With all that’s at stake in each state, you may be startled to learn that most legislatures remain boys’ clubs, with women so severely underrepresented that the political process suffers.  (No need to single anyone out, but let’s just say that at 9%, South Carolina is a great place to be when you can’t wait long for the ladies’ room!)

Guest blogger Laurie Kretchmar, media director for The 2012 Project, delivers an impassioned plea for women to seize the opportunities open in this year’s election below.  Read the original post via Care2 here, and heed her call to consider running for state office.  There’s still time to jump into a race…and there’s clearly still a deep need for informed, engaged, experienced women (why not you?) to shape the policies that affect your family every day. 

A detailed analysis of the last three budget requests reveals that President Obama has requested on average a nominal increase of 5.2% each year for children’s programs.  2011 saw by far the biggest proposed increase of more than 7%.  This stands in stark contrast to the last requested budget by President Bush, which proposed a 3% decrease.  For ease of comparison, these numbers only include programs on the discretionary side of the budget.  Discretionary programs include things Congress decides to fund each year, like Head Start, while mandatory spending represents long term commitments where Congress has little control over yearly funding levels, like Social Security.

Though this analysis excludes mandatory spending, the President has been a strong advocate for increased funding to many mandatory areas that benefit children.  This includes positive changes during the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in 2009 and the Child Nutrition Act of 2010. 

In addition to the commitments made in each budget, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), proposed by President Obama, made a tremendous investment in kids.  Almost one out of every five dollars provided in direct spending, or roughly $120 billion, from ARRA went to benefit children.[i]  ARRA provided much need boosts to education, children’s health, and children’s nutrition, as well as support to vital state run programs that impacted kids.  In 2010 alone, the ARRA support resulted in a 19% increase in the amount of federal money spent on children.

NOTE: Budgets are proposed in the current calendar year for the next fiscal year beginning in October.  For example, President Bush’s FY 2009 budget was proposed in February 2008.

Will the President Continue to Choose Kids?

Next week, President Obama will release his Fiscal Year 2013 Budget.  Analysts and commentators will pour over the numbers looking for signs of the President’s priorities for the year to come.  Over the past three years, it is clear that President Obama has chosen to make investments in kids a top priority.

Even with the President’s positive requests, Congress has authorized far less than what the President has asked for.  As a result of Congress’s decisions in conjunction with the expiration of ARRA, funding for children as a share of federal spending is still far below what is needed.  In 2011, only 8.4% of the federal budget went to children, including what’s left from ARRA.  As more and more of our children face unprecedented challenges, every dollar we invest can make the difference between a child having a balanced meal or going hungry.  As we anxiously await his budget, we call on President Obama to continue to make children a top priority.

I attended a health policy conference last week where the buzz was women.  The question on everyone’s mind was: Why aren’t American women angrier that every last one of the Republican candidates for president has threatened to repeal a law that has brought the greatest advance for women in a generation?   The experts had an answer: because most women don’t know about their new rights and protections.  Many have no idea what’s in this health care law for us.  I’m here to tell you that it’s a LOT, an astounding, tell-your-granddaughters-you-were-there LOT.

The President may have buried the lead on Tuesday night, but we don’t have to.  Women know how to share good news.

Here’s the thing: family health care is one area where men readily cede decision-making and control to women—and most will even admit it.  As CEOs of a family’s health care management, women are responsible for their own health care, their children’s care, their spouse’s care, and in ever growing numbers, the care of their aging parents.  This means that in addition to the economic burdens and job insecurity facing American women today, there is also the terrible weight of anxiety surrounding access to reliable, affordable health care.   Not to mention the overwhelming emotional burden and immediate practical demands that a family member’s illness presents to women in particular.  Women are still the country’s front-line caretakers and now the law is on our side.

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama promised the country that he, “will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage or charge women differently from men.”

Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would do just that.  Take us backwards.  The ACA has moved the nation toward fairness: fairness for women, fairness for those with pre-existing medical conditions, and fairness between the health insurance choices available to members of congress and those available to millions of Americans.

