health care reform

Serrano Puts the Uninsured In Front of the Undocumented

Posted by Azriel Relph

José E Serrano changed his stance and voted in favor of the Health Care reform bill last week, in what appears to be a win for his constituents, and perhaps the Congressman himself.

Serrano initially opposed the bill because of language that would prevent undocumented immigrants from getting coverage.  On Thursday, along with the rest of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he announced his new position, and on Sunday he helped pass the bill.  With an immigration bill on the horizon, Serrano has another opportunity to help the undocumented.  With a constituency in extremely poor health, he might not have gotten another chance to help the uninsured.

Serrano explained why he changed his mind:  “I can vote for this bill with this provision in it for two reasons,” he said in a press release. “First, without victory on this bill, immigration reform will not move forward. Secondly, when we do immigration reform, people who were excluded from health reform will become documented and later citizens, and therefore will no longer be excluded.”

Estimating how many undocumented immigrants live in any area poses obvious challenges, (a problem the 2010 Census is supposed to ease), but the number is assumed to be extremely high in Serrano’s district.  At first glance, it might seem sensible for Serrano to de-prioritize these residents since they cannot vote.  But voters do not live in vacuums; an undocumented resident is likely the parent, sibling, employee, friend or neighbor of a voter.  And it is probably not hard for Serrano – who was born in Puerto Rico – to imagine how different his life might have been if he had been born a hundred miles away in the Dominican Republic.

But the decision to put off the fight for undocumented immigrants does make sense when looking at the health of the South Bronx.  Asthma is one of the biggest health problems in an area known for high traffic and heavy industry.  The levels lead the nation, with one in four elementary school students afflicted. Few residents do not have a preexisting condition of some kind.  The community boards are constantly asking for more and expanded health care centers – but the money is hard to find.  According to Serrano’s website, over 86,000 uninsured South Bronx residents would get coverage thanks to the bill.  The 65,000 people in the area on Medicaid would see improved coverage.  Thousands of small businesses, (the kind with 50 or fewer employees), would get tax breaks to offer employees coverage.  Millions of dollars would go to over 70 community health centers.

Serrano explained that his yes vote was for the health of his constituents.  “I have fought long and hard to ensure that they are able to lead healthy lives—whether it is working to clean the air that they breath or fighting for parks and open space for people to exercise and relax or even pushing for healthier food options. But voting in favor of this health reform bill is the biggest step we can take to ensure that Bronx residents live healthier lives.”

As much as it made sense for him to fight for coverage for the undocumented, ultimately it made even more sense for Serrano to vote for the bill.  His constituents needed the help, and will likely reward him for it with their continued support.  With health care finally taken care of, immigration reform should come up on the agenda soon, and Serrano will have another chance to help the undocumented.

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Posted by Dana Rapoport

In Washington, this past weekend, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and other fellow Democrats, took part in a great moment in the journey for improving millions of lives in America. It was a moment they have been preparing and anticipating – for a very long time, probably since November 2008.

Velazquez and her colleagues believed in the urgency and importance of this goal and made sure to be as outspoken as they could be, to make sure this opportunity will not be missed.

On Saturday, standing in front of 500,000 people, Velazquez called on Congress and the president to pass the immigration reform immediately.

Yes, perhaps the timing wasn’t perfect for the “March for America” rally, the nationwide rally for immigration reform. Not when the health care reform was being voted on in the house.

“We stand here to say to the Republican leadership in the Senate, to the Democrats in the Senate and also in the House, and the President Barack Obama, we want immigration reform now,” Velazquez called Sunday.

Velazquez, with more than 20 Congressional Hispanic Caucus members behind her, has already decided on Thursday, to support the health care bill. The CHC supported the bill, despite the fact that it prohibits illegal immigrants from buying health care from the proposed health exchanges. “The broader impacts of the legislation, override the other concerns,” The CHC statement said.

So maybe, the timing of the rally wasn’t so poor after all.

