Earlier this summer, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a preliminary set of regulations that instruct states in the development of their new health insurance marketplaces, also called exchanges. These rules govern all aspects of how the exchanges are run and are a key mechanism for reigning in health insurance company profiteering.Continue reading “New State Health Insurance Exchange Rules Must Be Strengthened”
Author Archives: AJS admin
Foreclosures take a toll on health
As bad as it is to lose your home, you shouldn’t lose your health along with it. But it seems like that’s what happening, according to new research from economists at Princeton and Georgia State.
Corporate Interests Dominate List of Top Super Committee Donors
Four banks, two large corporations, a conservative political action committee (PAC), and a law firm serving corporate, industrial, and financial institutions dominate the list of top 10 campaign donors that contributed to members of the bipartisan congressional “Super Committee,” setting the stage for a historic revenue showdown. These entities contributed a total of $4.5 million,Continue reading “Corporate Interests Dominate List of Top Super Committee Donors”
Have you heard about austerity lately?
Have you heard about austerity lately? It’s a fancy word to talk about gutting important public investments in our health care, education, economic well-being, and communities overall. To learn more about why austerity is such a bad idea, economically and morally, watch this video:
Anti-Worker’s Rights Tour Comes Up Empty
Apparently, the pro-oil, anti-worker Running on Empty Tour has hit a roadblock: the Montana Organizing Project and its allies. The Americans for Prosperity — a Washington, D.C.-based, ultra conservative political action committee (PAC) — has launched a national tour calling for oil and gas companies to be able to operate and drill with no publicContinue reading “Anti-Worker’s Rights Tour Comes Up Empty”
Association Health Plans: Good or Bad for Small Business?
Changes are finally coming to states’ health insurance marketplaces. For small businesses, these changes can’t come soon enough. New rules prohibiting discrimination and strengthening oversight of rate increases will protect small businesses from rate shocks. A guaranteed essential benefits package will provide assurance of a minimum level of coverage. And new state insurance exchanges willContinue reading “Association Health Plans: Good or Bad for Small Business?”
HHS’s Language Rule Excludes Millions of People
What would you think about a rule designed to give translation of important insurance documents to those who do not speak English well, if that rule required this service in nine counties in New Mexico, but excluded the entire City of Albuquerque?
Underwater Mortgages and 1 Million Jobs
Today, The New Bottom Line, a coalition co-lead by the Alliance for a Just Society, released a report detailing a solution to the foreclosure crisis. “The Win-Win Solution: How Fixing The Housing Crisis Will Create 1 Million Jobs” details how we can fix the housing crisis and revitalize our communities and economy if the banks wereContinue reading “Underwater Mortgages and 1 Million Jobs”
E-verify Hurts Local Economies
Main Street Alliance members Edgar Andrade of Bushwick, Brooklyn and Jim Houser of Portland, Oregon were joined on a press call Wednesday by Mayor Paul Bridges of Uvalda, GA to address the drastic ramifications of state-based, enforcement-only immigration laws. These laws are being enacted in states across the country, starting in Arizona and spreading toContinue reading “E-verify Hurts Local Economies”
Debt Deal Puts a Bull’s Eye on Medicaid
As I write, the U.S. Senate has just passed the debt deal that was negotiated with the President over the weekend. It got 269 votes in the House yesterday and 74 votes in the Senate today. It was opposed by both the most progressive and most conservative members. The immediate effect is a cap onContinue reading “Debt Deal Puts a Bull’s Eye on Medicaid”