If You're a Woman, Here's How Healthcare Reform Helps You

http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/women.html

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Watch Teen's Stirring Speech About His Two Moms, Delivered Before Anti-Gay Iowa House

This is fucking brilliant. It's all I can say. Watch on.



Copyright 2010 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Take the 2010 Ask a Working Woman Survey

The Great Recession has hit American workers in the gut—unemployment is up, jobs are scarce, foreclosures are occurring at record rates and health care costs are skyrocketing. Even if you are working, wages are stagnant and many seniors will have to work past retirement age just to pay bills.

In this brutal economy, what is on the minds of today’s working women?

The AFL-CIO’s community affiliate, Working America, is providing a chance to share those concerns through the just-launched online 2010 Ask a Working Woman survey. The biennial survey enables working women to share workplace concerns.

The Ask a Working Woman survey runs through the end of July.

More than 12,000 women responded to the survey in 2008, when they said the top item that would make their lives easier is a 10 percent raise. While issues such as affordable health care and quality child care were major concerns for working women, paying the bills, buying the groceries, filling the gas tank and paying the rent and mortgage were the concerns women said worried them the most.

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | Take the 2010 Ask a Working Woman Survey

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Chubby Infant Denied Healthcare Insurance: His 'Obesity' is a Pre-existing Condition

By all accounts, little Alex Lange is a healthy and happy 4-month-old baby boy. He's in the 99th percentile for height and weight for infants his age, and growing faster than a weed. This last bit is a key point because, you see, health insurers won't cover babies above the 95th percentile -- no matter how healthy they might seem. The sad truth is that in the impersonal actuarial tables of profit-driven health insurance companies, little Alex is fat. That's why he's been turned down for health insurance by Rocky Mountain Health Plans -- for the preexisting condition of 'obesity.'

"I could understand if we could control what he's eating. But he's 4 months old. He's breast-feeding. We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill," joked his frustrated father, Bernie Lange, a part-time news anchor in Grand Junction, CO. "There is just something absurd about denying an infant."

The Langes tried to get new family health insurance when their current plan raised their rates 40 percent. They figured it wouldn't be a problem because their family is young and healthy. But health insurance is not rational or compassionate. Instead of the acceptance they'd anticipated, the Langes received news that shocked them -- and pretty much everyone else whose heard it since.

Little Alex was too fat, and this pre-existing condition -- at four months old -- makes him too much of a financial risk for Rocky Mountain Health Plans. That's the cold, harsh reality of today's health insurance market: companies can turn down people with pre-existing conditions who aren't already covered in a group plan. Thankfully, some health insurance reform bills currently pending before Congress would prohibit such denials -- but not in time for little Alex.

Alex's doctor had never expressed any concerns about the baby the Lange's call their "happy little chunky monkey." Alex weighed a normal 8 pounds when he was born. Eating only breast milk, he has more than doubled his birth weight to 17 pounds and grown to 25 inches long.

"I'm not going to withhold food to get him down below that number of 95," Kelli Lange said. "I'm not going to have him screaming because he's hungry." Alex's 2-year-old brother had been a colicky baby who had trouble gaining weight, so the Lange's were reassured by Alex's appetite and are now understandably puzzled and confused by the health insurance company's policy. They plan to appeal Rocky Mountain's decision to deny Alex health insurance and if that doesn't work, they'll take their case to the Colorado Division of Insurance. Good for them -- and may the sheer absurdity of their situation make some politicians sit up and take notice. Are you listening, Mr. Baucus? Ms. Snowe?

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NORAD Tracks Santa!

Prepare to track the fastest object on Earth -- Santa! On Christmas Eve, you and your little ones can track Mr. Claus' progress, and ensure he makes stops where the folks have truly been nice this year. NORAD -- the North American Air Defense System -- has gotten into the spirit of the season and put their considerable resources to not only track Santa, but to ensure his safe passage. This is critically important since Santa must move fast to make it to every house! You can track Santa in 3-D (using Google Earth), and there's a great interactive map of the North Pole so you can check out the various shops and their roles as they prepare for the big day -- truly the inside scoop! And, for those of you doing last minute shopping, you can even track Santa on your cell phone! Phew, what a relief!

