Nuns on the Bus Ohio

From Church World Service:

Please share this info far and wide to prep everyone to get ready for a major call-in push for May 9, 14, 16, and 20-24 as the Senate considers amendments to the immigration bill.

NOW is the time! Get ready to make very important calls on amendments to the Immigration Bill!

On May 9th, the Senate Judiciary will begin voting on amendments to the Bipartisan immigration bill (S. 744). See compiled faith statements and analysis on the bill at http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/IIC-Statements-on-Immigration-Bill.pdf. Once the process begins, it will be important for faith voices to be heard in support of or in opposition to those amendments that will impact our communities. Please get ready to make calls on the important dates listed below. We already know that we will have to defeat anti-refugee and -asylum amendments, and push for improvements to the family unity provisions, eligibility for the pathway to citizenship, enforcement provisions, etc.

• On May 6 at 4:00 EST, the Interfaith Immigration Coalition will host a webinar on how we are organizing to add positive amendments and prevent anti-immigrant amendments to the bill. To join, call 805-399-1000, access code 104402#. RSVP for a link to the visual portion on the morning of the call.

• We expect the Amendment process to begin on Thursday May 9, and continue on May 14th, 16th, and 20th - 24th. Once the process begins, it will be very important for every single person in our networks to CALL 1-866-940-2439 on those mornings, to hear about amendments and urge your Senators to support or oppose amendments that will impact our communities. The IIC will send action alerts on the morning of each day with information on what amendments will be considered. You can sign up for alerts at http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/.

• Members of Congress will be home for recess on May 27-June 3, which is a great opportunity for us to meet with them in neighbor-to-neighbor visits, and host family unity prayer vigils. Both May and June are great times to draw media attention to your support for humane and compassionate immigration reform. Try your hand at letters to the editors responding to immigration reform stories you read in your local newspapers and voice your support for immigration reform that keeps families together, improves the lives of refugees, and creates a roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million aspiring Americans.

There is materials-online IIC Communications Toolkit.to support your media outreach. See also the Map of Actions and Calendar Events on the IIC Website, and please coordinate with local immigrant rights groups
The time is now to make immigration reform a reality! Let’s work together and make it happen!

Join NOTB Ohio and others as we work to move immigration reform forward!

Nuns on the Bus Ohio joined thousands of other Ohioans at the Statehouse to support Medicaid Expansion in Ohio! We heard from a veteran and other hard working Ohioans who deserve to have the healthcare they need! All Ohioans deserve to have the healthcare they need! Urge your State representative to expand Medicaid!

APRIL 9th Faiths Calling – Interfaith Call-in Day to Prevent Gun Violence

The debate in advance of the Senate vote is about to begin!

Call your Senators on April 9th and insist that they act to prevent gun violence!

Ensure that the voices of faithful Americans ring throughout the halls of Congress. Demand that we enact universal background checks – and pass other needed gun violence prevention measures such as bans on semi-automatic assault weapons & high-capacity magazines, gun trafficking laws, and improved access to mental health services.

On March 8, International Women's Day, Nuns on the Bus Ohio rallied in front of Anna Louise Inn to show their support for the women there. Click on the link below to hear Sr. Monica McGloin speak out on behalf of the women at Anna Louise Inn.

Thousands of low-income Ohio citizens will get health insurance if the Ohio Legislature keeps the Medicaid Expansion in the budget as proposed by Governor Kasich. We have done what we can: gone to Columbus to meet with the Director of Medicaid, contacted our Representatives, met with others who support the expansion and asked you to call. Now we must trust God to inspire our elected officials to do the right thing and we’re asking for your prayers. We know that prayer can do what we can’t. Please pray with us that our elected officials will choose the common good and give health care to more low income citizens by expanding Medicaid.

We also ask for prayers for the Anna Louise Inn which provides safe, affordable housing to low income women. Their plans to renovate the Inn are being threatened by Western Southern Bank which wants their property.