Congresswoman Velazquez has many different chairs to sit in.
She Chairs the Hispanic Caucus, the Small Business Association and Rep. of New York City’s Congressional District 12. She’s a Democrat-Latina with close ties with the Speaker of the House.
Most of the time, all these roles go together well, but on rare occasions, they can conflict. Generally, immigrants and small businesses, her constituency and her party share congruent interests.

Was it her loyalty to the CHC, SBA, to her constituency? Was it to Pelosi, her party, to America, her career, or all of the above that convinced her to support the controversial overhaul?

As for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Velazquez says its good news after all.
Only a week before the vote, the CHC threatened to derail the health care bill unless changes were made to the bill’s immigration provisions. But Velazquez and the caucus said that the 8.8 million Latinos who will benefit from the reform, are good enough reasons to support it.

“In my home district, it improves options for 324,000 residents, and expands care to 86,000 more,” she said in a statement on Monday.

For Small Businesses, the bill will provide tax credits for up to 249,000 New York small businesses to help make coverage more affordable.

“In my district alone, 33 clinics will see critical improvements, meaning more options for the men and women of Brooklyn, Queens and the Lower East Side,” Velazquez said.
[NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation will issue a statement Friday regarding the reform]

Her constituency doesn’t really care or understand, how their women in DC will vote. And those who are informed -don’t always agree.

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on a sunny Wednesday, a day before the CHC announced they unanimously support the reform, residents and business owners of Congressional District 12 weren’t following closely after Pelosi’s head-count.

Senior Italian residents were strolling, Hispanic school kids were playing in the streets, and Hassid Jews in long black coats were busy unpacking, reorganizing grocery shelves and replacing goods with “Kosher for Passover” products.

They were busy taking care of their small businesses and hardly gave any thought to the Washington thriller

On Grand Avenue, Willferd Ochoa sat in the back room of a small car service office. His cell phone was constantly ringing. Between conversations he said that Velazquez should vote against the bill.

“It has to be for everyone,” he said. “If someone is illegal but he has money to buy it, he should be able to.”

In the 21 years Willfred has been living in the US, he never visited a doctor here. Only when he goes home, to Ecuador, he gets all his check-ups -usually all in one day.

In an accounting office in Bushwick, Refael was also very busy. He had been helping small businesses and immigrants with their accounting papers and legal aid.

“We never know how many, or what kind of changes were made,” he said.
“I support the amnesty, but this is how the system works, you have to respect the law. If you’re illegal – you’re illegal,” Refael said, regarding the illegal immigrants provision.

Last week, Obama embraced a framework for legislation offering a new high-tech identification card for U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who want a job.
But on Friday, Sen. Lindsey Graham who offered the legislation said:

“If the health care bill goes through this weekend, that will, in my view, pretty much kill any chance of immigration reform passing the Senate this year.”

The health care bill passed 219-212, but the immigration reform will probably have to wait.

After clashing recently with another Democrat, Rahm Emanuel, who has been pushing for his own goals,Velazquez stated “he’s always about winning”, she found out you sometimes have to sacrifice to be on the winning side.

Health Care Reform Passes: "Lunch Ladies" Defeated

Posted by David Montalvo

219 House Democrats passed a landmark health care reform bill late Sunday evening – as Jamie Oliver travelled to the most obese city in America to promote healthier eating habits on his new show “Food Revolution” on ABC – that is meant to benefit tens of thousands of uninsured residents in New York Congressional District 11 in Brooklyn.

The interactive graph above shows how the bill will affect the district, by the numbers.

“This bill gives Americans more choices and brings down health care costs for everyone,” said Rep. Yvette Clarke, who voted for the bill.

Indeed, the bill may also benefit 367,000 of her constituents with health insurance through improvements in their coverage, and more than 11,000 small business in her district are targeted to receive tax credits to afford health insurance, she said.

(Read my previous post for an analysis of why Rep. Clarke voted for health care reform.)

The timing for Food Revolution’s preview perhaps couldn’t have been more impeccable.