Let me also take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, and a safe, healthy and happy New Year. Thanks so much for reading my blog this year -- come January, my blog will be a year old -- time flies!





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Copyright 2008 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

You Decide: What's Your Choice for First Pooch?

I love dogs. I grew up with dogs as beloved family pets. I want to get a dog. My siblings have dogs that rule their lives, dogs they love even when they drive them crazy. Dogs that are part of the family. I'm with the Obama girls -- I've worked hard, and I want a puppy. I even have The Daily Puppy featured on my blog. Unfortunately, a friend of mine recently told me that, on behalf of dog lovers everywhere, he was forbidding me to get a dog. Why, you might ask? Apparently because of my crazy-ass schedule and heavy work travel. He said, "you get home at 9pm and eat oatmeal for dinner. You're lucky to have kept yourself alive. You couldn't keep an electronic pet alive." He went on to say that I should get a CAT. Now, cats have their place. I've had cats. But I've reached a time in my life where I want affection and unconditional love. Cats provide disdain and suffer us on condition -- the condition that we have thumbs and thus can turn on the water and make the can opener work. My last cat, Thomas (RIP), would have kicked my ass out if he could have paid the mortgage on his own. So, no more cats for me. But, alas, my upstart, co-called friend just might be right -- perhaps my life isn't really situated for a dog right now. But a redheaded girl can dream, can't she? Just like Sasha and Malia -- though I guess I'll need to live vicariously through the Obama girls and that lucky First-Dog-to-be. For now.

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Kids Tell Parents: Don't Vote for McCain

Kind of along the lines of Sarah Silverman's "The Great Schlep," another campaign is out playing on the power of youth over older voters in the family. This ad, in particular, is aimed at young people -- some too young to vote themselves. It smartly features a few of the actors from the popular CW show, Gossip Girl, and gives humorous ways for young people to talk to -- and stop -- their parents from voting for The Maverick. I find it pretty amusing to have voting for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) compared to the dangers of drunk driving, with a kid saying: "If you're out and you feel like voting for John McCain, just call me and I'll pick you up -- no questions asked." Then again, considering the selfish binge the Bush administration has been on, spending both the surplus and our international goodwill like drunken sailors, perhaps the perils of a McSame administration are aptly compared.

According to the Partnership for a McCain-Free White House, "Young people overwhelmingly support Barack Obama. But too many of their parents don't. So we launched a fun new ad and site encouraging young people to talk to their parents about John McCain." The campaign, developed by MoveOn.org, gives some important warning signs to look for in parents who may be straying off the progressive path:

1) Prefacing every sentence with "Lemme give you a little straight talk."
2) Arguing that it's crucially important for a president to be erratic and unstable.
3) Referring to the past 8 years of American history as "The Golden Age."
4) Saying things like, "Sarah Palin is a reasonable choice as VP."
5) Having trouble making eye contact.
6) Wandering and pacing aimlessly.
7) Disparaging Spain for no apparent reason.
8) Delusionally believing all people they meet are "[their] friends" —- even though most people are kinda creeped out by them.
9) Being unable to accurately count the number of homes they own, cars they drive, or years the United States should remain in Iraq.
10) Putting a McCain-Palin yard sign in the front lawn.

Time after time this year, we've seen people come out in support of Barack Obama because their children told them to. Or asked them to. Or simply challenged them to follow their hearts and their hopes this time.

But there's more work to do. Right now, young people back Barack Obama by overwhelming numbers. But their parents and grandparents are still leaning more towards John McCain.

People decide who to vote for based on the opinions of the people they trust—and family plays a huge role. The more young people who talk to their parents, the better chance Obama has on November 4th.

Please do your part. Talk to your parents today.

The Partnership's clarion call is clear: Talk to you parents, for the life you save may be your own! Vote for Barack Obama. Amen.





Copyright 2008 (original text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

This April, We Need Child Abuse Prevention Month More Than Ever

I asked for some suggestions for the blog, and got several good ones -- thanks, and keep them coming. People definitely seemed interested in the policy stuff, too. So here's comes another one -- but I'm afraid it's not a happy issue. Be warned: if you're already having not the greatest of days, this blog likely won't improve things. But on the cup half full side, there are some options for action.