Beyond the list of new benefits—such as annual wellness visits, cancer screenings, and birth control all at no additional cost—the ACA changes the very horizon for women in this country.  We are no longer on our own against the insurance companies, struggling to manage family health in a system that ignores the desperate need for care coordination, preventive services, affordability, access, and security.   The law now guarantees protection in each of these realms.  It begins to measure the quality of our health care by the actual health and well being of our people.   These are gains that we as women must actively defend.

Pass the word on to your friends, so that we may pass the power on to our granddaughters.

Today, I am writing to tell you that we launched an exciting new feature on our website, the Game of Obamacare! As you spin the wheel to advance through life, you’ll be asked to make important decisions about college, work and family.  But watch out, there are twists and turns all along the way. What happens when your kid gets sick or you lose your job?  Play the game to find out.  Just like in life, the better your choices, the happier you’ll be.

Like our website, the game highlights the good things about Obamacare and shows players that it lowers the cost of care, expands access to care and improves the quality of care.  At the end of the game there are tools so you can share it on both Facebook on Twitter.  Please help us spread the word about all the great things Obamacare does by using these tools.

We hope that you will join us in saying Thanks, Obamacare!

Si hay algo de lo que estoy orgullosa es de mi ética laboral. La importancia del trabajo duro es algo que aprendí de mis padres que, en ocasiones, tenían varios trabajos cada uno para poder alimentar a nuestra familia de seis personas.

En la universidad, yo también tenía tres trabajos para ganarme la vida. Escribía artículos para dos semanales, contestaba los teléfonos en la universidad y trabajaba como mesera. El trabajo en el restaurante era el más lucrativo de los tres, así que trabajaba allí todas las horas posibles. A veces, tenía que ir al trabajo enferma.

La única vez que pedí que me dejaran salir temprano e irme a casa fue porque contraje una infección vírica llamada mononucleosis infecciosa que podría haber contagiado a mis compañeros y a los clientes del restaurante al toser o estornudar. La mononucleosis fue terrible. Tuve fiebre y el peor dolor de garganta que he tenido en mi vida. ¡Me sentía como si tuviese un cuchillo ardiendo en la garganta! Me sentía muy débil, con dolores por todo el cuerpo, y pensé que me iba caer con los platos en la mano.

Fue un tiempo fatal para mí, no solamente porque estaba enferma sino también porque no tenía dinero. Aumentaron mis deudas de tarjetas de crédito por tener que pagar las facturas médicas y mis gastos básicos, ya que no tenía ni un día de enfermedad pagado en ninguno de los trabajos. Algún día de enfermedad pagado hubiera significado una gran diferencia porque hubiera podido descansar sin tener que preocuparme por estar acabando con la poca seguridad económica que tenía. Todo esto ocurrió en 1997.

Me entristece denunciar que nuestro país todavía no requiere que los empleadores den a sus trabajadores ni una hora de enfermedad pagada. Muchas familias tienen que ir al trabajo enfermos y hacer que sus hijos vayan a la escuela enfermos porque no pueden perder ni un día de trabajo.

La falta de días de enfermedad pagados ha sido trágica para la comunidad latina. Según un estudio publicado el mes pasado, 5 millones de casos de gripe porcina — una pandemia mundial que causó la muerte de por lo menos 11.000 personas en los Estados Unidos — se hubiera evitado si los trabajadores hubieran tenido derecho a días de enfermedad pagados. Sólo en la comunidad latina, 1,2 millones de casos se hubieran evitado si nuestros trabajadores no se hubieran sentido obligados a ir enfermos a sus trabajos, e infectado involuntariamente a sus colegas y familiares. Según CBS News:

“(La investigadora principal Supriya) Kumar realizó una encuesta entre unos 2.000 adultos de EE. UU. sobre su salud y comportamiento durante la pandemia de 2009. Como a pocas personas que enfermaron durante ese tiempo se les realizó la prueba de la H1N1 -– conocida como “gripe porcina” — la encuesta contenía preguntas sobre la gripe o síntomas de enfermedades como la gripe. Los factores sociales que tuvieron un impacto más grande en la propagación contagiosa de enfermedades como la gripe fueron la presencia de niños en la casa y, más notablemente, la falta de acceso a días de enfermedad pagados.

