Release

HCAN in the News: Feb 24 State Roundup

By February 26, 2017No Comments

A Cost Too High Report Releases

ARKANSAS

Arkansas Community Organizations, the Fight for 15 and others released the “A Cost Too High” report this week in front of the offices of senators Boozman and Cotton.  About 15 people attended.  Kendra Lewis, a fast food worker, spoke about her coverage through the ACA.  Camille Richoux spoke about lgrowing up poor in south Arkansas without health coverage, her mother’s bankruptcy due to medical bills and then later receiving health coverage through her mother’s plan when she was a college student as a result of the ACA.  Reporters from KTHV, KATV, KARK and the Arkansas Democrat Gazette came to the event.  Here is a clip from KARK below.

http://www.arkansasmatters.com/news/local-news/group-asking-ar-senators-to-keep-affordable-care-act/660477579

ILLINOIS

MICHIGAN

WASHINGTON

WISCONSIN

http://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2017/02/wisconsin-non-profit-releases-report-on-the-economic-effects-of-an-aca-repeal

REPORTS FROM STATE ACTIVITY

CALIFORNIA

There’s great coverage of the empty chair town hall meeting that Congressman Issa skipped in Vista. Great work on this event from PICO, SEIU, Health Accees and others. Pretty extensive coverage below.

COLORADO

HCAN partners in CO joined this rally lead by the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative  yesterday. See coverage;

ILLINOIS

Citizen Action of Illinois has been continuing great work to elevate Medicaid and hold the GOP accountable on repeal.

IOWA

Main Street Alliance organized a great rapid response to a Grassley town halls. Press below quotes MSA leader Chris Petersen. Lots of great coverage below. At one of those town halls, Grassley propped up fears about alleged “death panels” that many Republicans claimed would be included in the law.But on Tuesday, Chris Petersen, a pig farmer from Clearwater, turned to Grassley and asserted that he would own the creation of “death panels” if he voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, suggesting that the senator was prepared to cut health care insurance for millions of Americans.
Chris Petersen: “Sir, you’re the man that talked about the death panels,” said Petersen, the former president of a farmers’ union in the state. “We’re going to create one big death panel in this country that people can’t afford to get insurance.”

Petersen, who won applause from almost everyone in the room, offered Grassley a container of Tums, the antacid tablets. “You’re going to need them the next few years,” he said. “People are disappointed.” Grassley told reporters afterward that Trump’s presidency hadn’t warranted any reliance on the heartburn and gas relief drug.

 

MICHIGAN

Michigan United is keeping up the pressure on Trott, even it means using life fowl. Great story below mentions the live chicken the activists brought to the Town Hall . . . 

http://www.wxyz.com/news/angry-constituents-bring-chicken-to-town-hall

And in the days leading up to chicken, other great activity below:

Fox 2 News – shortened clip that was posted on the 11th District Indivisible page by a member. Claudia was on MU’s  constituent team.

Hometown Life (USA Today) –  Dave Trott: Meet Your Constituents (with video)

 

 

 

Yesterday, we hung banners off overpasses in Trott’s district: District 11 Constituents Hang Banners Ridiculing Rep. #ChickenTrott
Rep. Upton:  MU’s Kalamazoo team is partnered with Pro-Kzoo and Organize West Michigan to have vigils and events outside of Rep. Upton’s office
 

Thanks to HCAN Ally and Alumna Erin Knott for organizing the great town hall in Upton’s district that got great coverage here: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2017/02/kalamazoo_official_upton_aide.html#incart_river_mobile_home

MISSOURI

About 250 people in Columbia, MO, gathered to share their concerns, questions, and stories about the impact of the ACA, Medicaid, and Planned Parenthood on Missourians. Senator Claire McCaskill sent a statement and two staffers. Blunt ignored invitations, Hartzler declined, then claimed she wasn’t invited, then ignored follow up. The event was co-organized by Missouri Jobs with Justice, CoMo for Progress, Missouri Medicaid Coalition, and Planned Parenthood of the Great Plains. Video of event is here: https://www.facebook.com/CoMoForProgress/

Columbian Missourian:
  • Community members share personal experiences about health care during town hall: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/community-members-share-personal-experiences-about-health-care-during-town/article_7f3e7800-f8a7-11e6-ba31-cfb4acbf9097.html
KOMU:
More events this week:
  • St. Charles townhall Thursday, Feb 23 at 6:30pm targeting McCaskill, Blunt, Wagner and Luetkemeyer  (Leads: MCU, MO Health Care for All)
  • Springfield Street Townhall and Save Our Care Rally on Saturday, February 25th at 7:30am, outside of a Sen Blunt appearance (Broad group of organizations planning under the Missouri Medicaid Coalition)
  • Kansas City Townhall on Saturday, Feb 25th at 1pm, targeting McCaskill, Blunt, and Cleaver (Leads: Jobs with Justice

MINNESTOTA

PICO affiliate ISAIAH and their allies are keeping up the pressure on Emmer. . . good coverage below.

NEW JERSEY

Main Street Alliance member Kelly Conklin, who owns a 12-employee custom woodworking shop in Kenilworth, New Jersey, said his insurance costs have risen by single-digit percentages since the Affordable Care Act came into effect, compared with a 126 percent price increase in one previous year. “I never found out which worker caused that,” he said. “I think they were trying to dump us.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-22/obamacare-s-hungriest-large-market-goes-begging-for-attention

NEW YORK

CANY and their health care allies are chasing Faso in NY. Really good coverage below. He never showed so the CANY activists cornered him in his Kingston office. . . he refused to come out.

PENNSYLVANIA

There was a lot of activity led by partners of the PHAN coalition this past week, including a fantastic Town Hall meeting in Allentown that Toomey didn’t appear in and that got great coverage. Thanks to PICO Affiliate POWER NE for leading on this event. See coverage of the Toomey Town Hall. Also, SEIU did a great job leading and engaging partners in many of the events below.

Scranton Town Hall 

Allentown Town Hall 

Washington Town Hall

Erie Town Hall

Beaver Town Hall

Philadelphia Town Hall 

Harrisburg Town Hall

SWPA Town Halls

Duquense Action

National Coverage

TENNESSEE

Here’s a quick report on the the town hall organized by Tennessee Citizen Action Network this week:.
http://www.tnca.org/2017/02/21/our-tuesday-town-hall/

WEST VIRGINIA

WVCAG and WV Healthy Kids & Families turnout out with about 40 other people for a roundtable discussion with Senator Manchin. The meeting included: the Director of the WV Council of Churches, Sherri McKinney – president of SEIU-1199; Father O’Donnell, legislative liaison of the local Catholic Diocese; Perry Bryant with WV for Affordable Health Care and former State Senator Dr. Dan Foster, the WV Directors of DHHR and Medicaid, Planned Parenthood reps, veterans and retired coal miners and several people with personal stories. During the roundtable, Sen. Manchin agreed to attend the April 19th Town Hall meeting the groups are organizing.
 

WISCONSIN

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is putting two members of the Congressional delegation on notice–they want answers on repeal and commitments to expand health care, not cut it. Over a hundred people attended the HCAN partner’s empty chair Town Hall last night in Wausau, but as you can see from the picture, the politicians didn’t show. Good coverage below.