Ohio's Issue 3 (more info below) is a disaster waiting to happen and current polling shows it passing on November 8th by wide margin. Unless you help get the word out.

Every major Ohio newspaper has come out against Ohio Issue 3 even traditionally conservative papers that endorsed Issue 2.

• Athens News: Issue 3 will disrupt, complicate health care in Ohio (Oct. 26)
• Cleveland Plain Dealer: No on Issue 3: editorial (Oct. 22)
• Canton Repository: Editorial: Let’s not go down this road again (Oct. 21)
• Akron Beacon Journal: No on Issue 3 (Oct. 16)
• Toledo Blade: No on Issue 3 (Oct. 16)
• Athens Messenger: Statewide ballot issues ... our endorsements (Oct. 16)
• Columbus Dispatch: Health-care amendment wouldn’t override federal law, might cause problems (Oct. 14)

Plunderbund: "For example, if Issue 3 passes, Kasich would be unable to attempt many of the reforms on Ohio’s Worker Compensation system that he’s been promising. And conservatives would likely find any new anti-abortion laws to be in violation of Ohio’s constitution under the changes implemented in Issue 3. Reporting of new contagious diseases? Banned under Issue 3. New school immunizations? BANNED!"

Read the research Innovation Ohio published about the amendment's unintended consequences.

Issue 3: Sloppy, costly and wildly off-target

This year it's easy to remember:

NO-NO-NO on Issues 1, 2 and 3.

The 411 on Issue 3

Issue 3 seeks to overturn parts of the Affordable Care Act, which expands health coverage and reduces health care costs. Experts have determined Issue 3 will cost Ohioans millions in unnecessary lawsuits and that it would likely ban, freeze or prohibit child support orders, workers compensation, COBRA payments, school immunizations, disease tracking and court-ordered rehabilitation. It puts at risk Ohio's ability to license doctors and would prohibit Ohio from regulating health insurance companies.  A “No” vote on Issue 3 will protect health care in Ohio and expand coverage to people who have been previously denied 

Cutting Planned Parenthood

Anti-abortion Republican Congress members are hurting women, in particular poor women, in the guise of saving money to balance the budget.

In a 240-185 vote Feb. 17, our representatives approved a provision to strip all federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers.

This is truly an emergency for Planned Parenthood and women's health. Anti-choice leaders in the House forced a vote on $317 million for Title X (aid for family planning programs) that denies Planned Parenthood health centers every dime of $75 million in federal funding. Without that funding, many low-income people would lose access to their only source of basic health care.

Some pundits predict this effort will die in the Senate. But we have to make sure.

Call now and tell Ohio's Republican Sen. Rob Portman to vote NO. You can reach him at his Washington office, 202-224-3353, Columbus office, 614-469-6774, or by email.

What Planned Parenthood does

You may not realize the range of care that Planned Parenthood provides. The huge majority of clients turn to them for birth control (to actually avert the need for abortions), cancer screenings, HIV testing, and other lifesaving care. For many (including people that you know who have no or inadequate insurance coverage), Planned Parenthood clinics are the only source for these services.

The consequences of passing this bill are clear — and they would be devastating. More women would have unintended pregnancies. Cancer would develop, undiagnosed, in countless women. There is no doubt: cutting off millions of women from care they have no other way to afford places them at risk of sickness and death.

Speak out now — demand that Portman vote NO. 

Read more: New York Times, "Planned Parenthood and its supporters are working to bolster defenses in the Senate. They hope that the Title X program - including a share for their group - will be restored as the two sides of Congress compromise on a spending bill. But supporters like Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado and a leader of the abortion rights caucus, fear that protection of family planning could 'get lost in the larger issue of the budget.'" 

Another attack on health care

Right now, Congress is considering a provision to strip all federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers.

This is truly an emergency for Planned Parenthood and women's health. Anti-choice leaders in the House are forcing a vote on Title X that would deny Planned Parenthood health centers every dime of federal funding. Without this funding, many people would lose access to their only source of basic health care. 

Call now and tell Rep. Steve Stivers to vote NO. You can reach him at his Washington office, 202-225-2015, or District office in Columbus, 614-299-6415.

You may not realize the range of care that Planned Parenthood provides. Women and teens turn to them for birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and other lifesaving care. For many (including people that you know who don't have adequate insurance coverage), Planned Parenthood clinics are the only source for these services.

