March 21, 2010, was an historic day: the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3590 by a vote of 219-212.   President Obama signed the bill into law on Tuesday March 23, 2010.

BUT, we have an opportunity to improve on the bill that was passed through the reconciliation process.  Please take a moment to advocate for an improved health care reform package – urge the Senate to pass the Health Reform Reconciliation bill: http://bit.ly/cpCbzR

What is the Reconciliation bill?

The Senate still needs to vote on the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, H.R. 4872, which will improve on several provisions of the bill that was passed on Sunday night.

The Reconciliation bill would:

For more information about differences between the bill that was signed by the President on Tuesday (the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” – H.R. 3590) and the Reconciliation Bill, check out this chart from the PBS Newshour.  (The health care reform package that was signed by the President is explained under the “Senate” column and the Reconciliation bill is explained under the “Reconciliation” column.)

To urge your Senators to improve on healthcare reform by voting for the Reconciliation bill, use this nifty email form from our friends at NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby:  http://bit.ly/cpCbzR

219 to 212. A slim margin of victory, but even seven votes make a difference for the millions of uninsured who will now have the chance to receive the medical care that they previously couldn’t afford. On Sunday evening the House of Representatives passed the health care reform bill. The bill entails a sweeping transformation of the nation’s health care system, including offering insurance to tens of millions currently not able to afford health services.

The bill estimates expanding health insurance coverage to 32 million people, adds 16 million to Medicaid rolls, subsidizes coverage for the low-income and reduces federal budget deficits by 143 billion in the next ten years. Insurance companies can no longer drop coverage when people become ill and cannot deny coverage to children with medical problems.

After a year of back and forth between people and parties, the House approved the bill already approved by the Senate with a package of revisions. The President plans on signing the legislation Tuesday, making it law.

Although 32 million will be covered under the insurance umbrella, they will not receive coverage immediately and 23 million will remain uninsured, a third of these immigrants. However, the bill will expand  health care to many who were denied this civil right for so long and marks a historic point in American history.

Let the voting begin! This week the historic vote on the future of health care reform will take place. If passed, reform would improve health care coverage for thousands of folks with meager insurance and would extend affordable insurance options to those who currently are without. The proposed reform would encourage more accountability by insurance companies and a more stabilized, sustainable health care system.

If you’d like to play a part in this piece of history, you can contact your House representative at 1-888-245-0215.

You’ll be connected to the Capitol Switchboard; just ask for your Representative. Don’t know your Rep’s name? Click here to find it: http://www.house.gov

If you’d rather send an email, you can use the email form from our friends at NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. The form is available at http://bit.ly/cKsHEW

A little holiday spirit for health care coverage: congress has passed legislation to extend government subsidies for people paying for health insurance under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, also known as COBRA. With the California unemployment rate hitting 12.3% (national average is 10%) many people opt to stay on their former employer’s health insurance coverage while they look for a new job. This can be pricey, but government subsidies approved with the February stimulus package have helped people retain health care coverage during tough economic times.

Now those laid off in Jan/Feb 2010 will still be able to apply for the subsidies, which cover 65% of insurance costs — initially, assistance was only available for those laid off during 2009. New legislation also extends length of subsidies by six additional months, from 9 to 15, those who opt to stay on their former employer’s health insurance coverage can continue to have more affordable health care coverage. These subsidies are vital not only for those who find themselves between jobs, but for folks who find work and have to undergo a waiting period before qualifying for benefits.

The support these subsides provide are invaluable in protecting the health and wellness of the community; if healthcare reform continues forward many people may not feel the effects for several years. For those without medical insurance, St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic provides primary care and specialty care services free of charge. As the healthcare system evolves, St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic will continue to offer medical services to those in our community who might otherwise go without.

It can be overwhelming to follow the ups and downs of the health care reform legislation debate: that’s why it is so important to find and share resources that make advocacy easier.

One facet of the health care reform debate that isn’t getting a lot of media attention is the CHIP (Childrens Health Insurance Program), a health coverage program for children in low-income families. The current version of the health care bill being debated in the Senate does not provide any funding for the CHIP program after 2013. This means that 10 million children nationwide (including 700,000 here in California) would be moved to a new, untested and more expensive Health Insurance Exchange where families will end up paying more for fewer benefits for their children.

At St. Anthony Foundation, we see the effects of the lack of adequate health coverage on low-income families every day.  Our free medical clinic serves 600 children every year; we provide the only free pediatric clinic in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.

National child welfare organizations First Focus and the Children’s Defense Fund have more information about the CHIP program and health care reform issues related to children.  If you’d like to contact your Senator about children’s health insurance and the CHIP program, the United Way of America has a helpful resource on their website that makes it easy to phone your Senator and make your voice heard.

Every day I hear about the scarcity of the H1N1 vaccine. The dramatic evening news shot panning up the long lines of all the people who are going without. And how is it that in our great country with all our technological advances, research facilities and top of the line medical professionals, could we ever face this problem?

