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Welcome! On behalf of the entire community and my co-founders Elisa Camahort, Jory Des Jardins, welcome to  BlogHer.com. As BlogHer's co-founde...
 
 
 
 

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Sign up to ask Senator Amy Klobuchar about the future of health care: Monday, Sept. 21 @BlogHer

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Meet Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. In one of her YouTube videos on health care below, she compares Minnesota's health care solutions to other states, such as Florida:



You're invited to sign up on a first-come, first-served basis to join us when BlogHer moderates a telephone conference call with Sen. Klobuchar at 2:30 p.m. Eastern, 11:30 a.m. Pacific on Monday, Sept. 21. Please add your name below, any blog URL if you have one (that's not required :). We'll be back in touch with the phone number and logistics. We have room for a group of 15-20 bloggers, who will join BlogHer's contributing editors from both sides of the aisle.

If you're unable to attend, no worries -- please leave your question in the comments below and we will try to ask for you. Senator Klobuchar is especially hoping to discuss questions on how health care reform will impact women and families.

This call is the first of BlogHer's bi-partisan series of telephone conference discussions to connect women bloggers directly with legislators.

We're excited to dig in and hope you join us!

Best,
Lisa
for Elisa, Jory and Lisa
BlogHer Co-founders
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erin.cochran 5 pts

I'm glad you're raising this today on the call. In eights states, and DC, it is legal for insurance compaines to deny coverage to victims of domestic violence. This pdf, from the National Women's Law Center, provides a lot of background information on this this topic: http://nwlc.org/reformmatters/NWLCReport-NowhereTo...

erin.cochran 5 pts

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for sending in your questions for today's call with Senator Klobuchar. As a staffer with the Leader's office, we're thrilled to make this possible and thank Sen. Klobuchar for talking to us about this important topic.

In anticipation of the call, please don't hesitate to check out her health care reform web page and YouTube channel!

Health Care page: http://klobuchar.senate.gov/healthcare.cfm

YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/SenatorKlobuchar

Looking forward to talking with you all at 2:30pm.

Best,

Erin

Erin Kotecki Vest 5 pts

Thanks!

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain ( http://queenofspainblog.com/ )

Erin Kotecki Vest 5 pts

We'd love to have you, but your profile does not contain an email. Please contact me at erin.kotecki.vest@blogher.com for call information. 

Thanks

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain ( http://queenofspainblog.com/ )

ElizabethKayM 5 pts

I am a writer and editor who focuses on health and well-being and would love to take part in the call!

Thank you for the opportunity.

Elizabeth M., Associate Editor at Gallup.com ( http://www.gallup.com/Home.aspx

Erin Kotecki Vest 5 pts

If you have not gotten it, please ping me at erin.kotecki.vest@blogher.com but everyone should have mail! 

Thanks all, 

Erin 

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain ( http://queenofspainblog.com/ )

audreyh68 5 pts

I've read HR3200 - well as much as I was able to digest without having to hire an attorney to help get me through some of it, and I didn't see an issue addressed that is impacting our family greatly right now.

I am going through a medical/mental health care crisis and our deductibles are outrageous!  INSANE is more like it.  My husband makes wonderful money, however we are now faced with having to chose between our home and my continued treatment for PTSD and bulimia. We can't continue to pay my co-pays and meet the deductible and struggle to make our mortgage payments.  We carry no other debt than our mortgage and it's truly frightening to be in this situation.  I'm sure we aren't the only family in this boat.

I'm also very interested in the treatment of pre-existing conditions (we have been "advised" that if my husband's company switches carriers in order to reduce costs, I may not be covered, this is terrifying to me!) and how those will be addressed.

I'd also like to know if she supports the Baccaus bill?  If that were to pass it would potentially be financially devastating to our family.

I am a Libertarian with strong fiscally conservative leanings.

Audrey from Barking Mad ( http://www.iambarkingmad.com )

Contributing Editor at New England Mamas ( http://www.newenglandmamas.typepad.com )

PunditMom 5 pts

I wrote about that at my place this week -- I want to know how we can ensure that domestic violence and pregnancy are never treated as "pre-existing conditions" again.

jzbelle 5 pts

I would love to participate- as someone who has worked in health care (care coordination) and seen the issue first hand.  I've advocated for both my patients and family members, with insurers, state medicaid and providers.

In particular, I'd like to ask about continuing care and end of life care.

Still sorting my blog, but am very interested!  Thanks for the opportunity!

