PoorMansLobbyist.org

New CDC Report States Autism Now at 1 in 110 Children, 1 in 70 Boys. Insurance Companies Continue to Deny Treatment.

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:02:41 -0800

A new CDC report released on December 18 shows a continued increase in autism, which now affects 1 in 110 U.S. children and 1 in 70 boys.

Yet in most states, health insurance companies are free to discriminate against children with autism and deny coverage for effective treatments, such as ABA therapy.

While some state legislators have taken a leadership role in mandating insurance coverage for autism treatment in their states, the U.S. Congress and the White House have been silent on including similar mandates within the current health care reform legislation.

You can follow the progress (or lack of progress) on U.S. health care reform at PoorMansLobbyist.org.

Democrats United (Against the Party), Republicans Just Say No (to Solving Problems)

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:58:19 -0800

PoorMansLobbyist.org has written a new blog post critical of both the Democratic and Republican parties for their failure to lead and govern. The criticism extends to President Obama and The White House.

Democracy Prevails: 60-39 Vote Overcomes Threat of Filibuster on Healthcare Reform

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:35:26 -0800

On Saturday night, the Senate voted 60-39 to bring the Healthcare Reform Bill to the floor for debate and amendments. All 60 votes were needed in order to overcome a promised threat of an anti-democratic filibuster by opponents of healthcare reform.

Had the vote failed, the healthcare reform would have been essentially dead. Prior to the vote, Republicans promoted fear and used scare tactics such as higher taxes and lower quality healthcare if the debate about healthcare reform was allowed to continue. Democrats, on the other hand, spoke passionately about the need to reform healthcare, especially due to how many Americans are currently underinsured or uninsured.

PoorMansLobbyist.org will be reviewing the specific votes, since we feel strongly that blocking democracy via a filibuster is anti-American and counterprodutive.

We will provide an update on how each Senator voted shortly.

Senate Debating Today Whether or Not to Allow Healthcare Reform Debate and Amendments

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:33:08 -0800

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Senate is debating whether or not to allow its healthcare reform bill to come to the floor for debate and amendments, versus no action being taken. The importance of the pre-debate debate is that all Republicans and potentially a few Democrats are threatening to filibuster the bill, in order to block any further progress on the reform.

PoorMansLobbyist.org opposes any filibuster and has written a blog post on this topic (click the feed link to access the links in this article).

Democrats generally want to pursue healthcare reform, while Republicans are generally siding with the health insurance industry that the current system is fine. PoorMansLobbyist.org opposes the status quo, due to exclusion and discrimination, and several blog posts have been written on this topic at blog.poormanslobbyist.org.

PoorMansLobbyist.org would like to thank Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) for specifically calling out the need for autism coverage in his speech on Saturday. AutismCrisis.org is covering the story on Senator Menendez's advocacy of autism coverage (click the feed link to access the links in this article).

Democracy vs. Filibuster

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:37:18 -0800

PoorMansLobbyist.org has written a new blog post discussing the threats of filibuster, as it relates to healthcare reform.

Healthcare Reform at Critical Point

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:29:27 -0800

We are nearing a critical point in healthcare reform, and your U.S. Senators will soon be making difficult choices. Some understand the magnitude of this crisis, while others are playing political games.

We must make sure your Senators understand that our health is not the political game of the day. We must make sure they understand the importance of passing real health insurance reform that includes either a Single Payer system or a strong Public Option.

Please help us purchase advertising to promote the Public Option and Strong Healthcare Reform by making a donation today. Even $5 or $10 helps us purchase online advertisements!

Abortion Becoming Key Issue in Healthcare Reform

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:00:07 -0800

An anti-abortion amendment, sponsored by Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joseph Pitts (R-PA), may cause progressives to vote against the final bill if the amendment passes. Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups are lobbying aggressively against the amendment, to make sure that the final healthcare reform bill does not result in additional restrictions on legal abortions.

Politico has more details in this article (click the feed link to get the link to the story).

New Blog Post on Autism and Insurance Industry

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:12 -0800

PoorMansLobbyist.org has written a new blog post discussing the insurance industry's efforts to shift all medical care related to autism to local school districts.

AMA and AARP Endorse House Healthcare Bill

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:04:13 -0800

CNN is reporting that both the American Medical Association and the AARP have endorsed the House healthcare bill.

AARP Advocates for its Members; Republicans Furious

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:03:18 -0800

PoorMansLobbyist.org has a new blog post about the AARP's support of healthcare reform and why the Republicans are so upset.

Al Gore's "Repower America" Tackles Climate Crisis with Clean Energy, Green Jobs Campaign

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:02:12 -0800

While his critics might argue that the Earth is flat, Former Vice President Al Gore is busy campaigning for clean energy and green jobs.

Gore has written a new book and is busy leading Repower America, his campaign for clean energy and green jobs.

Click the link to get more info on Repower America, Gore's new book, and how you can take action to help fight the climate crisis.

