Hemophilia Federation of America: Friday UpdateJuly 24, 2009 National Notes:What should be the deadline? In a press conference earlier this week, President Obama said "if there is not a deadline in Washington, nothing happens". Seven members of the Blue Dog Coalition expressed concerns over the cost and the need to pass "deficit neutral" health reform legislation. Representative Mike Ross, Chairman of the Blue Dog Health Care Task Force feels progress has been made, but Congress has a long way to go. On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate will wait until after the August recess to bring the bill to a vote. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi wants floor votes by the August recess. Discussions have also hinted towards a shortened August recess. Delays are devastating for families and the status quo is costly. In a recent web-based teleconference, Families USA expressed concern for the thousands of people that lose access to health insurance daily. Thousands more will file bankruptcy due to expensive medical bills. The sense of urgency appears lost with some while it is a priority for others. As the debate on Capitol Hill continues, the deficit and the number of uninsured and underinsured will continue to rise. What should the deadline be to reform America's health system? The time is now to ensure continued access to affordable, quality care and therapies! To contact your member of Congress toll-free, please call: 1.800.828.0498 Food for thought: The Center for American Progress highlights the "cost of doing nothing" with a comprehensive 10-year review of health care premiums. To view the chart click here. Read more on leaders and coalitions in Congress: The Blue Dog Coalition Health care reform made simple The Kaiser Family Foundation has put together a great tool to help decipher and compare the health care reform bills. If you don't have time to read thousands of pages of documents filled with legislative language, this tool provides easy-to-read summaries of sections within the proposals. It allows you to compare the most popular reform bills to the less popular. To use the tool click here. Harry and Louise are back again Same couple, different year...Harry and Louise are back on the advertisement campaign scene advocating from a different side. The couple is known for advertisements launched against President Clinton's health care plan in the 1990's. On July 16, 2009 the couple was featured in an advertisement in support of reforming the health care system. This time around Families USA and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) sponsored the ad campaign (AP/Huffington Post). To read and watch more on Harry and Louise please click the following links: Harry and Louise 2009 Please help us continue to represent the community, by sharing your personal story. Contact the HFA Public Policy Team for more information. HFA is committed to providing accurate, updated information. Should you find discrepancies, please contact the HFA Public Policy Team. Stay tuned for next week's update or read more on the HFA Advocacy Blogs! |