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12/5/11
VIDEO: Women's CEO Panel on Jobs & the Economy
Comments(0)11/15/11
PHOTOS: My Week in the District (Week of Nov. 7)
Touring Guardian Life Insurance in Spokane.
Early in the week, I met with employees and executives at Guardian Life Insurance in Spokane, and toured their offices. The nationwide company has been in business for nearly 150 years, and its Spokane office is one of many across the nation.
Inland Northwest Red Cross “Hometown Heroes”
On Thursday, I was proud to attend the Honoring Hometown Heroes lunch organized by the Inland Northwest Red Cross. In addition to making brief remarks, I presented several heroes with flags flown over the U.S. Capitol. View photos here.
Meeting the owners and staff of the Linoleum Shop in Spokane.
Going on 75 years of business in Spokane, the Linoleum Shop is managed by second and third generation ownership. From humble beginnings, the shop moved to its current location in 1974, and has been expanding ever since. Truly a great team and small business to have in the Spokane community.
Celebrating Veterans Day at the Spokane Arena
On Friday, I was proud to take part in the Veterans Day Ceremony at the Spokane Arena, honoring those who served. Whether during peacetime or war, at home or abroad, these veterans’ service has been characterized by selflessness and a sense of greater purpose. Throughout history, America’s veterans and service members have answered the call of duty, and they have served with dignity and honor.
We should recognize and appreciate our military men and women – both past and present – every single day. Let us continue to remember those heroes who have fought – and continue to fight - to protect the freedoms we all enjoy.
Meeting with the Remember Me Campaign
On Friday, I also had a chance to meet with the Juvenile Diabetes Reseaerch Foundation, and hear about their recent activities. JDRF is a leader in supporting diabetes research worldwide, and works to find cures for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.
Overall, another fun and productive week in Eastern Washington. Be back soon!
11/15/11
What the ABLE Act Means to Me
Guest Post by Dr. Karen Summar, Joseph P. Kennedy Foundaton Public Policy Fellow.
Unless they are related to Warren Buffet, most of my patients will not be able to afford the $2-3 million dollar price tag that comes with living a lifetime with a disability. This is the amount of money it takes to provide services such as health insurance, housing, vocational, and educational opportunities over a lifetime. Unable to afford that amount of money, people with Down syndrome, like people with other disabilities, must rely on public programs, such as Medicaid, to survive. These public programs are set up such that when a person has more than $2,000 in assets and earns more than allowed by the Social Security Administration, people with disabilities lose their public benefits.
The current system forces people with disabilities to chose between saving for their future and losing essential benefits, including health insurance.
The ABLE Act changes all of that. Introduced by Congressman Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and Senator Robert Casey (D-PA), ABLE will allow individuals with disabilities and their families to save for the future just like other families save for education.
What does this mean for my patients with Down syndrome? It means that they can go to any bank and open an account. They can contribute from their earnings and their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents can give them money for their savings without losing public programs. The money in these accounts, which will be structured like 529 education accounts, will earn interest tax free. Funds from them could be spent on health, education, employment training, housing, and transportation. My patients with Down syndrome will then have a nest egg for the future to purchase what they need.
10/31/11
Down Syndrome Awareness
Guest Post by Dr. Karen Summar, Joseph P. Kennedy Foundaton Public Policy Fellow.
Down Syndrome Awareness has been a daily activity for me since September 2, 1990. That is the day my beautiful daughter, Rachel, was born. She, like every one in 700 American babies, was born with Down syndrome. October is Down Syndrome Awareness month, and this particular October brings another major development in the history of the condition. It was announced this month that there is a test that uses a sample of the mother’s blood to determine if a fetus has Down syndrome is ready for general use. Promotion of the test suggests that it is a a “game changer” in the field of prenatal diagnostics. In many ways, this statement is correct but we need to consider all the ramifications of this change. The unspoken presumption is that most positive results will result in recommending termination of the pregnancy. This reality needs to be faced openly when professionals and parents discuss this type of testing. I think of this test as a reason for each of us to pause and think of the implications of where this leads us as a society. These issues are complex, personal, and have broader implications beyond children with Down syndrome.
October 2011 will also be remembered as the month that we lost our beloved advocate, Dr. Allen Crocker. Dr. Crocker, the father of developmental pediatrics, spent his career working to improve societal perceptions of people with Down syndrome. Although he will be greatly missed, Dr. Crocker left his legacy by training many, many physicians. His legacy lives on through them and through the acceptance of individuals with Down syndrome that hasn’t always existed. I cannot help but be excited for the future for Rachel and members of the DS community.
Legislative Update: My boss, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, along with the other co-chairs of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus, hosted a briefing (October 25, 2011) about the current state of research in the field. We heard from researchers who are making new links from the clinical world of Down syndrome to the rest of medicine. DS is teaching us new ways to look at Alzheimer’s disease, aging, heart disease, and cancer. This research helps everyone and without a focus on DS from high-caliber scientific teams wouldn’t happen. It’s important that we continue to foster and support this type of work as we all benefit from it.
10/27/11
Disability.gov: Connecting the Disability Community to Information & Opportunities
As a strong advocate for people with disabilities, I want to encourage you to visit and bookmark Disability.gov as a resource.
This federal government website is a one-stop service for disability-related information on programs and services in communities nationwide. Disability.gov offers more than 14,000 resources on topics such as finding a job, getting health care, paying for housing and applying for benefits. The site provides timely information from federal, state and local government agencies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations.
Visitors can also connect with Disability.gov through Twitter, Facebook or Disability.Blog.
Thank you for sharing this important resource.
-Cathy
9/21/11
Infographic: Regulation Nation
9/14/11
Infographic: Congressional Scorecard
9/8/11
Infographic: White House Scorecard on Jobs
8/5/11
VIDEO: Republican Women Fighting for a Balanced Budget
7/29/11
VIDEO: Balance the Budget: Now is the Time
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