ProgressOhio

By: Becky Williams, President - SEIU District 1199

October marks National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and across the country women and men are speaking up about the need for early detection of this disease that kills a woman every 75 seconds globally. In the United States alone a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 3 minutes and dies every 13 minutes.

While the threat of breast cancer is very real for both women and men in every corner of our State, the lethality of the disease is far greater for those without health insurance.

According to the American Cancer Society, mammography is a vital detection tool in indentifying breast cancer at an early, treatable stage before physical symptoms develop. This saves lives and increases treatment options. Thanks to mammograms and other medical testing, 68% of breast cancers in Ohio were diagnosed in early stages.

Unfortunately, for the over 1 million people in Ohio that don’t have health insurance, access to life saving tests and treatments are expensive and out of reach. This means treatable diseases like breast cancer are often not detected until physical symptoms develop and probability of survival continues to decline.

Even those with health insurance find themselves at odds with insurance companies. During the President’s address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama cited an example of a woman from Texas that was about to get a double mastectomy when her insurance company canceled her policy because she forgot to declare a case of acne. By the time she had her insurance reinstated, her breast cancer more than doubled in size.

Stories like this and the millions of others like it should no longer be tolerated in the United States. We spend more on health care than any other nation, and yet, we rank near the bottom in quality of care and accessibility.

Health insurance must be accessible so that even those with pre-existing conditions have the ability to obtain health insurance and make it affordable by controlling costs and creating a public option that will create competition for insurance companies.

Take action this October – help make Ohio more aware of breast cancer and stand up for affordable and accessible health care for all.

The Save Ohio campaign, a project of SEIU District 1199, is launching across the state of Ohio today.

The Save Ohio campaign is aimed at stopping additional cuts in safety net services that could put more Ohioans at risk and increasing revenue throug...h support of Governor Stricklands tax freeze proposal.

The main focus of the Save Ohio campaign is to inform the public of the real risks associated with continued cuts in services. Members of SEIU District 1199 are concerned that short-term decisions made to balance the budget during these difficult economic times will cause lasting effects on Ohio's most vulnerable populations - children, seniors and people with disabilities.

Political and community leaders must come together and work on a long-term solution that will protect our communities, invest in safety net services and ensure that Ohio remains a great state to live and work in.

What can you do to help?
Call Senate President Bill Harris and ask him to support Governor Stricklands proposed tax freeze. You can do so toll free at: 877-731-9961

How can I view the commercial or get more information?
Visit our website at www.saveohio.org or call 866-806-3770

We must call upon the Ohio Legislature to act swiftly to enact Governor Stricklands proposed tax freeze in a bipartisan manner to protect the critical services that Ohioans need.

Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland proposed today freezing the state income tax rates for the current biennium, thus avoiding deeper cuts to education and safety net services.

“While we recognize the dire economic situation Ohio is in, it is in these times that Ohioans expect their elected officials to do the right thing, including taking the tough step to consider the tax freeze as proposed by Governor Strickland to balance the budget.” says SEIU District 1199 president Becky Williams.

SEIU District 1199 calls on the Ohio Legislature to act swiftly to enact Governor Strickland’s proposed tax freeze in a bipartisan manner to protect the critical services that Ohioans need.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a life long champion for working families, will be missed by SEIU District 1199. Although Senator Kennedy was the senior Senator from Massachusetts, he often visited West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio to advocate for improvements to wages, working conditions, and health care for working Americans, what he referred to as "the cause of his life."

Kennedy's most recent visit to our District was while he was stumping for then Presidential-candidate Barack Obama. He said to an enthusiastic crowd of labor and community activists, "I always feel like we are among family here."

Ted Kennedy was family - and our brother will be missed.

SEIU has partnered with Florida-based artist Derek Gores to create an original piece of art for those closest to the movement to fix health care. Using words, photographs of SEIU members, and symbols of our movement as inspiration, Mr. Gores has captured this unique moment in our nation's history.

Get your piece of history here: http://action.seiu.org/poster

NEW BILL FOR SEN. BROWN’S COMMITTEE STEP TOWARD AFFORDABLE, GUARANTEED HEALTH CARE

Columbus, Ohio — Healthcare workers in SEIU District 1199 today praised to Sen. Sherrod Brown for taking the lead to make healthcare affordable and guaranteed for working families.

Sen. Brown is a member of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, who’s newly announced bill on healthcare reform is viewed by healthcare workers who belong to SEIU District 1199 as a significant step towards making healthcare affordable and accessible.

The bill drives down costs for families through meaningful reforms that reduce premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for working families, guarantees the choice of a quality public health insurance option, and ensure that employers will take responsibility for helping workers pay for healthcare.

“Senator Brown and the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee’s proposal for a strong public health insurance option as part of comprehensive health care reform is what Ohio needs to drive down costs, extend coverage and enhance consumer choice for Ohioans,” said Becky Williams, President of District 1199.

SEIU members believe that everyone—individuals, business, and government—must come together and share responsibility in solving America's healthcare crisis.

By building on the employer-based system, the Senate HELP Committee has lowered costs and put money back in working families’ pockets through employer responsibility and a strong public health insurance plan.

Otherwise, reform will be meaningless if working people can’t afford to purchase coverage or can’t afford to get the care they need once they are covered.

Columbus, Ohio – The plan announced earlier today by Gov. Strickland comes as a response to unprecedented challenges. Though the Governor acknowledges with candor the difficulties he and we face, SEIU District 1199 does not agree with his assessment that the $2.43 billion in proposed cuts will preserve the core social safety net for the state's most vulnerable citizens.

This budget shortfall is clearly the direct result of the current recession combined with the previous administration's irresponsible mania for tax cuts, most of which haven't gone to average Ohio families at all. Therefore, any solution to this fiscal crisis must address that reality by including modest increases in tax rates targeted to those who can afford to pay them. The Ohio budget cannot be balanced solely on the basis of painful spending cuts and more gambling.

These cuts would include, to name a few: closing one or more Ohio Correctional Institutions, layoff of parole and probation officers, reduced mental health funding for communities and hospitals, cuts in behavior health services for children, cuts in community health services, reductions in health care facility inspections (including nursing homes), eliminations of meals and transportation for seniors and people with disabilities, and cuts in preschool and public library funding.

“We must oppose these revisions," said Becky Williams, President of SEIU District 1199. "Too many lives are at stake, so we urge our Governor and other elected leaders to increase revenues, and not to reduce vital safety net services, in order to get through this historic, economically dismal time in Ohio."

Our Union opposes these proposed cuts because they involve additional public-sector job losses and also eliminate vital services that we believe make Ohio a positive place to live, including libraries as well as officers who ensure that our neighborhoods remain safe and secure. To propose cuts of this magnitude at a time when more and more Ohioans are relying on these safety net services for survival is not shared sacrifice; it is unacceptable policy.

There are many options out there to secure these necessary revenues. If State leaders are willing to consider spending cuts which reduce funding to pre-2005 levels, then returning revenue sources to pre-2005 levels should at the very least be under equal consideration.

District 1199 urges the public to contact the Ohio Governor, House Speaker and Senate President and urge them to pursue a balanced, fiscally responsible approach to this budget crisis, one that includes revenue increases beyond gambling and doesn't sacrifice the services needed the most.