Tammy Ducksworth wins Congressional primary in IL!

Disabled Iraq war veteran wins Illinois primary
Will be Democratic nominee for House seat
CNN.com, 3/22/06

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- A former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in a 2004 grenade attack in Iraq narrowly won the Illinois Democratic nomination for the House seat occupied by retiring GOP Rep. Henry Hyde.

Also, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich easily won his primary despite being potentially vulnerable amid corruption allegations, and Republican state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka earned a shot to defeat him in the fall.

In the 6th District Congressional race, former Army Maj. L. Tammy Duckworth narrowly defeated Christine Cegelis to win the Democratic congressional primary nomination for the suburban Chicago district seat held by the retiring Hyde.

The 37-year-old, Thailand-born Duckworth had been heavily recruited by Democrats eager to give the national party more credibility on security issues. She lost her legs in combat two years ago and recovered in a military hospital in Washington, D.C.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Duckworth was declared a winner with 44 percent, or 14,019 votes, to Cegelis' 40 percent, or 12,939 votes.

The gubernatorial campaigns, meanwhile, were overshadowed by a federal corruption trial involving the last GOP governor, George Ryan, whose fate is now in the hands of a jury.
Five Republicans fought hard for the nomination, despite scandal and infighting in their own party. In the end, two political insiders will fight it out for the governor's seat, pitting Blagojevich's record on education and health care against claims by Topinka that he mismanaged state money and used his office to reward political pals.

Topinka, known for her raucous sense of humor and miserly spending habits, is the former head of the Illinois Republican Party and the only Republican holding statewide office. She beat Jim Oberweis, a dairy owner and investment manager, amid allegations from GOP rivals that she was part of a network of corrupt politicians.

"Together, we are going to go out there and make sure we give Rod an early retirement," she told supporters. "We're going to restore honesty to this government so that people can be proud that they live in Illinois."

With 10,303 of 11,700 precincts counted in unofficial returns in the Republican primary, Topinka had 269,565 votes, or 38 percent, to 225,395 votes, or 32 percent, for Oberweis. State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington had 19 percent and Ron Gidwitz, a Chicago businessman, had 11 percent. Internet journalist Andy Martin trailed with less than 1 percent.

Blagojevich has denied doing anything unethical by giving state jobs and contracts to political supporters. He did little campaigning and rarely acknowledged his opponent, shrugging off a primary challenge from former Chicago alderman Edwin Eisendrath. With 10,303 of 11,700 precincts counted in unofficial returns, Blagojevich had 70 percent, or 585,525 votes, to Edwin Eisendrath's 30 percent, or 249,868 votes.

Eisendrath, a former Chicago alderman, mounted a limited, low-budget campaign that accused Blagojevich of running a corrupt, incompetent administration. He focused on Blagojevich's practice of awarding jobs and contracts to campaign donors.

"I believe we will move forward by staying committed to the values and priorities of helping hardworking people," Blagojevich said in a victory speech.

In the 8th District, businessman David McSweeney won the Republican nomination over attorney Kathy Salvi and four other candidates. He will challenge freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean. McSweeney had 23,700 votes, or 43 percent, with Salvi at 18,245 votes, or 33 percent, with 97 percent of the votes in.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/22/illinois.primary.ap/index.html

Read more!

Working to stop S.1955!

So many ACA members and supporters have taken action to oppose S. 1955. We are excited about the difference their efforts will make.

With the national problems with health care --- lack of insurance, increase in premiums and deductibles and of course, the restrictions on coverage --- it is more important than ever that people get active to push for access to quality care.

We will keep our members updated on S.1955 as we move forward. There may also be opportunities to continue to take action. But even if we have stopped this latest attack on care, there is still a lot of work to do.

Right now, we are working with activists all over the country to pass prosthetic parity legislation. These bills ensure that health coverage benefits for prosthetic devices will at a minimum be equal to the coverage that is provided for under federal laws. We would love to have even more help as we push for prosthetic coverage!

The activism of our supporters will definitely make a difference!

Read more!

Oppose federal attacks on quality healthcare!

When the sponsors of the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2005 (S. 1955) introduced the bill last November, they claimed that it would expand health care access. The sponsors have continued to make these claims at the bill has moved into the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

The legislation would allow small businesses to group together when designing health insurance plans and permit the health insurance companies. Unfortunately, it would also allow companies to get around state coverage mandates, such as prosthetic parity bills.