“Incluso después de tomar en cuenta los niveles de ingreso y educación de las personas que enfermaron y las que no, el equipo de Kumar descubrió que el acceso a días de enfermedad pagados y la presencia de niños en casa causaron un mayor riesgo para los hispanos de contraer enfermedades como la gripe.”

Nuestra falta de una política federal sobre días de enfermedad no es solamente costosa para las familias sino también para nuestra economía. Las investigaciones han mostrado que la gente que va enferma a sus trabajos no hace tanto como cree y aumenta el riesgo de infectar involuntariamente a sus compañeros de trabajo. Para los empleadores, el impacto de la productividad de un trabajador enfermo es doble de lo que hubiese sido si la persona simplemente se hubiera quedado en casa porque, involuntariamente, infecta a sus compañeros de trabajo, quienes también tienen que tomar tiempo libre para ir al médico o trabajar mientras están enfermos.

Como latina de familia de clase trabajadora, estas estadísticas me impactaron mucho. Me acuerdo de la epidemia de gripe porcina de 2009, y me aterra recordar como reclamó vidas de miembros de nuestra comunidad en Texas y en el estado en el que vivo, California. También me siento ofendida. Nuestras familias sí trabajan duro y juegan según las reglas. Sin embargo, ¿no se nos permite tomar ni una hora de enfermedad pagada? Eso incluso daña nuestra economía, ¡costándonos $160 mil millones al año en productividad perdida!

A los trabajadores latinos, en realidad, todos a los trabajadores estadounidenses, les digo basta ya. Por favor, únanse a mí en MomsRising.org y firmen esta petición en apoyo del Acta de Familias Sanas (“Healthy Families Act” en inglés). El Acta de Familias Sanas permitiría que los trabajadores obtuviesen hasta siete días de enfermedad pagados al año para recuperarse de enfermedades de corta duración, para cuidar a un familiar enfermo, asistir a citas médicas, o solicitar ayuda en casos de violencia doméstica, acoso o agresión sexual.

Casi la mitad, el 48%, de los trabajadores del sector privado no tienen derecho ni a una hora de enfermedad pagada. No podemos permitirnos ver lo que ocurrirá la próxima vez que una gripe pandémica azota a nuestro país.

Elisa Batista es especialista en relaciones con la comunidad de MomsRising.org. También publica su propio blog, MotherTalkers, y contribuye con una columna en español sobre el medioambiente en Moms Clean Air Force. Cuando no está delante de su computadora, está con su hijos pequeños o entrenando para maratones.

This month, however, legislators are struggling to cut $2 billion from the state budget. They have few, if any, easy choices left, and among the proposed cuts is the elimination of Medicaid’s prenatal dental coverage. But, getting rid of dental care for the state’s poorest expectant mothers could only cost more over the long run.

Why? Without dental coverage, many pregnant women couldn’t afford checkups and restorative care and that could easily land them in the emergency room or oral surgery in the coming years, further straining the Medicaid system.

As important, prenatal dental care is about more than mom’s teeth because her health can affect the whole family. Poor oral health during pregnancy has been associated with low-birth weight, pre-mature birth and other complications in research studies.# It is one more problem for new mothers struggling in poverty.
“The need is unbelievable. I can’t tell you how many women we see who have full-blown gum disease and inflammation, as well as extensive dental decay,” said Dr. Martin Lieberman, dental director for Seattle-based Neighborcare Health. “But, this is not just about the mom’s dental disease….it is about how the disease affects her child. From adverse pregnancy outcomes, to children with preventable pain leading to the loss of schools days, the loss of sleep, it all builds up.”

When a new mom has poor oral health it is more likely her child will too, and childhood dental disease can be far more than a toothache. It can disrupt a child’s education and development by making it harder to pay attention, sleep and even attend school. Currently, nearly 40 percent of Washington kindergartners start school with tooth decay and nearly 15 percent begin with rampant decay.

If legislators cut coverage for pregnant women they risk making this problem even worse.

