Ryan Budget is a Slap in our Faces

As The White House put it House Republicans  “stacked the deck against the middle class," by approving Ryan budget that gives millionaires an average $150,000 tax cut, creates more breaks for Wall Street managers and preserves giveaways to oil companies.

Just another example of how the "establishment" turns a blind eye and deaf ear to the millions of Americans struggling to keep food on the table and afford the gas to get to work.

Names for Rep. Paul Ryan the budget also makes radical discretionary cuts across the board. By 2014, more than nine million students will see Pell Grants fall by as much as $1,100, and about 900,000 students would lose their grants altogether, it is estimated.  Clean energy programs would be cut nearly 20 percent, Head Start would offer 200,000 fewer slots per year, and critical medical research and science programs would see drastic cuts. 

It is imperative we call our Senators and ensure they put a stop to this biased, unbalanced budget that is a direct hit to the 99 percent of Americans who fall under the top 1 percent who control and attain all the wealth. 

Meanwhile President Barak Obama has offered a balance plan that will reduce our deficit by more than $4 TRILLION by asking the 1 percent pay their fair share. It also enacts responsible spending cuts and will help bring economic security back to the middle class and seniors.

Yes, women can benefit

Most people don't know this, but the big health care bill that President Obama signed has a ton of benefits in it that impact women specifically. And studies show that the more people know about what's in the bill, the more likely they are to support it and use those great new benefits. Right now--when health care is in the news and lots of people will be talking about it--is a great time to share what's in it that's great for women with your friends and colleagues.

Top 5 Benefits for Women in the Health Care Law

1. Being a woman is no longer a "pre-existing condition."  Yes, women were denied coverage for just being women before the Affordable Care Act was law. Insurance companies would classify pregnancy, c-sections or even being a domestic violence or rape survivor as pre-existing conditions ¹and deny coverage on that basis. Women will no longer be denied care² for pre-existing conditions.

2. Insurance companies can't charge you more for being a woman either. Before the Affordable Care Act was law, women were sometimes charged up to 150% more than men of the same age. The health care law makes gender discrimination illegal.³

3. Having a pap smear still sucks, but at least you don't have to shell out a co-pay for it.Breast cancer screenings, cervical cancer screenings, domestic violence counseling and screenings and a whole bunch of other preventive care measures must be covered by insurance companies.⁴

4. You also don't need a co-pay for birth control anymore.⁵ And when 1 in 3 women in our country can't afford it, that's a big deal.

5. Have kids? Or want to? The law helps with that too. If you have kids, they can stay on your health insurance until they're 26 years old--regardless of whether they live with you or are married or not.⁶ And if you want to have kids, the law will help you get pre-natal care and counseling and help with breast feeding and supplies too.⁷

Sources:

1. "I Am Not A Pre-Existing Condition," RH Reality Check, October 14, 2009
2. "The Affordable Care Act Gives Women Greater Control Over Their Own Health Care." White House Fact-sheet
3. Ibid
4. "Preventive Services Covered Under the Affordable Care Act," Department of Health and Human Services Fact-sheet
5."Women's Preventive Services: Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines," Department of Health and Human Services Fact-sheet
6. "Young Adult Coverage," Department of Health and Human Services Fact-sheet
7. "Women's Preventive Services: Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines," Department of Health and Human Services Fact-sheet

From: http://act.weareultraviolet.org/signup/hcrtop5/?akid=59.118595.XS2aX4&rd=1&t=1

Healthcare in High Court

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/supreme-court-health-care-reform-case-expect-094452929.html

Today, March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether to keep or kill the largest reform package for healthcare in America, and their decision affects the 99% far more than the 1% (*of which most judges probably fall into that category.)
I am part of the 99 percent and this action scares the bejesus out of me. First, I was witness to the fiasco when the Supreme Court basically stole the presidency from Al Gore, and plunged us into a four-year debacle that had the younger George Bush sending this country into spiraling debt. (Remember President Bill Clinton left office with a balanced budget). But I digress.
For the next three days, the Court's Honorable Judges will decide whether 30 million Americans will be able to get health insurance - something that should be an inalienable right! Twenty-six states, including my home state of Colorado (how embarrassing) joined forces to question the validity of the newly-embraced moniker of Obamacare, named for our beloved President Barack Obama, who passed this law as one of the first he signed during his first term.
Insurance companies forced this action because Obamacare will mandate that no-one with a pre-existing condition can be denied health insurance (jeez, who needs it most!). It also limits how much insurance companies can charge older people.
Obamacare also expands Medicare and will open coverage to more than 15 million who earn too much to qualify. The Congressional Budget Office says by 2019, with Obamacare, 95 percent of all Americans will have health insurance. 
I don't. And I don't think it should be an issue. Everyone needs health insurance. Without the Veterans Administration (VA - I am a U.S. Navy veteran) I would be dead. I wonder how many others who are uninsured couldn't wait.