It is not just parity that it is at stake here. There are many insurance benefit requirements that would be impacted by this bill. Cancer screenings, diabetes supplies and rehabilitation are just some of the vital benefits that would suffer.

This proposal claims to provide more affordable and expanded coverage not only fails at that task, but could also make existing access and cost problems even worse. It would foil years of efforts at the state level to make sure that patients have the health coverage they need.

Contact your senators today to urge them to speak out against this dangerous attack on quality coverage! A sample e-mail is included below.

You can call or fax your senator or send them an e-mail via their convenient online web forms.
To find your senator: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Sample E-mail
Dear Senator,
I am writing in response to S. 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2005. While this bill claims to make health care more accessible, it would actually allow companies to get around state insurance requirements such as cancer screenings, diabetes supplies and prosthetics.

In addition to usurping benefit requirements, S. 1955 would also allow insurers to bypass state laws on premium limitations based on categories such as health status, age and gender. This means that state laws aimed at making health care more affordable for specific groups such as the elderly or people with disabilities --- those with ongoing health needs --- would be overridden.

This proposal claims to provide more affordable and expanded coverage not only fails at that task, but could also make existing access and cost problems even worse. I urge to oppose S. 1955 and continue to work for legislation that truly improves access to quality healthcare.

Sincerely,
Name, Address

Read more!

2006 Paralympic Games

For anyone who is interested in following the 2006 Paralympic Games going on now in Torino:

http://www.paralympicgames.torino2006.org/ENG/ParalympicGames/home/index.html

So far, the U.S. has won 4 medals.

Read more!

Cost of High-Tech Limbs May Keep Them Out of Mainstream

By Shari Roan, L.A. Times Staff Writer 3/9/06

Beyond the wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq, some of the other 1.28 million U.S. citizens who are amputees could also benefit from newer high-tech prostheses, health and insurance experts say. But they might not get them.

With the latest microprocessor knees costing about $50,000 and arms about $100,000, some health insurers refuse to pay for a high-tech limb that may function better than a traditional prosthesis but is deemed not medically necessary, says Paddy Rossbach, president of the Amputee Coalition of America, a nonprofit educational group.

"Insurance companies are already capping or eliminating reimbursement for some current prostheses," she says. "One wonders how people are going to be able to access the really incredible things that are being made available."

Other experts are more optimistic that insurers will find a way to provide the most suitable prostheses for anyone who has lost a limb to accidents or to vascular diseases such as diabetes.

Today's middle-aged adults are likely to push back against insurers in seeking the most high-tech solutions, says Eythor Bender, president of the Iceland-based prosthetics company Ossur's North America division, based in Aliso Viejo. "The baby boom generation, they just want the best," he says. "I think they would rather buy these types of gadgets than something else."

Read more!

Enzi Health Insurance Legislation Would Jeopardize Lifesaving CoverageProtections for Millions with Diabetes

(from the ADA's Diabetes E-News Now!)

Bill, S.1955, would allow health insurers to circumvent existing laws in46 states that guarantee coverage for diabetes medications, supplies andtrainingThe American Diabetes Association (ADA) expressed its strong opposition toproposed federal legislation that would enable health insurers to bypassexisting state health insurance regulations. In doing so, the "HealthInsurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act" (S. 1955) wouldresult in the loss of critical health coverage guarantees for millions ofpeople with diabetes.

Forty-six states and the District of Columbiarequire insurers to provide coverage for diabetes supplies, medication,equipment and education, but S. 1955 would undermine those basicprotections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)Committee, chaired by bill sponsor Senator Michael Enzi, will mark up thebill Wednesday morning. At the markup, Senator Jeff Bingaman will offer anamendment to protect the diabetes coverage benefit in the states where itis maintained in state law.

"These protections were enacted over the past decade with the bipartisansupport of legislatures, governors, and state insurance commissioners," L.Hunter Limbaugh, the ADA's Chair for Advocacy, today wrote Sen. Enzi.

"It has been the Association's experience that without these protections,state-regulated insurers often do not provide adequate diabetes coverage. Indeed, in the four current states without mandated diabetes coverage,insurers often do not provide these life-saving diabetes provisions."

Learn more: http://main.diabetes.org/site/R?i=x_ywOpyD_8ZfRWhZYHqudQ

Read more!