32 BJ Rally for Health Care and July 20th Lobby Day

A rally held by local 32 BJ at the State Capitol on July 15th put a face to the thousands of families in Connecticut without health care. Below are four of the approximately 150 children that will lose their health care as a result of Governor Rell's poison pen veto. The children's parents are janitors that clean State buildings. Governor Rell vetoed bill HB 6502 that would have continued to provide health care for these children. The override vote will be held on Monday July 20th.



[Photo above: Four of children who will lost their health care unless the legislators override Governor "Poison Pen" Rell's veto of HB 6502 on Monday, July 20. [Click on picture for full screen view]

Also scheduled for override of "poison pen" Rell's votes are the SustiNet health care bill and the health care Pooling bill that would promote health call for all.

MONDAY, JULY 20TH IS LABOR LOBBY DAY AT THE STATE CAPITOL

On Monday, July 20th, the SEIU State Council, CCAG and other labor and community groups will coordinate a concentrated lobby day to connect members with individual lawmakers to urge them to override Governor Rell's veto of three health care reform, bills. The bills are: HB 6502 that would provide health care for 32 BJ janitors children, the SustiNet health care bill, and the health care Pooling bill. The lobbing effort will go from 10 AM to 6:30 PM.

If you can not come to the State capitol, contact you State Representative and Senator today and ask them to override Governor Rell's health care vetoes!

House of Representatives: Democrats: 860-240-8500 Toll Free: 1-800-842-8267 Republicans: 860-240-8700 Toll Free: 1-800-842-1423

State Senators: Democrats: 860-240-8600 Toll Free: 1-800-842-1424 Republicans: 860-240-8800 Toll Free: 1800-842-1424

Other photo's from the 32 BJ Rally follow.

Photo above is Diana Cololado. Diana is holding a picture of her two children. She is a 32 BJ union member and had just finished her shift cleaning State buildings. Her daughter has sugar diabetes and will lose her health care in two weeks unless the legislators override Governor Rell's veto.

....Kurt Westly, 32 BJ District Leader for Connecticut rallies the crowd.

Speaker of the House Chris Donovan, wearing a 32 BJ janitor's shirt, spoke passionately to the members of 32 BJ. Chris has been a staunch support of 32 BJ and health care for all.


........FROM THE SustiNet COALITON

[Click of photo for full screen view]

Please read & forward. On July 8, Gov. Rell vetoed SustiNet.

She ignored the needs of the state's hard working people and instead chose to side with the vested interests of insurance companies -- like Anthem which has asked for an increase in premiums as much as 32% for some individual policyholders.

On Monday, July 20, the House and Senate will meet to take action to override the Governor's veto of SustiNet. An override requires the support of 2/3 of both houses in order to pass. July 20 is our last chance!

We are very close to victory. But we need to make sure that our legislators show up for the override session and that they vote YES on SustiNet. Email your Senator and Representative


Please take a moment to email your legislators and forward this email to your friends and family.The House and Senate have already voted once this year to provide quality, affordable health care for everyone -- now we just have to make sure they close the deal!

More information:Connecticut Post, Norwich Bulletin, and New London Day endorse veto override Read our new fact sheetPublic Act 09-148 - Read about Anthem's proposal to raise premiums

..........THE POOLING HEALTH CARE BILL

FROM SPEAKER DONOVAN: GOVERNOR’S VETOED HEALTH CARE BILL ANALYSIS DECEPTIVE AND A DISSERVICE TO WORKING FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Doug Whiting
860-240-0160
July 15, 2009 203-400-2127

House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) today said Governor Rell is trying to justify her vetoes of health care reform legislation for Connecticut with scare tactics and faulty information.

“In the past several days, President Obama and Democrats in Congress announced substantial movement on national health care reforms, and today a new report says that rising health care costs and premiums are eliminating coverage for 310 Connecticut residents a week,” Speaker Donovan said. “At the same time, we have Governor Rell using made up numbers that underscore a position that is not supportive of needed health care reform.”

Speaker Donovan said, “The Governor is wrong to suggest that the SustiNet bill will cost the state $1 billion annually in the near term. I am surprised that she would use such a scare tactic. I do know that doing nothing will cost us far more in the long term.”

He said the only entity that the SustiNet bill would create over the biennium is a nine-member board of healthcare providers and experts, willing to volunteer their time to make specific recommendations on how to best implement the comprehensive reform Connecticut needs. No fiscal impact would result from the creation of this board, according to the non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis.

“The board’s proposals will include recommendations on the use of new federal dollars we expect will be created under the federal legislation currently being debated, which could eventually help to fund an agency to administer the SustiNet plan,” he said.

Speaker Donovan added, “After months of denying the savings attached to the pooling bill, the Governor finally admitted in her second budget proposal that there will be at least $62 million in immediate savings attached to self-insuring.

“The Governor’s analysis cherry picks claims data when projecting health care costs for the next two years. It also did not account for an annual savings of up to $20 million from no longer paying insurance companies to run the state plan. These are dollars that the state should be spending on cost-saving preventive care, not insurance company profits.”

Speaker Donovan concluded, “The Governor is trying to justify her rejection of health care reforms that will help Connecticut families now, and that will position the state for implementation of reforms that are on the fast track in Washington,” Speaker Donovan said. “If she does not want to be a leader on health care, then she should step aside and allow the voices of the families and small business owners of Connecticut who are crying out for health care options to be heard.”

......FROM CCAG

Dear Friend,

Last week, Governor Rell had a chance to act in the interest of the people of Connecticut by signing SustiNet and the Healthcare Partnership bills into law. Together, these bills would put us on the path quality, affordable health care for everyone.

Instead, when presented with this landmark opportunity, Rell used her veto pen to protect the profits of big insurance companies--like Anthem, which has plans to raise premiums by 32%! This was a colossal failure of leadership on Rell's part.

So if you are sick of Governor Rell ignoring us; tired of her looking out for the insurance companies' bottom lines; and have had it up to here with Rell's inaction on health care, then join us at the State Capitol on Monday morning:

When: Monday, July 20 at 9:30 AMWhere: State Capitol Building, 210 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT

The House and Senate passed SustiNet and the Healthcare Partnership by large margins, and so we will be gathering at the State Capitol Monday morning to ask our State Representatives and Senators to do it again. Will you join us on Monday morning to encourage our legislators to stand with us as they convene a special session for veto overrides?

With your help, our state legislators will show leadership where the governor won't. Let's show Governor Rell that she can't veto us. Because this is the last chance for us to act on these important health care bills, I ask you to please pass this message along. Send it far and wide, and bring a friend (or two!) with you Monday. I'll see you then. Tom SwanCCAG Executive Director
By Tom Connolly