From Democrats for Change, Sandoval County Democrats:
Candlelight Vigil
Join Us
Thursday Evening, December 3rd
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Nob Hill
To honor the 45,000 Americans
That die every year to due to lack of health care
And the 50 million Americans
Who are without health insurance
Sponsored by Democrats for Change.
Click for FLYER (pdf)
Gather [...]
Photo by David Mason
In a preview of potential cost-cutting measures to come, the state of New Mexico has stopped accepting individuals into a program that helps uninsured New Mexicans pay for health coverage.
The State Coverage Insurance program (SCI) helps nearly 50,000 low-income [...]
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the release of a new report highlighting the benefits of health insurance reform for New Mexico. Click for a copy of Health Insurance Reform and New Mexico: The Case for Change.
“Families, seniors and businesses are all suffering under the health care status quo,” [...]
Here's video of Sen. Tom Udall's speech on the Senate floor this morning about the health insurance reform bill in the debate leading up to a cloture vote to permit the bill to move forward. You can read his remarks here (pdf).
Senator Udall noted that the vast majority [...]
If we go by today's floor speeches by Dem Senators -- we now have the 60 votes needed to fend off a GOP filibuster and win the cloture vote on H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. A total of 58 Dem Senators will join with [...]
Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration is proposing to overhaul Medicaid, the government’s low-income health insurance program, to cope with a projected budget shortfall of $300 million next year, the Associated Press is reporting.
Human Services Department officials told lawmakers on Thursday that Medicaid benefits and eligibility probably would be [...]
A new national poll of AARP members released yesterday finds strong support across party and ideological lines for key provisions in HB 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and its companion bill, H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009.
The telephone survey, fielded [...]
It's always an adventure to retrieve the Albuquerque Journal from my driveway each morning, sit down at our round table in the den with a steaming cup of strong coffee, take the rubber band off the paper and check out the latest snowjobs the editors [...]
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) (WDCpix)
To hear the Democrats tell the tale, the extension of jobless benefits enacted over the weekend will provide those living in high-unemployment states with an additional 20 weeks of insurance.
Well, not quite.
Because the bill was held up for [...]
The New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice today expressed outrage that an amendment included in health care legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday could mean the loss of abortion coverage for millions of women whose health insurance now covers it.
“Major Christian and Jewish [...]
I thought you might enjoy seeing a press release I got from the White House today. It's a transcript of President Barack Obama's remarks in the Rose Garden this afternoon about House passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, as well as something the President defines as [...]
Update: Here are statements released about tonight's vote by Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (pdf) and Rep. Martin Heinrich (pdf).
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In an historic vote that ended at 11:14 PM Eastern Time, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962 by a margin of 220-215. Every Republican except one' [...]
Earlier today, after a closed door meeting with House Democrats, President Barack Obama addressed the press from the Rose Garden.
"Now is the time to finish the job," Obama said. "The" [...]
Here's the video:
"Six principles have guided my work here and determined my vote on this legislation: health insurance reform must create stability, contain" [...]
The U.S. House is expected to vote on their health insurance reform bill late this week. If you're wondering exactly what's in the legislation, there are resources available that can help. Open Congress provides links to the entire text of H.R. 3962, the 1,990-page House health insurance' [...]
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released its preliminary analysis of the House health insurance reform bill that Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled yesterday. I could recap the analysis provided in the director's summary but I think it's worth a read in its entirety. If you're brave, you can also' [...]
Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-01) joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leaders, Committee Chairs, Members of Congress, and Americans who are struggling under the current health care system on the West Front of the Capitol this morning to unveil H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Rep. [...]
Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM-03), who has been among the most passionate supporters of health care reform and a strong public option, issued this statement today in response to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's release of the House reform legislation (Affordable Health Care for America Act) that melds the three [...]
This morning on the Capitol steps
Here it is, in its entirety. Public option yes! Rates based not on Medicare, but on negotiations between HHS and providers. An expansion of Medicaid and improved Medicaid payment rates. Most everything we wanted.
Today, on the steps of the Capitol, Rep. Martin Heinrich [...]
Here is Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), reading some of the tragic stories about the unnecessary deaths of Americans who lacked health insurance. These and similar accounts have been submitted by friends to his website NamesOfTheDead.com. Just listen, and think about how important it is that we pass the strongest [...]
Yesterday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina held a conference call to discuss a new report, More Choices, Better Coverage: Health Insurance Reform and Rural America. The report examines the health care status quo in rural communities and the importance of [...]
Yesterday, Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) spoke on the House floor about the need for health insurance reform and, specifically, for Congressional action to fix the broken system. He told stories from constituents in his district who are struggling under the current health insurance system. Watch the video above or [...]
Despite claims by Democracy for America (DFA), a spokeswoman for Representative Harry Teague, D-N.M., indicated that he is undecided on whether or not to vote for a health care reform bill with a public health insurance option. [...] 