The consequences of passing this bill are clear — and they would be devastating. More women would have unintended pregnancies. Cancer would develop, undiagnosed, in countless women. There is no doubt: cutting off millions of women from care they have no other way to afford places them at risk of sickness and death.

That's exactly what Congress is voting on right now. Speak out now — demand that Rep. Stivers vote NO.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has created this surprisingly helpful cartoon explaining the healthcare bill:

If you're like us, the first thing you want to know is how the new healthcare legislation affects you.

1. From the Washington Post, what it means for you (quick calculator based on income, family size and current insurance)
2. From the New York Times, an interactive guide.
3. From the Los Angeles Times, a chart.  

Learn what occurred in Columbus just on Tuesday, and read the rapid response from Rep. Kilroy

At a health-care rally outside of Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy's (OH-15) Columbus office on March 16, 2010, about a total of 250 people showed up. According to an attendee, roughly 150 were pro health-care reform, and the remaining 100 were Tea Baggers looking for confrontation. "They’re energized, emboldened, angry and in your face," says Melissa Hedden.  "They believe that they are in the majority and have the momentum."

"They were very negative and engaged in name calling," she says, "and insult hurling (such as pay for your own insurance, get a job, freeloaders, communists, dumb, uninformed, stop drinking the Kool-Aid)."  Another attendee characterized the anti-reform crowd as seeming a little “cult-like.”

The anti-reform group came bearing professional looking, pre-printed signs such as "Don't Tread on Me." A woman in the crowd was trying to have a conversation with one of the opponents to reform – sharing that she has MS and how health care reform would help her.  His response to her was "I don’t give a damn.  Your MS isn’t my problem.  " Another example of this little regard for others is the video of the man with Parkinson's, something that Chris Mathews of Hardball calls "a sickening display." (see Columbus Dispatch link bleow.)

In short, it was an ugly scene.

And even though Rep. Kilroy represents a swing district, she has been steadfast in her support of reform.  We owe her. She spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives this morning (March 18) in regard to the health care reform debate and the Columbus Dispatch video showing a protester in front of her Columbus office throwing what appeared to be money at a sitting man who said he had Parkinson’s disease.  The video of Kilroy’s remarks begins at 10:22 on C-SPAN. The disturbing Columbus Dispatch video, something that Chris Mathews of Hardball calls "a sickening display" has been played widely on television.

Rep. Kilroy's comments on the floor:

“I believe that a great strength of our democracy is our first amendment.  It allows for the robust exchange of ideas and opinions.  I welcome that.  I want to hear what my constituents are thinking, what concerns they have—concerns about how health care will work for them.  I want to listen to them about their lack of health care and how that affects their lives or the high cost of health care and how they’re coping with that.
 
“I have held town halls, round tables, small groups—over twenty meetings in my district over health care.  And this week demonstrations for and against health care reform were held in front of my district office.
 
“Unfortunately, some of those opposing health care reform went too far.  Instead of making their arguments against the bill they engaged in abusive language directed at one of my constituents who suffers the terrible ravages of Parkinson’s disease.  They treated him like a beggar.  They threw dollar bills at him.  They did not respect his humanity.  They did not respect his right to give his opinion on the health care bill.
 
“This type of protest goes too far.  It has crossed the line. The health care reform debate is about respecting each other’s rights as human beings and, when it comes to needed medical care respecting our rights as citizens to express our opinions.”
 

Regardless of what kind of health care legislation passes, there are still many unresolved issues. The future of health benefits will be discussed at the next SPAN meeting.

Monday, March 22nd, 2010, 7:00 PM. 

The speaker will be Rhonda Johnson, President, Columbus Education Association.

The meeting is open to all, and located at the  Northwood Building, 2231 North High St. (at the corner of Northwood and High) in Room 100 on the first floor. There is visitor parking behind the building and you can take an elevator to first floor.  Room 100 is in the front of the building across from the clinic entrance.

For more information, visit SPAN online.

From National Geographic:

The United States spends more on medical care per person than any country, yet life expectancy is shorter than in most other developed nations and many developing ones. Lack of health insurance is a factor in life span and contributes to an estimated 45,000 deaths a year.

Why the high cost? The U.S. has a fee-for-service system—paying medical providers piecemeal for appointments, surgery, and the like. That can lead to unneeded treatment that doesn’t reliably improve a patient’s health. Says Gerard Anderson, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who studies health insurance worldwide, “More care does not necessarily mean better care.”