2nd Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

Dear friend,

This week marks the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which will ensure that nearly all Americans have access to affordable health care coverage and is one of the most important Acts the Congress has ever passed. I hosted a telephone town hall on health care issues where I was joined by Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Bill Corr and more than 3,000 of my constituents.

2nd Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act
Op-Ed on Limbaugh in The Hill
Telephone Town Hall on Health Care
Letter to White House on “Check Engine” Light
STOCK Act Sold Short
Plough Foundation
Save the Children with Alex Wolff
FEMA National Youth Preparedness Council
Free Photo Identification
Grant Announcements

2nd Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

This Friday marks the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, one of the most important Acts the Congress has ever passed. On Tuesday I spoke on the House floor about the Act and how it prohibits health insurance companies from denying their customers coverage or care essentially because they got too sick to be profitable to them anymore. Under the ACA, insurance companies can no longer deny people coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions, nor can they place arbitrary limits on how much health care someone can receive over the course of a year or over their lifetime.

I was proud to vote for this historic legislation which has changed the landscape of our nation’s health care delivery system for the better and, as the law takes effect, will ensure that nearly all Americans have access to affordable health care coverage. You can see my statement on the floor here, and you can read more about how the Affordable Care Act has already positively affected the 9th District here (PDF). I also made a brief video describing some of the most important changes the Act makes to our healthcare system, and you can watch that here.

Op-Ed on Limbaugh in The Hill

This week The Hill, a Washington D.C. newspaper, published my editorial about the advertiser reaction to Rush Limbaugh’s three-day verbal assault on Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke, its implications for freedom of speech, and the ways in which his reprehensible words have galvanized a generation of women who were born after the women’s movement of a half century ago. Today’s women and girls have grown up in a world where it’s all too easy to take their reproductive rights for granted, and Limbaugh’s disgusting comments serve as a wake-up call that the battle over a woman’s right to control her own body and make private decisions with her physician is still ongoing. You can read my op-ed by clicking here.

Telephone Town Hall on Health Care

On Monday I hosted a telephone Town Hall on the Affordable Care Act with Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Bill Corr. More than 3,320 9th District constituents joined our discussion on a variety of concerns related to Medicare as well as the new health care law, including coverage for pre-existing conditions, prescription drug costs, and the so-called “donut hole” coverage gap in Medicare Part D. Hearing what my constituents have to say about the issues is very important to me, and I’m very grateful to Deputy Secretary Corr for taking the time to speak answer our questions.

Letter to White House on “Check Engine” Light

On Wednesday I spoke with Cass Sunstein, the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and a noted legal scholar, who was testifying before the House Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law, where I serve as the Ranking Member. I told him about the problems we are having in Memphis with the “check engine” light issue and he agreed that it was the sort of regulation his office should look into. I have sent Administrator Sunstein a letter formally asking him to see what his office can do to alleviate this onerous burden on car owners in Memphis. You can read my letter to Administrator Sunstein here (PDF).

STOCK Act Sold Short

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama said, “Send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of Congress; I will sign it tomorrow.” This week, the Senate passed the STOCK Act, which will now go to the President’s desk. Unfortunately, the version of the bill being sent to President Obama had two of the most important provisions taken out at the last minute by the House Republican leadership: the public corruption provision and the political intelligence provision. I spoke on the House floor about this at the time, which you can watch here. I also met with the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to ask that he put the ‘honest services’ provision back into the bill, which unfortunately was not restored.

Plough Foundation

On Wednesday, I met with former City Councilman Scott McCormick of the Plough Foundation and Pete Bird of the Frist Foundation where we talked about ways we can coordinate the many requests my office gets for community outreach funding with local philanthropic groups. The Plough Foundation has made many charitable contributions to a variety of Memphis groups and organizations over the years, including Leadership Memphis, the Methodist Healthcare Foundation, the Memphis Exchange Club, the Overton Park Conservancy, and the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center.

Save the Children with Alex Wolff

This week, my good friends Michael Wolff and his wife, Polly Draper, along with their son Alex visited my D.C. office.  Michael was the musical director for Arsenio Hall’s late night show as well as for the great blues and jazz singer Nancy Wilson.  Many of you will remember Polly Draper from her hit television series thirtysomething. They were in D.C., along with their son, Alex, to advocate on behalf of Save the Children. Alex and his brother Nat are the starts of Nickolodean’s The Naked Brothers. Alex performed for the Save the Children event to an enthusiastic audience. It was my pleasure to welcome such a fine, creative family who work to make the world a better place to Capitol Hill.

FEMA National Youth Preparedness Council

FEMA is looking for young people aged 12-17 to join the National Youth Preparedness Council, where they will learn how to prepare themselves and their families for a natural or man-made disaster. Studies have shown that families with children who bring disaster preparedness materials home with them from school are the most likely to prepare for emergencies. This program gives young people a chance to take on leadership roles early in their lives, and it also gives them the confidence they need to handle a crisis. If you know someone who might be interested, you can learn about the requirements and the nominating process by clicking here.
                                                
Free Photo Identification
                                                                   
Shelby County driver service centers are no longer open on Saturday, but if you or someone you know still needs a photo ID for voting purposes you don’t have to wait in the driver’s license line. If you only need to get an ID for voting purposes, you can still visit any driver’s license renewal station in Shelby County during regular business hours and there is a special line to serve your needs. And to learn more about the new voter ID laws, visit my website here.  Also, Veterans who need ID can get free government-issued photo IDs at the Veterans Administration.

Grant Announcements
                                                                   
Each week I release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others.  These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are updated weekly on my website.

Wishing you a happy and safe weekend,

As always, I remain,

Most sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress