White House Unveils President Obama's Health Reform Plan

By Sofia Sanchez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

In a conference call with reporters on Monday, administration officials said President Barack Obama’s newly released health care reform proposal is basically a modified version of the bill passed by the Senate.

“We are talking about the Senate bill with targeted and important changes..that achieve the President's goals and bridge the gap between the House and the Senate proposals,” said White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy Ann-Deparle.

Obama's plan includes more generous subsidies for low and middle income Americans to purchase health insurance, and a removal of the Medicaid subsidies that were proposed by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) to originally secure his vote. The plan does not include the controversial public option.

The plan also includes a proposal by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would give the Secretary of Health and Human Services the power to block insurance company premium increases if they don’t meet certain criteria.

“We thought it would be a more productive meeting if we brought one consolidated plan to use as a jumping-off point, said White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer. “We hope Republicans do the same.”

The unveiling of the plan comes just three days before the President's bipartisan Health Care Summit.

1.3 Million Latinos Expected To Lose Homes, Says Civil Rights Leader

By Sofia Sanchez- University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

1.3 million Latinos are expected to lose their homes by 2011 if Congress does not supply legislation that provides immediate relief to people who are out of work, according to a leader of a prominent hispanic advocacy organization.

“Nearly 2 million Latinos and blacks have lost their jobs since the recession began,” said Janet Murguia, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza during a conference call with reporters Friday.”Unfortunately the current jobs plans in Congress continue to ignore these disparities and the concerns of Latino voters and bypass the hardest hit communities.”

Murguia called upon Congress to extend unemployment and COBRA benefits throughout the end of the year, fast-track the creation of jobs in the public sector that serve community-level needs and prevent foreclosures.

“We urge members of Congress to seriously consider the ideas in our joint letter and we look forward to working with our friends on both sides of the aisle to pass meaningful jobs legislation this year,” said Murguia.

Studies Show More Service Members Open To Ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

By Sofia Sanchez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

A new poll released Wednesday by the Center for American Progress (CAP) shows the general public is less opposed to allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the U.S. military. 54 percent of those surveyed said they support repealing the current policy, compared to 35 percent who were opposed.

“It’s safe to say that it is no longer a question of if the ["Don't Ask Don't Tell"] policy will be repealed, but how,” said Senior Vice President for external affairs at CAP Winnie Stachelberg during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.

Yet another poll shows there is also a shift of support for the repeal among active military members.

“Attitudes are changing among career oriented service members,” said Brendan McGarry, of Military Times, who also took part in Wednesday's call.

A study conducted by Military Times shows attitudes are shifting in support of allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly. 30 percent of active-duty military members support ending "Don't Ask Don't Tell." That number is up compared to 2003 when only 24 percent supported open service.

The Military Times study also found that two percent of active duty members identify themselves as being gay or bisexual. In addition, the study also found that women in the military were three times more likely than men to report being gay or bisexual.

“The military will be stronger, not weaker if this change is made,” said Stan Greensberg, with the public research group Greenberg Quinlan Rosner.

For more information on The Center for American Progress study visit: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/02/dadt_poll.html

For more information on The Military Times study visit: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2010/02/military_dont_ask_dont_tell_021510w/

Conservatives Ready To Open The Door To Latinos, Says Former Bush Official

By Sofia Sanchez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

American Principles Project (APP) Senior Fellow Alfonso Aguilar, the former Chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship under George W. Bush, announced a new initiative from his organization to reach for the Latino vote and promote for immigration reform.

“This initiative sets to promote conservative values and ideals among the hispanic community, but also to integrate Latinos into fuller participation in the broader conservative movement,” said Aguilar Tuesday.

According to a statement released by APP, the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles dual mission is to first acquire greater Latino support for conservative causes and candidates, and to encourage the conservative movement to support polices that are welcoming of immigrants.

“The conservative movement has to open itself up to Latinos, and that means that they have to understand the values and aspirations and see that they are very similar to the values and aspirations of regular Americans,” said Aguilar. “Immigration is that issue that prevents the conservative movement from gaining sizable support from the Latino community.”

The APP also announced it’s readiness to champion comprehensive immigration reform and invest resources to support pro-immigration candidates within the conservative movement.

Insurance Providers' Profits Are Up While Coverage Dwindles, Claims New Report

By Sofia Sanchez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

A new report compiled by the organization Health Care for America Now finds that leading insurance providers made record profits in 2009 while simultaneously dropping many Americans' coverage.

“These companies increase their profits by 56 percent last year while shedding 2.7 million people from private insurance,” said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager for Health Care For America Now, during a conference call with reporters.

Kirsch says that these companies are spending more money on administrative work than distributing health care to individuals, and notes that these companies have also spent 25 percent more lobbying against comprehensive health care than in 2008.

In light of the report, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) reiterated the economic case for reforming the health care system.

“We need to press forward to have health insurance reform to provide economic security for American families,” said DeLauro. “We have seen bad behavior come from the health insurance industry."