These lines are not the only inconceivable lines that are out there in the real world.  But most of them are not on the news.  Most of them do not get air time. Or the “oh’s and ah’s” of public astonishment.

Every day, in St. Anthony Dining Room, 1,000 meals are served to seniors, families and people who have physical or mental disabilities.  Another 1,600 are served to our poor and low-income guests, many of whom rely on it as the only meal they will eat that day. And it’s not just St. Anthony Foundation, it’s the food banks, the smaller food pantries, it’s a collection of community-based organizations that help create the safety net, all working together to provide for those without.

And as uplifting as this community bond and compassion for one another is, it at times can be frustrating.  Why are we not more outraged? Why is it acceptable that people in our cities do not have food? Health care? A safe place to live?  How is that not newsworthy? We continue to educate those who do not understand the issues of poverty, we continue to serve those who are in need, and provide real steps to regain self-sufficiency.  And do so in hopes that it will help open more eyes and hearts to the lines, the everyday lines that need our attention as well.

Last Wednesday was Diabetes Awareness Day at St. Anthony Foundation’s Free Medical Clinic. As St. Anthony Foundation’s Advocacy Coordinator, I was front and center at Diabetes Awareness Day with our doctors, nurses, and medical assistants. Most diabetes awareness events do not include an advocacy component, but here at St. Anthony’s we know that health and nutrition are closely connected, so I took the opportunity to give our Diabetes Day participants a chance to advocate for child nutrition programs.

Programs like the School Breakfast and School Lunch Programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) not only provide low-income children with a basic necessity, they help promote nutrition and healthy eating and prevent disease. Unfortunately, the nation’s economic crisis has led more families than ever to turn to federal nutrition programs for help.

Diabetes Day was a great venue to give our guests the opportunity to advocate for child nutrition programs. It was an exciting day because our guests were so happy to be given the opportunity to care of their own health by having their blood sugar and body mass index tested. I was especially excited that our guests took the time to advocate for the health of low-income children across the country by signing a letter to President Obama asking him to fully fund child nutrition programs in next year’s budget!

If you’d like to learn more about why child nutrition and WIC reauthorization is an important issue for Californians, check out this fact sheet from our friends at California Food Policy Advocates. If you’d like to get involved in advocacy for programs that help end hunger and promote nutrition, email Colleen Rivecca, St. Anthony Foundation Advocacy Coordinator, at crivecca@stanthonysf.org

St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic hosted an amazing Diabetes Day event yesterday, with free diabetes screening, fabulous food, and great information.

On October 29-31st over 3,000 representatives from all angles of the HIV/AIDS pandemic will convene for the United States Conference on AIDS 2009. Held here in San Francisco at the Hilton Hotel, this national conference will provide an abundance of important and useful information as well as the latest updates on HIV/AIDS research, impact, and health campaigns. People living with AIDS, healthcare workers, researchers, advocates, and supporters alike will participate in a variety of workshops and discussions designed to promote a more united effort against HIV/AIDS related issues through education and information exchange.

Discussions spread out over the course of this three-day event include highlights such as: “Lessons Learned from a Decade of HIV Services for Homeless Youth in San Francisco” (Friday 30th) and “Latino HIV Prevention: Where do we go from here?” (Saturday 31st).

Conference attendees are also invited to participate in variety of workshops intended to provide resources useful not only to medical providers and policy makers but for those effected by HIV/AIDS and service providers looking to improve their networks. Highlights include: “A Comprehensive Approach to HIV Care and Treatment in an Urban Setting” (Friday 30th) “Negotiating HIV and Social Security: A Mock Trial” (Saturday 31st) and “A ‘Medical Home’ for Traditionally Marginalized Populations: An Integrated Care and Cost-Effective Approach” (Saturday 31st).

Those interested in attending this historical event can register at http://www.nmac.org/index/2009-usca .

No matter your stance on the health care debates being held country-wide, one thing is certain: insurance is expensive and far too many people are going without necessary care.

When deciding between immediate needs of shelter and food, or paying utilities and transportation costs to work, or for kids back and forth to school, paying the extra expense of health care can fall to the wayside.  This is especially dangerous for families and individuals who are on the brink of making ends meet, when one accident, one illness can mean the difference between paying bills or going into default, having electricity cut or even being put on the streets.  In 2007, 62% of bankruptcies were due to medical bills, a 49% increase since 2001, according to the American Journal of Medicine.  In 1981 only 8% of bankruptcies were attributed to medical bills.

At St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic, we care for 3,500 low-income or homeless patients who rely on our preventative and critical care.  In the coming year we anticipate this number vastly increasing, as state funding for Medi-Cal was cut by $323 million, and the Healthy Families program has stopped enrolling eligible children.  More than 12,000 children in San Francisco alone (942,000 state-wide) rely on Healthy Families for their regular check-ups, for emergency care, and medication.  In September disenrollment of these children will begin.

No matter our political stances, I hope we can all appreciate the need for change.  A system that perpetuates costly acute emergency care and puts affordable preventative medical care out of reach does not serve the individual, the family or the community as a whole.