( - promoted by Jay Stevens)
Denny Rehberg is taking some deserved hits for his "no" vote on the House health care reform bill last week. Our group, Montana Change That Works, worked with others to organize well-covered protests in front of Rehberg's offices in Missoula, Billings and Great Falls, and in front of the Gallatin County Courthouse in Bozeman.
We had decent attendance, lots of sympathetic car honks and some great media coverage. But, as the bill moves on to the Senate, I wanted to highlight just what Rehberg voted against. Here's a rundown, from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, affects.
In Montana, the Affordable Health Care for America Act approved by the House would:
* Provide coverage for 126,000 uninsured Montanans.
* Protect up to 900 Montana families from going bankrupt due to illness or injury.
* Provide health care coverage to 22,000 Montanans who are now denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions.
* Improve employer-based health care coverage for 564,000 Montana residents.
* Allow 36,200 Montana small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage for their employees.
* Reduce health insurance costs for about 34,900 Montana small businesses.
* Improve Medicare for 162,000 beneficiaries.
* Reduce the national deficit by more than $30 billion over the next decade and provide a budget surplus for the next 20 years.
Sure, not all of us are happy about all aspects of the bill. But this is could good stuff. Here's hoping Max and Jon will work hard for a bill that does as much or more for Montana.
--John Firehammer
Montana communications director
Change That Works |