Unfortunately, Washington’s proposed cut reflects what has been happening around the country. Four years ago only half of all U.S. states provided some dental coverage for low-income pregnant women, according to a National Academy for State Health Policy report (http://www.nashp.org/publication/increasing-access-dental-care-medicaid-targeted-programs-four-populations), and the number is likely even lower today given the decline of the U.S. economy.
Preserving the program would be a smart choice that could save money over the long run and preserve a vital part of Washington’s social safety net. Getting rid of it would mean states, Medicaid, mothers and their children would pay a lot more later.

For more information about the importance of dental coverage during pregnancy visit Oral Health Watch (http://www.oralhealthwatch.org) or get updates on Twitter: @OralHealthWatch

Paul Nyhan, a 20-year journalism veteran, is working with the Washington Dental Services Foundation on highlighting the importance of prenatal dental care for low-income women.

At The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative and ProgressNow Colorado Education we are spearheading a campaign called “Thanks Obamacare.” This effort highlights Obamacare and the ways it helps America’s families, individuals and small businesses. The one thing we know for sure?  It is about CARE.

Visit www.thanksobamacare.org to check out our new campaign. On the website, you’ll find the top 10 reasons to Thank Obamacare and a timeline of the implementation of the law.  These are the things that people are not talking about enough, like the fact that insurance companies can’t kick sick people off coverage and now people can stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26.

The truth is, Obamacare lowers the cost of care, expands access to care and improves the quality of care. We want to take ‘Obamacare’ back from the anti-reform naysayers because the reality is Obamacare has been a huge boost to families across the U.S.  It is making it easier and more affordable for all of us to get the healthcare we need, when we need it.

Please help us spread the word. Tell us why you say Thanks, Obamacare on Twitter (when you do, be sure to use the hastag #ThanksObamacare).  You can keep up with the campaign by following @ThanksObamacare on Twitter or on our Facebook page.

There is a lot to Thank Obamacare for.  Please help us spread the word. Share the video tweet why YOU want to say #thanksobamacare.

Indeed, web portals will serve as the primary access point to the Exchanges, but could prove less ef fective than anticipated if states don’t prepare proper outreach and enrollment strategies.   Perhaps surprisingly, many young people, and particularly young people of color, may have a difficult time en rolling online.  Communities of color have less reli able Internet access than whites, and young people of color disproportionately use smart phones to ac cess the Internet – in fact, smart phones are often their primary way of getting online. But despite these facts, mobile devices may not sync well with Exchange web portals, creating an additional barrier to access for the most frequently un insured Americans.

According to Young Invincibles and the Greenlining Institute’s new report, removing that hurdle is vital for successful implementation of the ACA.  The report, titled The Health Benefit Exchange: Will Web Portals Work as Planned?, recommends that Exchanges have mobile functionality due to the increasing reliance of young people on their smart phones to access the internet.  Below are recommendations for designing the Exchanges and outreach plans that could help increase enrollment, particularly for young people:

• Mobile Outreach: State governments are currently required to come up with outreach plans to inform people about the changes coming from the ACA.  By creating advertisement campaigns that allow smart phone owners to text in their number to receive further information about Exchanges, states could easily connect with a large number of people.  A similar campaign, text4baby, has reached over 175,000 moms to deliver prenatal information.

• Smartphone Enrollment App: To better reach young people, states and the federal government should develop a fully functional application for the exchange.  This app would be designed specifically with smart phones in mind and allow users to complete the entire exchange process from their phone.  Apps are an improvement over websites because they can be downloaded and used offline but still can be updated with new information.  They can also provide far more functionality on smart phones than compared to a mobile web site.

• Mobile Integration: Exchange websites should be designed to interact with mobile phones and allow customers to browse plans, upload documents, and access customer support.  Adding text or smart phone alerts and notifications about enrollment status would provide faster information and improved communication lines.

Taking these steps will help facilitate young adult enrollment in new exchanges.

Young Invincibles also released another report this month on the important state role in implementing the ACA in a way that works well for young adults.

