News for Republican Challengers too good to be true?
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas In 2009 35 Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives & Senate joined forces with the Progressive States Network and signed a letter of support for the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act" (PPACA) also known as ObamaCare. The letter began by saying We urgently call on President Obama & the U.S. Congress to take up and pass comprehensive health care reform in 2009."
Not only will ObamaCare increase healthcare costs and impair healthcare access for seniors and the disabled it will also give one federal agency discretionary decision-making power affecting all Texans.
The
Progressive States Network letter was developed (see text below) in consultation with national health care reform advocates including the:
- AFL-CIO
- AFSCME
- Community Catalyst
- Families USA
- Herndon Alliance
- National Womens Law Center
- Northeast Action
- SEIU and
- Universal Health Care Action Network.
Texas House & Senate Democrats who signed the letter (see text below) include:
- Rep. Alma Allen
- Rep. Roberto Alonzo
- Rep. Rafael Anchia
- Rep. Valinda Bolton
- Rep. Norma Chavez
- Rep. Ellen Cohen
- Rep. Garnet Coleman
- Rep. Yvonne Davis
- Rep. Dawnna Dukes
- Rep. Jim Dunnam
- Sen. Rodney Ellis
- Rep. Jessica Farrar
- Rep. Pete Gallego
- Sen. Mario Gallegos
- Rep. Ana Hernandez
- Rep. Abel Herrero
- Rep. Scott Hochberg
- Rep. Terri Hodge
- Rep. Tracy King
- Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr.
- Rep. Eddie Lucio III
- Rep. Diana Maldonado
- Rep. Marisa Marquez
- Rep. Armando Martinez
- Rep. Elliott Naishtat
- Rep. Dora Olivo
- Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr.
- Rep. Eddie Rodriguez
- Sen. Eliot Shapleigh Member Health & Human Services Committee
- Sen. Carlos Uresti Member Health & Human Services Committee
- Sen. Leticia Van de Putte
- Rep. Sylvester Turner
- Rep. Marc Veasey
- Rep. Armando Walle
- Sen. John Whitmire (TX)
To review or study the
Priorities for Reform" included as the basis of the Legislative Letter including:
- Choice of a quality public health insurance plan that is available to businesses individuals and families";
- Strengthening and expanding the Medicaid program with the help of enhanced federal support so that it can serve all low-income Americans"; and
- Guaranteeing affordability for individuals and businesses" …
State legislators key priorities for reform can be seen by clicking here.
Letter text:
Dear President Barack Obama Speaker Nancy Pelosi Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Members of the 111th US Congress:
As leaders in state legislatures across the country we urgently call on President Obama and the U.S. Congress to take up and pass comprehensive health care reform in 2009.
The serious problems with health care in America ‚ ever-rising costs limited access inconsistent quality and waste and inefficiency‚ converge in the states. The effects of these problems stress state budgets exhaust family resources result in lost worker productivity stifle entrepreneurial spirit and literally cause tens of thousands of deaths each year.
Our disjointed health care system has formed a choke-hold on our economy limiting job growth and economic development. We cannot fix the economy without fixing health care.
Over the past decade state legislatures have debated and implemented a myriad of reforms to bring affordability quality and fairness to health care in America ‚ designing solutions that reflect each state‚ unique economic social and geographic features. States play a vital role in the health care for hundreds of millions of Americans by administering and helping to fund public programs like Medicaid and SCHIP enacting innovations to expand access to public and private coverage and serving as watchdogs of health insurance companies and other players.
Yet states cannot achieve guaranteed affordable health care for all without the investment leadership and partnership of the federal government. Successful reform requires robust federal-state collaboration.
Key priorities for reform are reflected in recent state initiatives and public opinion polls which show that Americans want more choices and options for quality health care. Americans recognize that the private sector alone has proven incapable of creating a high-quality fair and accountable health care system that works for all families.
Therefore a key priority for reform is the choice of a public health insurance plan that is available to businesses individuals and families. Another key priority is strengthening and expanding the Medicaid program with the help of enhanced federal support so that it can serve all low-income Americans. Related priorities include:
- guaranteeing affordability for individuals and businesses;
- preserving consumer choice of doctors;
- eliminating racial ethnic gender and rural health disparities;
- ensuring shared responsibility among employers individuals and government in financing health care; and
- cost containment strategies that eliminate waste and inefficiency and improve quality especially for people with chronic illnesses.