According to police, six-year-old Anthony, four-year-old Austin and two-year-old Athena were drowned by Mark Castillo -- their father -- in the bathroom of a 10th floor hotel room. It happened on March 30th, in the shadow of Camden Yards in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Afterwards, the murderer tried unsuccessfully to take his own life as well.

If you thought that was devastating, here's a downright scary part of this whole sorry ordeal. Court documents show that the children's mother, Amy Castillo, repeatedly tried to revoke her ex-husband's visitation rights. She even filed for a protective order, saying the kids' father had threatened to kill the children: "He has never actually hurt [the children], but did tell me that the worst thing he could do to me would be to kill the children and not me so I could live without them," she wrote in the petition. But despite Mark Castillo's history of mental problems, her request was denied by the Montgomery County District Court.

Sadly, this is an all too common tale. But don't be so sure that a different outcome other than the outrageous denial of Amy Castillo's protection order would have made a difference. Well, it might have -- battered women and their kids need to use every means available to them to try to improve their safety. But a protection order doesn't ensure protection. Just ask Gail Pumphrey and her kids.

Last Thanksgiving, David Brockdorff used a .22 caliber rifle to kill Pumphrey -- his ex-wife -- her three children and himself; their bodies were found in a Montgomery County park. Pumphrey had gotten a protective order in April 2007 against Brockdorff.

This is just one county in Maryland, folks, in roughly a four month period. ONE COUNTY IN MARYLAND. And these are just the crimes that were publicized. The sad fact is that domestic violence and child abuse are alive and well and living next door to you, me -- all of us. It's an equal opportunity crime, now matter how nice or "safe" your neighborhood. And while the system is better than it was in addressing this complicated issue, there are still huge problems -- and women and children fall through the gaping cracks.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. The cycle of violence that begets more child abuse and domestic violence begins here -- it is a sad fact that children from violent homes are more likely to be violent themselves once they reach adulthood. While we seem to have commemorative months for just about everything, and they may sometimes feel trite, they do serve an important purpose. They give advocates an opportunity to focus attention and -- hopefully -- grassroots efforts that impact our policy makers on issues we care out.

So April is as good a time as any to start the discussion with your elected officials as well as candidates for public office. Ask them what they might do to improve public policies on preventing child abuse and neglect -- and its companion crime, domestic violence. According to Every Child Matters, "[t]hese discussions are a necessary first step to develop better conditions for children and promote the information parents need to be the parents they want to be. And that first step belongs to each of us." I would add that it's also a critical step if we are to hold our policy makers accountable to enforcing existing laws, allocating necessary funds to social programs that both prevent the problem and deal with their aftereffects, and passing additional legislation aimed at curtailing these debilitating crimes.

Here's some more food for thought. A study released in January by Prevent Child Abuse America calculates that a solid investment child abuse and neglect prevention could potentially save the nation over $100 billion per year -- a kind of "stitch in time saves nine" idea that makes sense to most rational folks and should motivate even those who are most moved by the bottom line (sadly, in politics, this is often true -- we give lip service to the heart wrenching stories, but it's the money that often motivates action). This brief document very clearly shows the long-term adverse consequences and economic impact of child abuse on children, their families and the nation.

If that's not enough, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, about 905,000 American children were victims of maltreatment -- 91,278 of them were infants -- from October 2005 to September 2006. Even more scary, 19 percent of all child maltreatment deaths happened to babies under one year of age. Apparently, an infant's greatest risk of death from maltreatment is during their first week of life -- a time when you'd think they'd be especially protected, especially cherished. Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.

Speak your mind, people. Prevent Child Abuse America has a list of advocacy initiatives designed to address these issues -- you can even write a letter to your member of Congress about some of the bills they list. That seems like the very least we can do to "commemorate" Child Abuse Prevention Month. You can also stay up-to-date on the latest domestic violence policy efforts through the National Network to End Domestic Violence -- but go ahead and write those letters now, too; don't wait until October, which is (yes, you guessed it) Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.