It’s a new day in the Catholic Church! Who could have imagined Pope Benedict would step aside, knowing he didn’t have the mental and physical capacity to continue? Who could have imagined the College of Cardinals would acknowledge by their vote that the church needs substantial reform and elect a South American cardinal to lead it?

The local Nuns on the Bus coalition is very hopeful that Pope Francis will be the prophetic leader our times need. We hope that he will:

• Halt the investigation of religious women and stand with us accompanying people on the margins: those who are sick and disabled, uneducated, homeless, low-income, refugees and immigrants.

• Welcome women religious as respected partners with our brother priest ministers.

The media are portraying Pope Francis as one who doesn’t claim a privileged status and knows how ordinary people live daily life. Can he restore credibility and bring healing to our church? Can he, like St. Francis of Assisi, rebuild our church that has fallen into ruin?

We pray that he will shed the light of hope to many disillusioned Catholics who have walked away. We are heartened by his love for creation and his plea to all in positions of responsibility to be protectors of creation. We pray that he will speak truth to power and not be cowed by pressure to maintain the status quo.

Meanwhile, the Nuns on the Bus continue to roll, advocating for expanding health insurance to more low-income people, working to see that low-income women can continue living at Anna Louise Inn, and striving for immigration reform that will unite families of immigrants and give them a path to citizenship.

Join our work by liking Nuns on the Bus Ohio on Facebook. Remember, we are the church.

Sister Carren Herring, RSM, lives in Kennedy Heights. She writes as a representative of Nuns on the Bus, a group of Catholic sisters working to promote the values of solidarity, justice and the common good.

A GROWING CHORUS OF VOICES SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF MEDICAID!

DO YOUR PART AND CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

GOVERNOR KASICH

http://www.governor.ohio.gov/Portals/0/2013%20State%20of%20the%20State%20Transcript.pdf

I can’t look at the disabled, I can’t look at the poor, I can’t look at the mentally ill, I can’t look at the addicted and think we ought to ignore them. For those who live in the shadows of life, for those who are the least among us, I will not accept the fact that the most vulnerable in our state should be ignored. We can help them (State of the State address).
• Expanding Medicaid will return $13 billion to Ohio over seven years.
• It will free up funding for mental health services.
• It is morally and ethically the right thing to do.
• Governor Kasich included a provision in his proposal to reverse the expansion if the federal government changes the parameters of its funding guarantees.

OHIO RIGHT TO LIFE, PRESIDENT MIKE GONIDAKIS

http://www.standupforhealthcare.org/blog/ohio-right-to-lifes-got-governor-kasichs-back

• Ohio Right to Life has given 100 percent approval of the decision. Our mission is to support life from womb to tomb. In this case minorities will benefit, the poor will benefit. It will cover the parents of young children.

• When you look at the facts, when you weigh the evidence and do the math, expanding access to health coverage is a good thing for everyone. We would ask our friends in the Tea Party to read the full proposal and see it’s not only the most compassionate, but also the most fiscally responsible.

CATHOLIC BISHOPS - OHIO

http://www.ohiocathconf.org/D/healtaff/lttermedicexpan.pdf

• Because of our concern for the poor and vulnerable, the Catholic Conference of Ohio joins with Ohio's Catholic Hospitals to support Medicaid expansion in Ohio.

CINCINNATI US REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

http://cincinnatichamber.com/uploadedFiles/Chamber/Downloads/EVDH_Position_Medicaid.pdf

• Medicaid expansion will provide important coverage for Ohioans in need. This expansion will go a long ways toward lowering costs and improving outcomes because individuals will have the opportunity to seek the right care at the right time.

