FLORIDA ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS CALLS OUT HUMANA ON LIES & SCARE TACTICS: Florida Alliance members joined with allies in the progressive and labor communities last Tuesday outside of a Palm Beach Humana office to protest the company's recent mailings that falsely warned seniors that their benefits would be cut by health insurance reform. Florida Alliance president Tony Fransetta and AFSCME's Willie Pouncy Jr. led a rally outside the building, but when they and other activists tried to deliver an open letter to the insurance giant, they were rebuffed and had a door closed in their face by a Humana official. Check out the video here: "Our tax dollars and Medicare premiums overpay Humana and other insurance companies by nearly 20 percent. We must blow the whistle on this wasteful spending and outrageous corporate behavior," said Alliance Executive Director Edward F. Coyle.
ARIZONA AT CENTER OF HEALTH REFORM DEBATE : Last Friday in Phoenix members of the Arizona Alliance will held their 2009 Biennial Convention to educate and mobilize Grand Canyon State retirees on key state and national issues, particularly health insurance reform. Attendees received updates on the latest developments in Washington and discussed ways to work with a wide range of progressive groups in support of a strong pro-retiree, pro-worker health care bill. Meanwhile, Senator JonKyl (R-AZ) has become one the lead opponents of congressional efforts to improve health care and curb excesses by big insurers. Angered by Medicare criticism of false and misleading mailings by Medicare Advantage companies (see above), Kyl thisweek sponsored an amendment to, "protect the First Amendment rights of health plans." Kyl also raised eyebrows during a Senate Finance Committee debate when he said, "I don't need maternity care, so requiring that on my health insurance policy is something that I don't need and will make the policy more expensive." Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) quickly shot back, "I think your mom probably did." Ruben Burks, Alliance Secretary-Treasurer, said, "it is more important than ever that we know where our elected officials stand.
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