitability gave the bill enough momentum to quickly pass both houses and be signed into law
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It is almost impossible to reach everyone with the information they need about health reform. In Texas, the Center for Public Policy Priorities devised a plan to educate as many people as possible across the state, specifically those who will be working on implementation and will be the likely messengers of this information. |
Texas Advocates Hit the Road
The passage of the health reform law marked a major accomplishment for health care advocates across the country. Overcoming that legislative and political hurdle was an historic moment. But in its aftermath, supporters of reform are now facing the next great challenge: educating people about what is in the bill.
All across the country, national, state, and local health care advocates are trying to figure out the best way to reach people to let them know how health reform will affect them and their communities. In Texas, the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) has a laid out a plan to get them out of the office and into Texas communities. According to Special Project Coordinator Kymberlie Quong Charles, the Center has targeted 18 different geographic areas.
The Center for Public Policy Priorities has reached out to groups across the state about their public education plans and is trying to bring in as many partners as possible. They plan to give three different presentations designed to reach three different audiences. There is a high-level policy presentation for advocates who will be working on the technical implementation of reform, a more general presentation for grasstops leaders, and a “train the trainer” presentation to give people the tools they need to educate people in their communities.
The series of public education presentations will begin with a kickoff event in May. So far, CPPP is working on plans to partner with groups such as the United Way, Children’s Hospital, One Voice Texas (a provider’s coalition), Organizing for America, various faith congregations, and members of their statewide CHIP coalition. By working with different partners in different regions, CPPP hopes to reach a broad range of people who can then continue to spread the positive benefits of health reform.
Beat of the Month
This month, the State Health Beat featured Arizona, a state that saved health insurance for thousands of kids, a state that is being proactive on implementation rather than hostile, and another state with extensive public education plans around the new law. So in the spirit of the kids in Arizona, please enjoy the April edition’s Beat of the Month – Kids by MGMT.
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Now that implementation is upon us, our schedules are busier than ever, and reading blogs on a regular basis is tougher and tougher. Families USA has developed 12 blogs to coincide with our piece, 12 Reasons to Embrace Health Reform, on our Stand Up For Health Care partner website. You can incorporate these blogs into your own online advocacy to show all the various benefits of reform. Whether they’re useful for brainstorming ideas, citing information, or posting as is, our posts might just be the perfect thing to jumpstart your blog. Check out these pro-reform blogs here, and start blogging away! | |
New Resources from Families USA
Contributors: Lydia Gottesfeld, Mark Fisher, Laura Parisi, Liz Perry
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