Coverage Saves Jobs - from the office of Gov. John Kasich

In June 2012, the United States Supreme Court made it optional for states to extend Medicaid coverage to adults making $15,415 or less per year, with the federal government paying 100 percent of the cost for three years, decreasing to 90 percent in 2020 and beyond. The Governor has weighed the options and has chosen the path that is best for Ohio. The Executive Budget offers health coverage to 600,000 low-income Ohioans to support a workforce that is attractive to job creators and to further mitigate the harmful effects of Obamacare. This decision will:

Protect Ohio Jobs

. Put Ohio’s federal taxes to work in Ohio. Extending Medicaid coverage will convert otherwise uncompensated care into an estimated $13 billion in new federal spending over the next seven years – that’s $5.9 billion into Ohio’s hospitals, $2.0 billion into doctors’ offices, and $1.4 billion to dentists and other health care providers to support the jobs needed to provide care.1 Saying “no” to this plan would not save these federal dollars from being spent or direct them to deficit reduction – it would simply pass them to states that expand, supporting jobs in those states with Ohio’s federal tax dollars.


1 Estimate includes federal funds for newly eligible populations only, not woodwork. The distribution among providers is based on the current distribution of spending among providers in Medicaid managed care: 45 percent hospital, 16 percent physician, 18 percent drug, and 11 percent other.
2 Business First, Managed care companies adding 1,000 jobs with Medicaid shift (January 11, 2013).
3 U.S. Census, Distribution of the nonelderly uninsured by family work status (2010-2011).
4 Institute of Medicine, America's Uninsured Crisis: Consequences for Health and Health Care (2009).
5 Estimate includes uninsured newly eligible populations only, not woodwork; an additional 121,000 currently eligible but not enrolled children, parents and seniors who are uninsured are also expected to enroll.
6 Society of Actuaries, Cost of the future newly insured under the Affordable Care Act (December 2012).
7 In 2012, Ohio hospitals paid $199 million in Hospital Care Assurance Program assessments used to draw federal DSH payments of $555 million, resulting in a $356 million net payment to Ohio’s hospitals.
8 The Heritage Foundation, Medicaid Expansion Will Become More Costly to States (August 2012).
9 CMS, Frequently asked questions on exchanges, market reforms and Medicaid (December 2012), question 26.
10 American Academy of Actuaries, Implications of Medicaid Expansion Decisions on Private Coverage (2012).
11 New England Journal of Medicine, Mortality and access to care after state Medicaid expansions (July 25, 2012).
12 Institute of Medicine, America's Uninsured Crisis: Consequences for Health and Health Care (2009).
13 Estimate includes 59,000 newly eligible and 117,000 currently eligible but uninsured parents.
14 See also, The Waterfall Effect: Transformative impacts of Medicaid expansion on states (January 2013).

. Bring new jobs into Ohio. Most newly eligible Medicaid enrollees will be enrolled in private sector health plans. Medicaid health plans already have created 1,000 new jobs in Ohio as a result of Kasich Administration policies that require plans to headquarter staff in Ohio.2 Employers look closely at the cost of health care in deciding where to locate their businesses. States that adopt the Medicaid expansion will have a competitive advantage, because employers will not need to underwrite the cost of uncompensated care and all potential workers will have access to a source of coverage.

. Jobs trump politics. Governor Kasich opposes President Obama’s health care plan. That’s why Ohio opted not to run a federally mandated Health Insurance Exchange and why Ohio joined a coalition of states that tried to block the program in court. But the law was upheld by the Supreme Court and the President was re-elected. No matter what Ohio decides on Medicaid, health insurance premiums are going up as a result of Obamacare. But it will make a bad situation far worse if Ohio does not extend Medicaid coverage and reclaim its share of federal taxes to support jobs here in Ohio – jobs that will be created in other states with our money if Ohio does not extend coverage.

. Keep working Ohioans in jobs. Most uninsured Ohioans (75 percent) work,3 but they “live sicker and die younger” than workers with insurance, and they often delay seeking treatment until their health has significantly deteriorated, leading to much higher health care costs.4 In contrast, workers with health coverage are far more likely to receive care on a routine and timely basis and receive care from appropriate providers rather than resorting to higher-cost emergency room visits. Ohio Medicaid estimates 270,000 uninsured Ohioans would gain coverage from a Medicaid expansion.5 For the majority who work, connecting them to coverage means keeping them in jobs.