My colleague Ani and I had the pleasure of attending the Second National Children’s Health Insurance Summit earlier this month in Chicago. The gathering, hosted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), was the official kick-off for the second round of outreach and enrollment grants that CMS awarded to 39 different groups in 25 states to get kids enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). CMS awarded $40 million across five focus areas: technology, retention, engaging schools, targeting groups likely to experience gaps in coverage, and concentrating on teens. Over the course of the three-day meeting, we got the opportunity to hear from a wide range of groups that are involved in children’s outreach and enrollment, including community health centers, managed care plans, providers, communications and technology firms, state agencies, and consumer groups. Conference attendees, many of whom have a wealth of enrollment-related experience, shared lessons learned from the last round of grants (2009-2011) as well as their plans for the next few years. And wow, are these groups busy!

Grantees and non-grantees alike are actively engaged in reaching out to the remaining uninsured children, many of whom are likely eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. This is important to our mission at Enroll America for two reasons:

1. Efforts to reach out to low-income families and enroll children in Medicaid and CHIP are directly instructive to the outreach efforts that will be needed in 2013 and beyond. Many of the parents of Medicaid/CHIP-eligible children will be newly eligible for coverage through Medicaid or health insurance exchanges in 2014. Identifying the best ways to reach these families to enroll their children gives us clues about how to enroll their parents when they are eligible for coverage in 2014.
2. The more eligible children who get—and keep—coverage now, the fewer people there will be who need to enroll by 2014.

We’ll blog about some of the innovative projects these grantees are working on in the coming months. For example, the Michigan Primary Care Association is using a technology-driven model to improve renewal rates by texting families to remind them to renew and by providing renewal assistance over the phone and online. The South Carolina State Office of Rural Health is partnering with The Benefit Bank of South Carolina to connect the existing Benefit Bank technology to the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ eligibility determination system. They are also going to use tablets with cameras to capture applications and supporting paperwork and to submit applications electronically. This helps reduce the paperwork that families need to submit and expedites the application process.

We’re looking forward to highlighting other grantees’ work in future posts. If your organization is a grantee and has a great idea to share with our readers, let us know!

Cross posted from the Enroll America blog

Specifically for children, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program provide vital health care to children whose families don’t receive coverage from their employer, or who don’t earn enough money to afford coverage on their own.

Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) commissioned a survey by Lake Research Partners interviewing over 1,900 families at 250% of the federal poverty level or less. One-third of the families had children covered by Medicaid; a third were covered by CHIP; and a third received coverage through their employers.  The intent was to measure perceptions of these programs from families who are eligible for it; find what works and what doesn’t work about the program; and learn what strategies work best in terms of connecting kids to coverage.

Some of the key findings were as follows:

• Families whose children were covered by Medicaid or CHIP were more satisfied with their care than those receiving employer-sponsored care
• The top reason why families enroll their children in Medicaid or CHIP is for “peace of mind.”  Families also like the programs because they are affordable and due to the menu of services provided to their children
• The top barriers to enrollment were the perceptions that enrollment is hard, and that families think they earn too much to qualify.  Families didn’t know whom to call or where to turn to learn information about the programs
• English speakers tend to prefer to enroll online or via post, whereas Spanish speakers tend to prefer enrolling at government agencies
• The most trusted messengers about Medicaid and CHIP are doctors and nurses
• A great majority are satisfied with the enrollment process
• For English speakers, it’s important to emphasize the eligible income range; that enrollment is available online; and to arm doctors and nurses with outreach and enrollment information
• For Spanish speakers, it’s important to provide information in Spanish, emphasize affordability, and inform them that in-person assistance is available

View the Survey Topline

Tweet About It

If you’d like to DO something to support Medicaid and CHIP, tweet about it!  As the ‘Super Committee’ (Congress’ Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction) considers ways to reduce the deficit, many are concerned that kids could get cut when it comes to their health and well-being.  So register your support for Medicaid and CHIP by tweeting “Medicaid and CHIP work!” with the hashtags #dontcutkids #kidswin #jsc #medicaid #chip.

CLICK TO TWEET NOW

Cross posted from United Way blog