What if you bought a health insurance plan and it only covered generic drugs?

Seattle Times columnist Denny Westneat wrote a piece this weekend on the impact of a generic-only health insurance plan on a gentleman recently diagnosed with cancer. The column describes an attempt this past spring by Lifewise (a subsidary of Premera) to drop non-generic prescription drug coverage for its individual plan members. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) and groups like the National MS Society and the American Cancer Society have been fighting this change though the insurers are pushing hard to sell health insurance plans with only minimal coverage. The big question - where do you draw the line between selling a comprehensive health insurance plan and an affordable health insurance plan? The National MS Society and other chronic disease groups believe a health insurance plan should cover your health care needs, no matter what condition you have. Some insurance companies just want to sell cheap insurance plans. What should we allow in the marketplace?

And why is non-profit advocacy so important???

Lots of good stuff on the internets these days. Check out this article from a former Capitol Hill staffer and patient advocate on why we need to be doing what we are doing: Don't give up on advocacy

He points to some pretty strong evidence as to the power of non-profit advocacy - at least 28 states have smoking bans in place. Before the American Cancer Society took up this banner, only 1 state had such a law. Pretty cool, eh?

What makes a good advocate?

Here's a great blog post from an MS Activist about how to do advocacy well: Effective Advocacy is Personal.

I really like how the author writes about the power of a personal story. It's so true that a legislator can oppose you on policy grounds, but they can't oppose your story. You may not win every time, but if you share your story, you can make a personal connection with that person, and over time, you'll win more often than you lose.

One of the reasons I came to work for the National MS Society is because of the opportunity I have here to tell stories that need to be told. When I was working in Olympia for a state senator, so rarely would we actually talk to someone impacted by the policies we were making. We'd talk to lobbyists, business leaders, executives, but rarely would we actually talk to the people whose lives were going to change because of these decisions that would be made. Imagine how different the world would be if people with MS had a seat at the table whenever laws were made that impact their lives. It's possible - we can do that. We just have to work together.

What makes a community accessible to all? We need your input...

CREATING A

WATERFRONT FOR ALL

The City of Seattle and its Waterfront Program are committed to creating a waterfront for all that reconnects the city to its waterfront and improves access and mobility for everyone. Join Waterfront Program staff and the Seattle Commission for People with disAbilities for a roundtable discussion of critical issues and priorities to consider when designing for all levels of mobility.

Accessibility Discussion

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

3:30 p.m.

2100 Building

2100 24th Ave. S., Seattle

ASL interpretation will be provided.

Please RSVP or request other accommodations by June 15

rsvp@waterfrontseattle.org or call 206-499-8040.

The 2100 Building is an accessible venue located on 24th Ave. S. between S. Hill St. and S. Walker St., one block east of Rainier Ave. S. It is served by the 7, 9, 34, 42 and 48 buses and is about half a mile from the Mt. Baker light rail station. Parking is available on the street and in a street level garage accessed from the alley.

Who benefits from health care reform in Washington?

Washiington's Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) asked this question and they have a pretty good analysis that describes the number of people, county-by-county, who will benefit from the Affordable Care Act.

The OIC report shows that people in every corner of the state will benefit. Take a look at the report to see how many of your neighbors will have access to health insurance in 2014.

The Presidential Campaign and MS

Both candidates in the race to be our next president have intimate connections with multiple sclerosis. Mitt Romney's wife, Ann was diagnosed with MS in the mid-90's and served on the board of a National MS Society chapter in Massachusetts. Barack Obama's father-in-law also lived with MS, and his wife Michelle has talked publicly about the impact that had on her life.

Now, we get a campaign video talking about the impact that MS had on the Romney family. Check it out here:



And for some good perspectives within the MS community on the overall impact of the experiences, visit our friend Trevis Gleason's blog post on this topic.

Political debates of the future

As a hub for technolology, it makes sense that Seattle would be on the cutting edge of innovative ways to engage the public in the political process. One exciting opportunity is a gubernatorial debate scheduled for October 6 in Seattle, being organized as part of the Seattle Center's Next 50 celebration. The debate will have intense audience participation and allow folks both in the audience and those watching the debate online or on TV to participate as well via text messaging and Twitter.

Learn more at http://techpresident.com/news/22199/backchannel-beyond-media-spectacles-debates-conversations

Mark your calendars for October 6. Stay tuned for more information. And thanks for our friends at AARP for letting us know about this opportunity.