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

cynematic 5 pts

I'm sorry I won't be able to attend (ironically, I have a dentist appointment at that time on Monday), but here are my questions for the Senator.

Can you comment on national efforts to secure a health insurance bill with a strong public option in combination with Minnesotans simultaneously working for state single payer? The two efforts are happening in parallel; obviously your focus is in the US Senate as opposed to the workings of the Minnesota Senate and House, but I thought you might be monitoring interest in single-payer among Minnesotans too. I'm specifically referring to the Minnesota Health Act (SF118/HF135) ( http://www.muhcc.org/faq/minnesota-health-plan ), which, as I understand, is one of 5 such state single payer bills currently being considered around the nation. 

Also, will you support the Rockefeller amendment to Senator Baucus' health insurance reform bill? It was just made public recently: links to Rockefeller Amendment #C7 to Title I, Subtitle C (Making Coverage Affordable) of the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009. ( http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/19/784232... )

Thank you so much for making yourself available for questions, Senator!

Cynematic

MOMocrats ( http://momocrats.typepad.com/ )

P i l l o w b o o k ( http://cynematic.wordpress.com )

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

..pre-existing condition. I am appalled to report that I had no idea. Thank you, ESC, for the link to Feministing.

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Thank you! I think our moderator, Nancy Watzman of OpenCongress.org ( http://opencongress.org ) and the SunlightFoundation.com ( http://sunlightfoundation.com ), is just the person to help pursue questions such as this one.

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Lisa Stone 6 pts

To yours I'll add this question ( http://www.blogher.com/want-talk-architects-health... ) asked by Suzanne Reisman ( http://blogher.com/blog/suzanne-reisman ) on my other post: "What reproductive health care services covered under this plan?"

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Synergems 5 pts

Thank you for organizing this forum! 

I've been learning about US health policy from Karoli and living it along side my daughter who has breast cancer!

Currently organizing my blog.

loraleechoate 5 pts

I would love to sit in as I sooooo want reform. In particular I want to know about pre existing conditions.  I am pro-life (Moderate Republican, remember) and am intrigued about the abortion issue as well.

DrumsNWhistles 5 pts

Good for blogher for organizing this!

karoli

odd time signatures ( http://www.drumsnwhistles.com/ ) (life)

bang the drum ( http://politics.drumsnwhistles.com/ ) (politics)

evilslutopia 5 pts

We'd love to hear Senator Klobuchar's thoughts on the fact that currently insurance companies in nine states consider "domestic violence victim" to be a pre-existing condition ( http://www.feministing.com/archives/017742.html ), and how health care reform can prevent unacceptable policies like that one in the future.

The ESC ( http://evilslutopia.blogspot.com )

EvilSlutopia ( http://evilslutopia.blogspot.com )

jaelithe 5 pts

I can make the event, and I have several questions I would love to ask the Senator about health reform. In particular I am interested in hearing her opinion on how best to reconcile the different versions of the bill currently moving through the House and Senate.

http://www.momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/jaelith...

http://www.jaejudy.com

PunditMom 5 pts

Can't wait!  I think she rocks!

PunditMom
( http://www.punditmom.com )

aka Joanne Bamberger
( http://www.mediabistro.com/joannebamberger )

BlogHer News & Politics Contributing Editor ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/punditmom )

HeatherB 5 pts

Recently both the President and Sen. Baucus have said that a new health care plan could work without a government run public option but instead people could choose - via the Exchange - to  go into insurance co-ops. Co-ops are popular in states with smaller populations but the fear is that in larger states like NY or California these co-ops wouldn't be able to garner enough members to compete against private health insurance companies. Some members say that there should be a "trigger" in the bill in the event that co-ops do not work. What is your stance on the "trigger" option? Or do you think that there should be a government run public option?

Heather B. 

No Pasa Nada: www.nopasanada.org ( http://www.nopasanada.org )

BlogHer: http://www.blogher.com/blog/heatherb

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/politics-news ).

Morra Aarons Mele 5 pts

This is something I, like many women, fear mentioning because I want health care reform to pass and I know it's a dangerous topic. But I don't want the legal right to choose a low cost abortion to disappear in compromising. How do pro-choice bloggers talk about preserving access to abortions while not playing into right wing fear tactics?

See this article for reference: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/letters/b...,... ( http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/letters/b...,0,7041465.story )

Morra Aarons-Mele
www.womenandwork.org

Melissa Multitasking Mama 5 pts

Thanks for this awesome opportunity. 

Melissa Smallwood

www.multitaskingmama.com ( http://www.multitaskingmama.com/ )