. Hold the line on health insurance premium increases. The Society of Actuaries warns that individual market premiums will increase in states that opt out of the Medicaid expansion. That’s because, in states that do not expand, individuals with incomes between 100 percent and 138 percent of poverty who otherwise would have been eligible for Medicaid will have access to premium subsidies, and due to the likely higher health spending among lower-income enrollees, drive up premium costs. In Ohio, non-group premiums are already expected to go up significantly as a result of Obamacare, and they would go up another 1.2 percent if Ohio does not extend Medicaid coverage.6

. Keep the doors open to Ohio’s hospitals. When low-income Ohioans without health insurance need health care, they often go to the emergency room because hospitals are required to provide care even if the individual doesn’t have the ability to pay. This unpaid care cost hospitals more than $1.2 billion in 2012. Some of those costs ($356 million in 20127) are paid for by the federal “disproportionate share hospital” (DSH) program. But Obamacare scales down DSH subsidies beginning in 2014, forcing hospitals to absorb those costs or shift them to businesses and families with insurance. Expanding Medicaid will help ensure that hospitals receive payment for the services they provide, protect rural and safety net hospitals from being pushed to the brink, and further limit the uncompensated costs that shift to employers and privately insured families.

. Protect Ohio taxpayers from federal decisions. The Heritage Foundation warns that taxpayers need to be protected from the federal government shifting expansion costs to states.8 Governor Kasich agrees and, despite federal assurances that states may opt in and out of covering newly eligible populations at any time,9 the Executive Budget goes further and codifies an automatic opt-out trigger so that if for any reason the federal government reduces its financial participation, then the program for newly eligible populations shuts down, and Ohio taxpayers are not stuck holding the bill.

. Protect Ohio employers from Obamacare penalties. Employers are at greater risk of penalties in states that do not expand Medicaid. Under federal reform, employers with 50 or more workers are subject to penalties if any full-time employees receive a premium subsidy for coverage in the Health Insurance Exchange. Employees are eligible for premium subsidies only if they do not have access to Medicaid and their employer does not offer coverage that meets minimum requirements. In states that do not extend coverage, low-income workers who otherwise might have enrolled in Medicaid may instead access premium subsidies, thereby putting their employer at risk of penalties.10

Improve Health Outcomes

. Extend life and reduce health disparities. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that the three states that expanded Medicaid coverage since 2000 reduced mortality 6.1 percent compared to non-expansion states, with the greatest reductions among older adults, non-whites, and residents of poorer counties. Extending Medicaid coverage decreased uninsured rates by 15 percent, decreased rates of delayed care because of costs by 21 percent, and increased rates of self-reported health status of “excellent” or “very good” by 3.4 percent.11

. Improve health outcomes for Ohio children. Covering parents not only improves their own lives but also the lives of their children. The Institute of Medicine reports that the financial stability of a whole family can be put at risk if only one person is uninsured and needs treatment for unexpected health care costs.12 Children are three times more likely to be eligible for coverage but uninsured if their parents are uninsured. An estimated 176,000 uninsured parents will be covered under a Medicaid expansion.13 Covering these parents makes it more likely that their children will receive needed care.

. Help children make a healthy transition to adulthood. Currently, young adults become ineligible for Medicaid on their 19th birthday (21 for foster children), and many of them, after having a regular source of coverage through Medicaid, become uninsured. Extending Medicaid coverage provides continuity of care for these individuals, some of whom have mental illness or addiction disorders that would worsen without access to prescription drugs and other treatment services that are covered by Medicaid.

. Restore community mental health capacity. Most Ohioans who receive services from county boards of mental health and addiction services will become eligible for Medicaid under an expansion. Extending Medicaid coverage will free up an estimated $70 million annually statewide in county levy dollars that could be spent on other priorities, like employme

Here are the Representatives who sit on the Finance and Appropriations Committee. If you live in their district, call them and ask them to support Medicaid Expansion in Ohio!

