Bill Daley is the Federal Issues Policy Director at The Alliance for a Just Society.
May was Minority Health Month and a couple of things happened that deserve a bit of attention. And it’s also important to note that not enough happened and more attention is needed. Continue reading
Throughout most of our history the Supreme Court has been accorded a special place as a fair and impartial arbiter of legal issues. Sometimes the Court has failed in this role, but, for the most part it has been an important force in the unity of the nation because seemed to deserved respect.
The current Supreme Court majority has become so partisan that it is systematically undermining the principle of law and injecting in its place a radical corporate elitism that threatens our political stability by undergirding extreme economic inequality.
Small business leaders in the Main Street Alliance network stood up to be counted on health care over the last ten days as the Affordable Care Act’s two year anniversary led into oral arguments at the Supreme Court. Continue reading
The case challenging the Affordable Care Act has a lot in it to think about. Much of the public debate and the stories in the press are about the requirement that everyone have insurance – the individual responsibility requirement. But there also is a challenge to the Medicaid expansion. Continue reading
The Main Street Alliance has a great new video highlighting the dominating role insurance companies are playing in state health insurance policy. “Foxes Guarding the Hen House” is part of MSA’s ongoing campaign to ensure that the health insurance exchanges that are created in each state work for small businesses. Continue reading
Alliance for a Just Society affiliate The Montana Organizing Project (MOP) is a collaboration of diverse community, civic, labor, faith groups, and community members. Located in Missoula and Billings, MOP works on economic, racial and social justice issues, with the mission of promoting the dignity and empowerment of people with low and middle incomes who voices haven’t been heard in their communities. Led by Project Director Molly Moody and Eastern Montana organizer Sheena Rice, MOP is a statewide organization that primarilyrepresents Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Butte, rural Eastern MT towns- Baker, Glendive, including communities on the frontier, Havre and Great Falls. Continue reading
The election in November of 2010 shifted the political ground both in D.C. and in many state legislatures. These political changes brought efforts to repeal the ACA and to reduce the national commitment both to Medicaid and to critical programs funded as a part of reform. The efforts by the political right to reset the national agenda challenge every gain we’ve made. Although the fight for health care has moved from front page news to the trenches, we have seen some impressive achievements this past year: Continue reading
On October 20, an all-star team of small business leaders from across the Main Street Alliance network made the trek to Washington, DC to represent the voice of Main Street small businesses in the nation’s capital.
Business owners came from Montana, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington to participate in meetings on Capitol Hill. In a day and a half, the team conducted close to 20 meetings with Senate and House offices, including three face to face meetings with U.S. Senators.
The group held wide-ranging conversations with congressional offices, covering topics including job creation and regulations, revenues and investment, health care, immigration reform, and fixing the housing market. Continue reading
Many provisions of the Affordable Care Act are designed to overcome health outcome disparities caused by social factors associated with race, ethnicity, language, and culture. Will they work? Continue reading
How, what, and where we eat everyday is strongly influenced by the federal government, in partnership with major food corporations, through a piece of legislation called the Farm Bill. Many of the social determinates of health that impact our communities find their roots in the Farm Bill a massive piece of legislation up for renewal in 2012.
We need to pay close attention to this legislation in the coming months. In particular, we need to focus on the ways in which the Farm Bill enables corporate practices that contribute to racial disparities in health, set us back in terms of racial equity, and promote greed over need. In a climate where Congress is looking to make cuts, corporate agribusiness will be working hard to protect their interests, leaving the rest of us with a huge tab that will cost not just in dollars but also in lives. Continue reading
