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Ocean State Action and its partners in the Health Care for America Now (HCAN) campaign have organized several rallies in the past few weeks to make sure Rhode Islanders' voices are heard for health care reform that ensures quality, affordable health care for all and that includes a strong, national public health care option.
The U.S. Congress is currently debating national health care reform and in a very promising sign, legislation that includes a national public plan has already been introduced in both the House and Senate. A national public plan is essential to drive down the skyrocketing health insurance costs for families and businesses, and to keep the health insurance industry honest. The industry is spending tens of millions of dollars on a misinformation/scare campaign to block real reform that will make health care more affordable and help provide coverage for the tens of millions of Americans currently without it.
On July 2nd, HCAN held a "Declare Your Independence" rally at the Office of the Health Commissioner to call for the need of a public plan to ensure Americans are no longer hostage to the health insurance industry.
On July 9th, we rallied with MoveOn.org and the Rhode Island Chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America in Kennedy Plaza to thank our U.S. Senators and Representatives for their support of the public plan, and to urge them to stand strong in support of it in the face of the industry's big-money effort to block a national public plan.
And July 15th, we held a rally to declare, "If it's not affordable, it's NOT reform," where we released a report with proposals of responsible ways to pay for health care reform . One of the key ways is a surcharge on the personal income tax of America's wealthiest taxpayers. Legislation in the U.S. House includes this surcharge proposal.
Sign up to our Facebook group for updates and action alerts about the fight for national health care reform in Rhode Island, or email ivette at oceanstateaction dot org. |
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Ocean State Action, as part of the Health Care for America Now campaign, released a new report today showing that consolidation in the private health insurance industry is creating skyrocketing premiums for both patients and employers. Rhode Island, where two insurance companies control 95 percent of the market, has the second-highest concentration among its top two insurers of any state in the country. The group said the report showed the need for Rhode Islanders and Rhode Island businesses to have the choice of a public insurance plan, and praised all four members of the state's congressional delegation for having endorsed such a plan as part of major health care reform.
See the full report here.
Health insurance premiums for Rhode Island working families have increased 83 percent from 2000 to 2007. At the same time, the median earnings of Rhode Island workers increased 17 percent, from $26,164 to $30,566. That means health insurance premiums for Rhode Island working families have risen 4.9 times faster than wages.
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Read more... [New Report: Rhode Island Health-Plan Premiums Soar as Insurers Face Less Competition]
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One day after thousands of Rhode Islanders filed their last minute taxes on time, the Ocean State Action Fund released a report that exposes the cost to Rhode Islanders of offshore tax havens. The report, written by our allies at the US PIRG Education Fund, shows that the cost to the American people due to the use of offshore tax havens is as high as $100 billion per year - $1 trillion over 10 years.
U.S.-based individuals and corporations who pay taxes on their revenues pay higher taxes to make up for those who do not. The cost per year to Rhode Island tax filers specifically is $426,986,005.
To see the report, click here |
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News You Can Use in the Ocean State
- "More unionization would be good for economy," guest column by Robert Reich in the Providence Journal (February 2, 2009)
- "Class war being waged in Rhode Island," column by Jim Barron in the Pawtucket Times (January 26, 2009)
- "Gubernatorial Hoovers make it worse," guest column by Paul Krugman in the Providence Journal (January 6, 2009)
- "A call to prayer for legislators," column by Ed Fitzpatrick in the Providence Journal (January 1, 2009)
- "Guarantee health reform, not higher profits," guest column by Vivian Weisman in the Providence Journal (December 23, 2008)
Reports and Fact Sheets
Ocean State Action has compiled several reports and fact sheets relating to issues facing Rhode Island. These contain information that is essential to understanding the problems our state faces, and how we can responsibly fix them to make Rhode Island work better for everyone. The reports and fact sheets address, among other issues: the health care crisis in Rhode Island, including how it affects small businesses; tax and budget policy, with recommendations of how we can responsibly fix our state's budget deficit; and a report entitled "The Next New Deal," a comprehensive look at how the nation can get back on track for a 21st century economy. There are also links to reports and fact sheets compiled by other groups with info essential to all Rhode Islanders.
See reports and fact sheets here.
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Visit the Rhode Island Policy Reporter at What Cheer! for up-to-date policy analysis and reports.
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