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CCHCC E-Mail Newsletter – January 2010
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1. Campaign & Program Updates
2. Health Action Network
3. Ask an Advocate
4. Upcoming Meetings & Events
5. Support CCHCC
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Dear Friends,
Welcome! CCHCC hopes your holidays were joyful and your new year is off to a good start. Thank you for reading the Champaign County Health Care Consumers
(CCHCC) E-mail Newsletter. The goal of the CCHCC E-mail Newsletter is to keep you up-to-date on CCHCC campaigns and activities, and let you know of ways to support health care justice in your very own community.
Have any feedback for the CCHCC E-mail Newsletter? Want more information on a certain campaign or program? Have a question for “Ask the Advocate?” Email Allison with feedback on the newsletter at allison@Health Careconsumers.org.
** Support CCHCC on Facebook! **
— Join our group today!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2202365547
— And become a Fan!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Champaign-County-Health-Care-Consumers/6574363
1. CAMPAIGN & PROGRAM UPDATES
— Health Care Access Task Force:
On December 9, 2009, Champaign County Health Care Consumers held a press conference to discuss the issue of gender discrimination in private health insurance coverage. CCHCC provided evidence from our own small group health insurance policy with Personal Care HMO as a local example of health insurance discrimination. CCHCC is charged stunningly higher prices for providing coverage to female employees, compared to male employees. This discrimination, called “gender rating” by the insurance industry, comes in the form of drastically higher premiums for female employees compared to male employees. Read more about our press conference here:
http://www.HealthCareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Display-Page&id=734
— 5th & Hill Neighborhood Rights Campaign:
The 5th & Hill Neighborhood Rights Campaign has continued to advocate for the rights of the residents near the toxic site at 5th & Hill Streets in Champaign. One issue the Campaign has worked on has been demanding that noise insulators be installed around the air monitoring equipment on the site, which emit a constant, high-pitched whine. The Campaign demanded that Ameren and the Illinois EPA work with the residents to address this issue, and as of last week, the noise insulators are installed! To read more about the 5th & Hill Campaign’s activities, check out the new monthly update newsletter (PDF):
http://www.HealthCareconsumers.org/https://www.healthcareconsumers.org/files/5th-and-Hill-monthly-update
Dec09.pdf
— The Medicare Task Force has continued to work for improvements to the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. At their next meeting, the Task Force will look back over the victories of last year and make plans for continued advocacy work over the next year. The Medicare Task Force plans to demand that Part D improvements are included in the national health care reform legislation. Attend the next Medicare Task Force meeting on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church (210 W.
University in Champaign). Call Anne at (217) 352-6533 for more information.
2. HEALTH ACTION NETWORK – TAKE ACTION TODAY!
Support access to birth control for service women!
With the recent military order banning soldiers deployed in certain units in Iraq from becoming pregnant, women in the military need comprehensive access to birth control, including emergency contraception (EC). EC is a higher dose of regular birth control that can prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex or sexual assault. Unfortunately, the current Department of Defense policy does not require that emergency contraception be available to the approximately 350,000 women in the military. To learn more about EC, visit our website:
http://www.HealthCareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Display-Page&id=335
Take action!
Senator Al Franken and Senator Olympia Snowe have introduced the Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act, which would ensure that women in the military have access to emergency contraception. To learn more about the bill, click here:
http://tiny.cc/jrW0C
Call your Senators and ask for their support for the Compassionate care for Servicewomen Act today!
Senator Dick Durbin: (202) 224-2152
Senator Roland Burris: (202) 224-2854
3. ASK AN ADVOCATE
Question: I have bills at one of the local hospitals. Is there any help available to me?
Answer: Both local hospitals, Carle Foundation Hospital and Provena Covenant Medical Center, have discounted care programs. Patients can apply for free or discounted care after receiving a bill. Discounts are on a sliding scale basis, and patients with incomes up to 600% of the federal poverty level ($132,300 for a family of four) will receive a discount at Provena Covenant, and patients with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level ($84,800 for a family of 4) will receive a discount at Carle Foundation. Call Provena at 337-2257 and Carle at 326-2900 for more information.
Call CCHCC’s Consumer Health Hotline at (217) 352-6533 for more information or any other health care question.
4. UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
— Attend the next Health Care Access Task Force meeting on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the Wesley United Methodist Church (Green and Goodwin in Urbana). The Health Care Access Task Force meets each month to work on health care access in our community. We’d love to see you there!
Call us at(217) 352-6533 with questions or to RSVP.
— Interested in working for a better prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries? Then join the Medicare Task Force on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church (210 W. University in Champaign). Call Anne at (217) 352-6533 for more information.
5. SUPPORT CCHCC
— A new, easy, and fun way to support CCHCC!
Support CCHCC through GoodSearch! GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50-percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It’s a simple and compelling concept. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it’s powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers – the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!
Use the GoodSearch website today and designate CCHCC as the beneficiary!
Visit our website to learn more:
http://www.HealthCareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Get-Page&pageType=more
Start using GoodSearch today! http://www.goodsearch.com/