Ohio House
Finance and Appropriations Committee

Ron Amstutz (R) , Chair
District 1
(614) 466-1474

Jeff McClain (R), Vice Chair
District 87
(614) 644-6265

Vernon Sykes (D), Ranking Minority
District 34
(614) 466-3100

Richard N. Adams (R)
District 80
(614) 466-8114

Marlene Anielski (R)
District 6
(614) 644-6041

Nickie J. Antonio (D)
District 13
(614) 466-5921

Mike Ashford (D)
District 44
(614) 466-1401

Peter Beck (R)
District 54
(614) 644-6027

John Patrick Carney (D)
District 22
(614) 466-2473

Kathleen Clyde (D)
District 75
(614) 466-2004

Timothy Derickson (R)
District 53
(614) 644-5094

Mike Dovilla (R)
District 7
(614) 466-4895

Denise Driehaus (D)
District 31
(614) 466-5786

Mike Duffey (R)
District 21
(614) 644-6030

Mike Foley (D)
District 14
(614) 466-3350


Anne Gonzales (R)
District 19
(614) 466-4847

Cheryl L. Grossman (R)
District 23
(614) 466-9690

David Hall (R)
District 70
(614) 466-2994

Bill Hayes (R)
District 72
(614) 466-2500

Matt Lundy (D)
District 55
(614) 644-5076

Ron Maag (R)
District 62
(614) 644-6023

Ross W. McGregor (R)
District 79
(614) 466-2038

Debbie Phillips (D)
District 94

Dan Ramos (D)
District 56
(614) 466-5141

Alicia Reece (D)
District 33
(614) 466-1308

Cliff Rosenberger (R)
District 91
(614) 466-3506

Barbara R. Sears (R)
District 47
(614) 466-1731

Ryan Smith (R)
District 93
(614) 466-1366

Robert Sprague (R)
District 83
(614) 466-3819

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided for the states to expand Medicaid to everyone with income under 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Under the ACA, the federal government pays 100% of the cost of Medicaid for people newly eligible as a result of this expansion, from January 2014 until December 2016. Then the federal share of Medicaid declines each year, reaching 90% in 2020. This contrasts with the federal Medicaid share for currently eligible people, 63% inn 2012, which will continue with minor year-to-year adjustments. The Supreme Court ruling last summer made the Medicaid expansion optional for the states. Ohio has not yet decided whether to accept federal money to expand Medicaid coverage under the expansion.

Medicaid covers healthcare for low-income seniors in nursing homes. the disabled, children and working families. Based on the 2011 US Census, the Medicaid expansion to 138% FPL could cover 593,912 newly eligible people in Ohio.

TOLEDO -- Local Catholic sisters in Ohio have embarked on a statewide bus tour in a non-partisan effort to promote faith and social values in the midst of the 2012 election.

"We were getting kind of frustrated when we just kept hearing alot of negative campaigning," said Sister Monica McGloin. "As we get ready for a presidential election we need to be talking about values, what matters to people."

Northwestohio.com - October 13, 2012

The Faithful Budget Campaign - October 10, 2012

...a budget that works for all God's people, not just the wealthiest few.

After driving through parts of America this summer on their anti-poverty tour, the Nuns on the Bus are bringing their message of social justice to Ohio. Sister Simone Campbell talks with Ed Schultz about poverty in America and the presidential race.

The Ed Show - October 10, 2012

Moyers & Company - August 24, 2012

Weeks before Republican Paul Ryan was selected to run for vice president, Sister Simone Campbell — who heads NETWORK, a Catholic policy and lobbying group – hit the road to protest the so-called “Ryan budget” recently passed by the House of Representatives. She and some of her sister nuns rolled across the heartland on a bus trip designed to arouse public concern over what the Ryan plan would mean for social services in America, especially its slashing of programs for the poor.