Jamie Oliver, the British chef who helped transform the public lunch program in the U.K. through the show’s British version, was faced in West Virginia by a tough, punchy “lunch lady” who refused to change from her ways of serving frozen pizza, processed foods and just-add-water mashed potatoes.

The idea of preparing and serving fresh food everyday to kids seemed not only impossible to her, but perhaps worse, she didn’t think the kids would like it – so why even try to feed them better, more nutritious food?

Change is never easy. The year-long kicking and scratching between Democrats and Republicans over health care reform is evident of that, if nothing else. But President Obama and Congress, like Jamie Oliver, have decided to take on the Republican “lunch ladies” in the interest of a better, healthier America.

The reconciled health care reform bill, which includes the backing of Pro-Life Caucus Democrats, still needs approval by a simple majority in the Senate before landing on President Obama’s desk.

“Tonight after nearly 100 years of talk and frustration,” said Obama around 12:42 a.m. on Monday, “we proved that this government of the people and by the people is still for the people.”

Though no House lunch ladies voted for the bill – including all Republicans and some Democrats – it’s still unclear if they’ll become fans of “Food Revolution.”

"Big I" Gets Crowley to Speak at Lobbying Week

Posted by Matthew Robinson

Big Insurance or “Big I” has been busy. They’ve already lobbied Washington with tons of money against health care reform. On March 4th, insurance agents will shake hands with members of Congress as part of a week long conference at our nation’s capital.

Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) booked Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) for their annual “Big I” Day, where over a thousand members go to Capitol Hill to discuss issues at the “most effective insurance industry legislative event of its kind,” according to the associations press release.

Insurance companies are the leading contributor to Crowley’s campaign, making up $70,000 in 2009-2010, according to Opensecrets.org. Crowley sits on the Ways and Means Committee, so it’s not a surprise for insurance companies to try and court him. The committee is the chief tax-writing group of the House of Representatives, which also has some jurisdiction over social security, medicare and unemployment benefits.

But Crowley is still an advocate for health care reform. Back in August, while lobbyists contributed more $1.4 million to try and sway Congress from reform, Crowley started an interactive health care forum on his website. He recently voted for the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, which repealed antitrust protections from the health insurance industry. It passed by a landslide vote – 406 to 19.

Even with these contributions, Crowley continues to vote for liberal causes. The National Journal ranks him as more liberal than 89 percent of his peers. So, maybe “Big I” donates to Crowley because they see him as a future investment…?

A Health Care Reformer

Posted by Dana Rapoport

Washington was under a thick blanket of snow this week, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t stop working for a minute. She was trying to shovel in any vote she could get, from fellow Democrats to Non-Democrat fellows.

But there’s one person she doesn’t need to worry about convincing to vote for Obama’s health care overhaul.

With one of the most liberal voting records in the House, Velazquez has voted 99.3 percent of the time with the Democratic Party so far in the 111th Congress.

This is not to say that New York is usually a source of concern for Pelosi, but Massachusetts didn’t used to be one either until recently.

As a Chairwoman of the Small Business Committee and Chairwoman for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, most of Velazquez’s effort, time and PR are devoted to either loans for small businesses or Hispanic education and immigrant rights.

This week, however, Velazquez released a statement on health insurance and lowering health care costs for New Yorkers.

Yes, she’s a progressive democrat, committed to small businesses and representing her majority immigrant, working families constituency. Supporting a public option is not a political risk for Velazquez, it’s a given.

On Friday, Velazquez released a statement, on congress’ recent approval of the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, (H.R. 4626). A legislation that will lower health care costs by promoting competition among providers.

“In New York State, the two biggest health insurance companies control 46 percent of the market, and premiums for families increased by 97 percent between 2000 and 2009. Subjecting the health insurance industry to the same anti-trust laws as other industries will help prevent price fixing and monopolizing of the market. H.R. 4626 passed the House by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 406-19 and must now be considered by the U.S. Senate.”

The Daily Gotham reported that Velazquez wasn’t always committed to the Obama’s health care reform, but since she joined her party’s stance, Velazquez made a fairly convincing performance last July