MoveOn.org Raises $2 Million in Pledges in Less Than 24 Hours to Challenge Senators Choosing Filibuster over Democracy

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:25:18 -0800

Senator Joe Lieberman, who some now refer to as (I-Insurance Industry), has gone on record stating that he will use his power as an individual Senator to stop [the democratic process of] a vote. Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) initially signaled that he many join in Republican efforts to block a vote, but he has recently clarified his position stating that he is now more likely to advocate [democracy and] voting rather than a filibuster.

While polls show that voters want a public option, some Senators are accepting donations from the health insurance industry and its lobbyists, even though this creates the perception of legal bribery and conflict of interest.

MoveOn.org on Monday, Nov. 2, sent out an e-mail to its base asking for pledges to support opponents to those politicians who side with the industry instead of their voters, and MoveOn announced on Tuesday that it had already received over $2 million in pledges in less than 24 hours.

MoveOn.org Launches Initiative Against Democrats Who Choose Filibuster Over Democracy

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:00:37 -0800

MoveOn.org wants to make it clear to any Democrats (or Independents) who plan to fight healthcare reform that they will face campaigning and fund raising against them by MoveOn's massive base of supporters. MoveOn sent an e-mail to its members on November 2 asking them how much they will pledge to support any challengers to these Democrats who may align with Republicans in fighting healthcare reform.

Online Donations via PayPal

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:00:16 -0700

PayPal has completed its verification process for our nonprofit organization, and donations can now be made online. Please support our efforts by making an online donation today.

PoorMansLobbyist.org Now on Facebook

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:49:33 -0700

Please come visit our new Facebook page, and click "Become a Fan" to help us generate awareness.

An Open Letter to the President

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:05:03 -0700

PoorMansLobbyist.org has written an open letter to President Obama expressing disappointment about the latest direction of the public option and healthcare reform.

New Blog Entry on Public Option

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:32:25 -0700

PoorMansLobbyist.org discusses its views on the Public Option debate in this new blog post.

In Historic Vote, Senate Gives Final Approval to Hate Crimes Protections for Gays.

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:53:00 -0700

Hit the link for details.

Google Friend Connect now live at PoorMansLobbyist.org

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:36:39 -0700

PoorMansLobbyist.org is now featuring Google Friend Connect for commenting and sharing your thoughts on our news stories. Check it out by clicking Comments under any news story.

Health Insurance Industry Fights Against Healthcare for Autism

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:13:22 -0700

Virginia and Kansas are in the news after the health insurance industry and its lobbyists successfully blocked legislation to cover autism healthcare. Suspicious donations are also in play, creating the perception of conflict of interest. AutismCrisis.org has the details, and we have added a new blog posting, as well.

Mobile Version of PoorMansLobbyist.org

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:22:29 -0700

A new mobile version of the website is now available at http://m.poormanslobbyist.org.

Get Updates from PoorMansLobbyist.org and AutismCrisis.org via RSS and/or E-Mail

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:51:51 -0700

Keep up to date with the latest news from PoorMansLobbyist.org and AutismCrisis.org. Subscribe to RSS feeds and/or a daily e-mail update.

Are Your Congressmen and Senators Representing You or the Healthcare Industry?

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:13:59 -0700

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) and Sen. John Ensign (R-Nevada) voted to keep kids with autism from receiving the healthcare they need. Bingaman clarified that he is actually in favor of the kids getting treatment but then voted against actually allowing the kids to get the treatment. Ensign said he was concerned that if kids with autism get the healthcare they need, then folks with diabetes will be lining up next to get their coverage, too. Better to keep everyone denied. Fortunately, thanks to debate lead by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), the amendment passed. Bingaman and Ensign were the only two that spoke out against helping the kids with autism. Watch the debate in the video, and judge for yourself. Comment on this issue in the User Forums.

Lobbyists Buying Healthcare Legislation? Apparent Conflict of Interest Playing a Role in Healthcare Reform

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:13:54 -0700

The Center for Responsive Politics has uncovered significant potential conflict of interest at work in the current healthcare reform work. The same legislators that are drafting new healthcare legislation are receiving and accepting large donations from the very corporations they are legislating. While this would never fly under most corporate conflict of interest policies, it may be legal under current campaign finance law. Where is the line between donation and bribery? To see who is potentially being influenced by large contributions, view the study titled, "Curious Clusters of Cash: Major Lobbyist-Client Connections among Health Care Interests," at OpenSecrets.org. Discuss your thoughts on this in our Conflict of Interest User Forum.

Introducing AutismCrisis.org

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:54:57 -0700

PoorMansLobbyist.org has launched AutismCrisis.org to focus on political and legislative issues related to autism spectrum disorder.

PoorMansLobbyist.org Launches its Blog

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:54:14 -0700

Read the inaugural blog post that explains the story behind PoorMansLobbyist.org. Read and comment at http://blog.poormanslobbyist.org.

PoorMansLobbyist.org is on Twitter

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:53:40 -0700

Follow PoorMansLobbyist.org on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PoorMansLobby.