I have attached the April 2024 edition of the LWV HCR4US (Health Care Reform for the US) newsletter. It is also available at this link on the HCR4US Toolkit: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://lwvhealthcarereform.org/*latest-newsletter__;Iw!!KOmxaIYkRmNA0A!U-vAUMuMiXPuyd-o3QePiOug3ijXINVB1NsJ6ke3d80MPVq4CgDlKrpRH4Re8GrmDDD7vnXJrwFWpFoSWFCH$ . (From that page, you will also find a link to all our pastnewsletters.) Please share them with allyour networks. Candy Birch P.S. Let me know if you would prefer not to get this newsletter sent to you by email. Here's a preview from editor-in-chief Barbara Pearson: We hope you'll see the "Wealthcare" topics we're highlighting in this issue as just the tip of the iceberg. It seems like every day there's another story about what some profit-first insurance company or private equity firm has done to harm our health systems (and the people like us whom they serve). The details are finally coming out, for example, about what is standard practice for Private Equity -- to sell the land right out from under the hospitals it buys. Then, the new owner (often a closely-related company) leases the land back to the hospital at an exorbitant rent--which includes, in addition to rent, what is normally the "landlord's" responsibility -- the maintenance, repairs, insurance, and taxes. Remember the cash from the sale? It rarely goes back into the business of improving the hospital. More likely it is pulled out into dividends for investors and capital to buy more health care facilities to sell. It's a great deal for the buyer, but it pretty much cripples the operation of providing health care. On the other hand, this kind of plundering (per Brendan Ballou's book with that title, noted in the newsletter) is not a sustainable business model, and it may be unraveling. Bad actors like these are making Vermont's update of the League's privatization position all the more urgent. Meanwhile,on page 2 Candy Birch brings us news of a new campaign to "Level the Playing Field." Instead of having to tell people to get rid of their Medicare Advantage plan, a network of retiree and labor groups is focusing on getting CMS to use the billions wasted on Medicare Advantage to fund better, less expensive benefits for Traditional Medicare, so it will no longer be at a competitive disadvantage when people are choosing between them. To bolster her story, the "In Case You Missed It" section links to an all-star cast, including Wendell Potter, Rose Roach, and PNHP's Ed Weisbart, looking at the rationale from several different perspectives. As ever, Jon Li is keeping our focus on Abortion Rights, for which we may see as many as seven ballot questions and several other amendments this November--in mostly conservative states. We're also excited to make the first announcement that our caucus applications were accepted for the Convention (Keller in VT, Esterquest in NY). It's in very small print in "Upcoming," but don't worry, you'll hear a LOT more about them. You can already predict that the Vermont program will be on Privatization and their League's update to the LWVUS position. New York's submission is "Moving Hearts, Changing Minds: UsingStorytelling for Advocacy." The League is well-known for its well-studied positions, but research shows that your words and statistics have more impact when you can touch your listener's values through a personal story. We'll be putting together resources to help you choose your story and make it zing. As usual, the newsletter includes the link for our open monthly Zoom this weekend April 28. This month, as in all of our meetings, we will be sharing common concerns and best practices. We'll have a status report on the Vermont Concurrence and will also report on the two Convention Caucus applications and other needs for volunteers. Help us find new ways to expand the scope and effectiveness of the Health Care Reform advocacy that local and state Leagues can do within the LWV framework for action. Please share your hopes and concerns--and your stories. Remember: It seems impossible...until it's done! In solidarity! Barbara Pearson (MA), on behalf of the Newsletter Committee, Candy Birch (FL & KS), Jon Li (CA), Mary Lynne Courtney (WA), Ceil Tilney (DE). P.S. I just realized that I failed to send out the MARCH edition last month. You will find it attached here as well. Candy Birch ######################################################################## Access the ANNA-PRIZZIA Home Page and Archives: http://listserv.alachuacounty.us/scripts/wa.exe?A0=ANNA-PRIZZIA Unsubscribe from the ANNA-PRIZZIA List: http://listserv.alachuacounty.us/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=ANNA-PRIZZIA ########################################################################