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Don't Delay: Get Your Free Flu Shot This Fall

Don't Delay: Get Your Free Flu Shot This Fall

Did you know the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu shot by the end of October? If you have Marketplace health insurance, your flu shot is free from a provider in your plan's network. Here are 3 more reasons you should get the flu shot:

3 Reasons To Get The Flu Shot

It helps keep your family and friends healthy: In addition to keeping you healthy, getting vaccinated yourself helps protect people around you, especially those who are more prone to getting sick, like babies, children, and older people.

It's a small step to better health and well-being: By protecting yourself from the flu, you may have fewer doctor's visits and miss less work or school.

Nobody likes being sick: The flu shot can help protect against unpleasant side effects of the flu, including fever, chills, and fatigue.

Get more information on the CDC web site at cdc.gov.

Source: CDC website

Republicans Relentless With ACA Repeal Attempts

Republicans Relentless with ACA Repeal Attempts

by Robert Roach, Jr.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell planned to hold a vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill in late September. Introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the legislation was the GOP’s latest attempt at repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

This attack on the ACA was more serious than the previous tries. It included an age tax on older Americans that would have allowed insurers to charge older people five times more for the same coverage. It eliminated protections for people with pre-existing conditions and took away the tax credits allowing middle-income Americans to afford coverage. 

It also would have changed Medicaid to a system of block grants to states, eliminating insurance for the most vulnerable.

While this round of attempts at repeal failed, the many affected groups are not out of the woods. 

Officials with the conservative Koch brothers’ organization have said that they plan to make up to $400 million available in the midterm elections for policy and politics, but they are demanding results in return.

The Koch brothers warned Congress in June that time is running out to push their agenda, including health care reform. Tim Phillips, who heads the Koch network’s political arm, Americans for Prosperity, said that his forces have until about next June to accomplish their goals, before the 2018 elections grind their efforts to a halt.
Fortunately, phone calls by activists to Senators and Governors have worked before to stop their perverse attempts, and they can work again. They may have to.

Robert Roach, Jr. is president of the Alliance for Retired Americans. He was previously General Secretary‐Treasurer of the IAMAW.  For more information, visit www.retiredamericans.org.

Report From The Alliance For American Manufacturing (AAM)

Report from the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM)

President Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross launched a rarely used Section 232 investigation in April to determine if the effects of steel and aluminum imports pose a threat to these American industries and the to the national security of the United States. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to conduct these comprehensive investigations.

Public hearings were held at the Commerce Department in May and June and the administration set a self-imposed deadline of June 30 to release the findings and potential retaliatory actions by the United States against China and other foreign nations who are dumping their excess products into the U.S., weakening industries that protect America’s national security.

Despite Ross’ promise to act quickly on these top-priority matters, it is now October and the Trump administration has failed to address this problem. American steel and aluminum workers continue to lose their jobs and the U.S. is at further risk during a possible military confrontation, if we no longer have the capabilities to ramp up our armaments without depending on foreign-made steel and aluminum.

A group of more than 60 United Steelworkers from around the country descended upon Washington, D.C. during the week of September 18 to visit Senators and their staffs to continually stress the importance of an immediate solution. Just two days after Ross met via phone with steelworkers, he stated the delayed Section 232 will not be released until Congress deals with tax reform. 

And Trump had earlier said Section 232 would not be made public until after tax reform and infrastructure.

Our USW brothers and sisters can’t afford to wait.

During his presidential campaign, Trump came to the Mon Valley of Southwestern Pennsylvania, once the steelmaking capital of the world, and proclaimed “it will be American steel that sends our skyscrapers soaring, soaring into the sky, beautiful sight, more beautiful with American steel. We are going to put American steel and aluminum back into the backbone of the country,”

It is now nine months into his presidency and Trump appears spineless in matters of the steel industry.

Please contact your representatives in Congress and let them know America’s national security and the jobs it provides comes first and foremost. Taxes and infrastructure will take years to resolve, during which time America may become unable to defend itself.

Contact your U.S. Representatives at their district offices or call the Capitol switchboard in Washington, D.C. (202) 224-3121 where your call will be directed to their Capitol office staff.

