Tag Archives: aca
Stigma, Skinny Repeal, and “Charity Case” Health Care
Posted July 28, 2017
By Matt Kramer, Operations Assistant
Growing up as a kid with a disability, I felt both the stigma society places on people with disabilities, and the importance of connecting with people to make change.
I had “friends,” which I later learned often meant kids the teacher asked to talk to me. Add society stigma and misunderstanding about disabilities, along with meanness of kids at that age, and you have a pretty lonely, isolated childhood. Adults who weren’t directly taking care of me were either afraid of me, or walking on eggshells trying to say the right thing. I remember people praising me lavishly about being brave, and an inspiration. Although flattered at the time, I look back at this and often ask why.
As for services, most did not exist, and those that did were impossible to find. This was long before the days of e-mail or the internet. We had the Yellow Pages. You had to know someone who knew something. Families like mine who had complex medical issues from birth were on their own figuring out how to pay for the gargantuan medical bills.
My parents served on the first Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. The group analyzes state policy for people with disability, makes recommendations to the governor, and provides research grants to improve the lives of people with disabilities.… Continue reading »
Health Care Phonebank: Say NO to TrumpCare!
Posted July 10, 2017
Join us as we generate voicemails to GOP Representatives and collect stories about the impact TrumpCare would have Minnesotans.
Health Care Phonebank: Say NO to TrumpCare!
Posted
Join us as we generate voicemails to our GOP Representatives and hear stories about the impact TrumpCare would have on Minnesotans.
Health Care Phonebank: Say NO to TrumpCare!
Posted
Join us as we generate voicemails to our GOP Representatives and collect stories of what TrumpCare would mean to Minnesotans across the state.
Tell Rep. Jason Lewis: Don’t Take Away Our Health Care!
Posted June 16, 2017
Join us as we anticipate the next AHCA vote and make our voices heard. Check out the Facebook event, and sign-up here: https://secure.everyaction.com/nVQtPpmsV0OUJgp7SQ8oTw2… Continue reading »
Emmer, Lewis, and Paulsen could have saved the ACA — instead, they voted to destroy Medicaid to pay for tax cuts
Posted May 15, 2017
St. Paul, Minn. (May 7, 2017) — The U.S. House of Representative voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act today. Health care has been a top concern for Minnesotans since Trump took office. In February, 1,000 constituents showed up at a town hall meeting in Sartell, Minn. to question Rep. Emmer on repealing the ACA. Last month, constituents protested outside of the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce to ask Rep. Paulsen, who was speaking at a paid business breakfast, where he stood on the matter.
“Emmer, Lewis, and Paulsen could have defeated this horrific bill. Instead of listening to their districts, they voted to make a nightmare into reality,” said Dan McGrath, executive director of TakeAction Minnesota. “They voted to kick millions of people off health care to finance tax cuts for the rich. This goes against every value we have. Minnesotans won’t forget.”
Twenty GOP members of Congress voted against the American Health Care Act. If just two more Republicans voted against it, the bill would have been defeated today. All three Minnesota GOP members of Congress voted for it.
TakeAction Minnesota is a statewide, multi-racial people’s organization. We advance democracy and equity through organizing, political action, and policy campaigns. www.takeactionminnesota.org… Continue reading »
The power of stories
Posted October 20, 2013
I’ve always believed in the power of stories.
As a teacher of history and literature, I use personal narratives to bring lessons and lost eras home to students in the present. And recent research has shown that stories are uniquely effective at imparting shared values and empathy. But the fight for healthcare reform taught me how stories can transform the world.
When my family moved to Minnesota about three years ago, we lived without health insurance for four months while we applied for MinnesotaCare. I’d saved up for a doctor’s visit to get continuous care for my fibromyalgia and depression, but the doctor I’d picked refused to follow the treatment plan I’d been on for over a decade. We couldn’t afford to “shop” for a good doctor through out-of-pocket visits, and I was forced off all my medications. I became couch- and bed-bound with pain and exhaustion. I couldn’t look for work or explore the city we’d moved to–even taking my sons swimming for an hour was enough to use up all the energy I had for the day.
I truly recovered once our MinnesotaCare coverage started, and I was able to resume life as a worker, a mom, and a member of our new community.… Continue reading »