Failure to pass national comprehensive health reform now will further jeopardize state and local budgets undermining public services like education public safety and transportation infrastructure.
The recently passed economic recovery package includes a number of positive health care measures but these do not remove states from the critical list. Achieving a high-performing affordable and quality health care system for all US residents is central to a sustainable economic recovery and to the health and financial security of all families businesses and governments.
We the undersigned call on President Obama and the Congress to enact bold and comprehensive health care reform this year‚ based on these principles and a strong federal-state collaboration‚ and pledge our support as state legislators and allies in pursuit of guaranteed high quality affordable health care for all.
This letter was developed in consultation with national health care reform advocates including the:
- AFL-CIO
- AFSCME
- Community Catalyst
- Families USA
- Herndon Alliance
- National Womens Law Center
- Northeast Action
- SEIU and
- Universal Health Care Action Network.
Signers:
Show all signers
ALABAMA - 2
ALASKA - 8
ARIZONA - 26
ARKANSAS - 6
CALIFORNIA - 5
COLORADO - 20
CONNECTICUT - 45
DELAWARE - 1
FLORIDA - 4
GEORGIA - 14
GUAM - 2
HAWAII - 5
IDAHO - 5
ILLINOIS - 3
IOWA - 53
KANSAS - 4
KENTUCKY - 1
LOUISIANA - 1
MAINE - 52
MARYLAND - 54
MASSACHUSETTS - 31
MICHIGAN - 11
MINNESOTA - 44
MISSISSIPPI -1
MISSOURI - 17
MONTANA - 26
NEBRASKA - 4
NEVADA - 7
NEW HAMPSHIRE - 53
NEW JERSEY - 2
NEW MEXICO - 23
NEW YORK - 8
NORTH CAROLINA - 36
NORTH DAKOTA - 9
OHIO - 5
OKLAHOMA - 4
OREGON - 17
PENNSYLVANIA - 18
PUERTO RICO - 1
RHODE ISLAND - 42
SOUTH CAROLINA - 3
SOUTH DAKOTA - 7
TENNESSEE - 6
TEXAS - 35
- Rep. Alma Allen (TX)
- Rep. Roberto Alonzo (TX)
- Rep. Rafael Anchia (TX)
- Rep. Valinda Bolton (TX)
- Rep. Norma Chavez (TX)
- Rep. Ellen Cohen (TX) Member Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services
- Rep. Garnet Coleman (TX) Member Public Health Committee
- Rep. Yvonne Davis (TX)
- Rep. Dawnna Dukes (TX) Vice Chair Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services
- Rep. Jim Dunnam (TX)
- Sen. Rodney Ellis (TX)
- Rep. Jessica Farrar (TX)
- Rep. Pete Gallego (TX)
- Sen. Mario Gallegos (TX)
- Rep. Ana Hernandez (TX) Member Human Services Committee
- Rep. Abel Herrero (TX) Vice Chair Human Services Committee
- Rep. Scott Hochberg (TX)
- Rep. Terri Hodge (TX)
- Rep. Tracy King (TX)
- Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (TX)
- Rep. Eddie Lucio III (TX)
- Rep. Diana Maldonado (TX)
- Rep. Marisa Marquez (TX)
- Rep. Armando Martinez (TX)
- Rep. Elliott Naishtat (TX) Vice Chair Public Health Committee; Member Human Services Committee
- Rep. Dora Olivo (TX)
- Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr. (TX)
- Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (TX)
- Sen. Eliot Shapleigh (TX) Member Health & Human Services Committee
- Sen. Carlos Uresti (TX) Member Health & Human Services Committee
- Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (TX)
- Rep. Sylvester Turner (TX)
- Rep. Marc Veasey (TX)
- Rep. Armando Walle (TX)
- Sen. John Whitmire (TX)
UTAH - 4
VERMONT - 132
VIRGINIA - 6
WASHINGTON - 65
WEST VIRGINIA - 14
WISCONSIN - 34
WYOMING - 1