Jeff Bonior is a staff writer for the Alliance for American Manufacturing

We All Need To Pay Attention

We All Need To Pay Attention

By the time you read this, the Republican efforts to repeal and replace the ACA will have been determined. Hopefully, it will be defeated for a number of reasons, including the estimated loss of health care coverage for at least 32 million people.

However, we need to pay attention to politicians who are supporting this repeal and replace effort.  For example, one GOP Senator stated that there are many reasons to reject this legislation, but he will vote for it because that is what the GOP wants. The repeal bill has been established behind closed doors, a limited minute hearing and no evaluation by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The provisions of the bill and how it will affect millions of people are terrible. And to make matters worse, it appears that certain Republican states will receive additional funding at the expense of certain Democratic states in order to influence votes. 

Concurrently, there is an ongoing attack on workers and their unions. We are observing a roll back of services, while many protections enacted by President Obama are being eliminated. For example, additional overtime protection, workers’ rights when organizing and women’s equal pay, to name a few, are at risk.  Also the Republicans have introduced a national Right to Work (for less) law that is atrocious and intended to destroy unions. 

Have you noticed that certain talking heads have argued that changes in immigration policies are intended to protect workers’ pay and jobs? There is no evidence that these policies would have any such impact. What would have a positive impact on workers’ pay and jobs is a union and workers organizing.  Unfortunately, we don’t hear much about the benefits of unions and collective bargaining.  That’s why it is vital that we pay attention to political news.  Call your legislatures and let them hear your voice! 

 

Bill Gibbons, PACE Representative

Senate Screws Retirees

Medicare Part D Enrollment

Enrollment Periods For Medicare Part D

Each year, you have a chance to make changes to your Medicare prescription drug coverage for the following year. This is what you can do and when you have to do it:

• Join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.
• Switch from one Medicare drug plan to another Medicare drug plan.
• Drop your Medicare prescription drug coverage completely.

When? October 15–December 7

KellyAnne On SNL

Trump's Puerto Rico Response

Let There Be Peace On Earth

We Are The Union

A Dangerous Last-Ditch Effort

The Senate is attempting to force through another terrible healthcare bill by the end of next week, while sidelining bipartisan efforts to improve coverage. This bill will impact nearly every American, and it could be voted on before the official review by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is even complete. That assessment gives us an indication of the real impact to citizens, overall healthcare costs, and resulting potential impact to the economy. This is a disastrous approach to lawmaking.

There’s a limited amount of time to stop this reckless and rushed bill.

THE LATEST

Senators Lindsay Graham (SC) and Bill Cassidy (LA), along with Senators Heller (NV) and Johnson (WI), are behind the latest proposal (referred to as “Graham-Cassidy”).

• We expect millions of Americans will lose coverage given the similarity to past bills. Not only is this cruel, it will drive up costs for those with insurance as providers try to recoup costs.

• It guts funding for Medicaid, which is critical to the elderly, people with disabilities, and those struggling to get by. Millions of children depend on Medicaid.

• Protections for those with pre-existing conditions are rolled back.

• There will no longer be guaranteed essential benefits in plans, such as hospitalization, mental health coverage, and more.

• Older Americans could get charged up to five times the rates of younger Americans.

• And, to top it all off, while the bill makes tax cuts, the excise tax that will ultimately impact USW members remains.

CRITICAL DATE: September 30

There is a hard push happening in the Senate to pass this bill by the end of next week before the expiration of a budget rule. Until that time, the Senate can pass it with only 50 votes (and a tiebreaker from the vice president). After that point, it becomes much harder to ram through irresponsible legislation.

WHERE THE VOTE STANDS

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has said that he won’t call for a vote unless he knows he has the support to pass it. A small group of undecided Senators will once again decide the fate of healthcare in the United States.

NEXT STEPS

We will be calling upon USW members in targeted states to reach out to those undecided Senators. But, no matter where you are, you can use our Senate hotline to weigh in against the “Graham/Cassidy” bill.

Dial 877-607-0785, enter your zip code and you will be directed to the correct Senator. Dial a second time to get your other Senator. As always, every call counts!

American Navy in Vietnam

Operator, Give Me Jesus

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A September 11th Memory