Electing Our Leaders, Empowering Our Community
The NYTimes has a new article out on the discrepancy amongst hospitals and what they charge for Medicaid procedures. This isn’t a new topic (Stephen Brill did a great piece on it called “Bitter Pill” and patient advocates have known this for a long time), but the government released new comparison data on 3,000 hospitals nationally. In the NYC area, it’s unsurprising – the public Health & Hospitals Corporation (HHC) hospitals charge less than the US average for Medicaid services. The private hospitals charge anywhere from 1-2 times the US average, to more than that. Unsurprisingly, because the public safety net hospitals try not to gouge their patients, their finances are also suffering. Of the hospitals that have closed or that are on the chopping block, many are HHC hospitals.
Some of the hospitals that charge less than the US average: Bellevue, King’s County, Harlem, Downtown, Elmhurst, Flushing
Some that charge 1-2x the US avg: NYU Medical Centers, NY Presbyterian, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt, Beth Israel, UMDNJ
Some that charge > 1-2x US avg: Robert Wood Johnson Rahway, Long Island Jewish
Let’s have a conversation about what hospitals price gouge versus perform a public service the next time the state decides to put together Berger Commission part 2 to close hospitals. Because that analysis was incredibly short-sighted and determined that there were too many hospital beds in the event of an emergency. Of course, they thought we would still have access to all bridges and tunnels in the event of an emergency. So when Hurricane Sandy hit, Manhattan hospitals had to transfer within the island. But there weren’t enough beds to transfer patients to, so it took longer to remove all the patients from the waterlogged hospitals. I would hope that this is a serious consideration the next time around.
It’s easy to make money by overcharging. It’s harder to keep hospitals afloat when you are committed to public service, harder to justify grossly overcharging for things from basic bandages to complicated, costly procedures.
–Caroline
One day after April fools, the FBI took down a number of elected officials in a bipartisan sting operation, including NYS Sen. Malcolm Smith (Democrat – Independent Democratic Conference) and NYC Councilmember Dan Halloran (R of Queens.) This was no April fools joke unfortunately, as Smith had been trying to collect enough signatures from the heads of GOP parties to get a Wilson-Pakula (a pass to run on the Republican ticket for mayor.)
Now, why Malcolm Smith, who used to be a Democrat, who broke ranks in December with the newly elected Democratic majority in the state senate to form the Independent Democratic Conference alongside 4 other Democratic state senators, would want to run on the Republican line for mayor, is a fair question. This led to a bizarre power-sharing structure between the Rs and Ds in the State Senate, with leadership rotating back and forth every 2 weeks. (No, this is not a joke. Though perhaps a joke of a way to govern.)
Councilmember Dan Halloran some of you may remember from his initial run for city council against Kevin Kim. Halloran is the First Atheling of Theodish New Normandy (a leader of a pagan cult). Kevin Kim was an aide to then Congressman Gary Ackerman and a good Christian. Somehow, Halloran got elected, and then he most recently unsuccessfully ran in a Congressional race against now sitting Congresswoman Grace Meng in 2012.
It will be interesting to see if Kevin Kim or other Asian Americans get in the race for Halloran’s seat. There is a lot of intrigue in this whole tangled mess. Much reading to do.
Only in NY folks, only in NY.
–Caroline
Editor’s Note: I strongly encourage all to attend this tomorrow but if you cannot attend in person, watch the ustream which archives the event. You may have noticed our growing & steady attention to this all-important topic.
Editor’s Update: There’s another one Monday, May 21 per apamayoralforum2013.eventbrite.com.
The forum is expected to draw interest from many in the community. Simultaneous translation via headsets will be available for speakers of Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Urdu, Bengali and Nepali.
The APA Community Town Hall forum comes at a critical juncture where 2013 represents our best chance in decades to win “real” immigration reform. Our APA Table of New Yorkers for Real Immigration Reform brings together over 20 Asian-led and serving organizations, working with the larger statewide campaign of over 150 labor, faith, grassroots and immigrant organizations unified to pass a progressive and comprehensive immigration reform bill this year.
WHEN: 7:00PM, Thursday, March 28, 2013
6:30PM (Pre-Event Reception)
WHERE: LaGuardia Community College
Little Theater
31-10 Thomson Ave.
Long Island City, NY 11101
WHO: Speakers from the APA Table of the “New Yorkers for Real Immigration Reform” Campaign, community members, and advocates (see below for complete list).
Adhikaar, Alliance of South Asian American Labor, Asian American Action Fund, Asian American Arts Alliance, Asian American/Asian Research Institute, Asian American Bar Association of New York, Asian Americans for Equality, Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance of AFL-CIO, APICHA Community Health Center, Chinese-American Planning Council, Chinese Progressive Association, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Damayan Migrants Workers Association, Desis Rising Up and Moving, Gay Asian & Pacific Islander Men of NY, Hamilton-Madison House, Kalusugan Coalition, Korean American Association of Greater New York, Korean American Family Service Center, Korean American Association of Queens, Korean Americans for Political Advancement, Korean American Business Council of New York, Korean Community Services of Metropolitan NY, MinKwon Center for Community Action, OCA-New York, Pilipino American Unity for Progress, Q-WAVE, Queens Community House, Richmond Hills EDC, South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association of New York City, South Asian Council for Social Services, South Asian Americans Leading Together, South Asian Youth Action, The Philippine Nurses Association of New York, United Chinese Association of Brooklyn, Wonkwang Community Service Center, 1199SEIU (list in formation as of March 25, 2013)
The 2013 ECAASU Conference is coming to Columbia University Feb 22-24! It’s the 25th annual conference for college students interested in organizing for the AAPI community and to have a great time meeting fellow organizers and plain good fun. EECASU’s programming mirrors the AAA Fund’s focus on empowering the Asian American community to participate in politics by featuring workshops that discuss and explore the paramount issues Asian Americans face today.
Conference: 2013 East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU)
Location: Columbia University, NYC
Date: February 22-24, 2013
ECAASU is a national, nonprofit APIA advocacy organization that holds the largest & oldest conference in the country for Asian American students. This year, our fantastic guest lineup includes:
Performers: JASON CHEN, DAVID SO, CLARA C, Ellen Kim & Aye Hasegawa, Taiyo Na & Magnetic North, iLL-Literacy, Funkanometry NYC
Speakers: NORMAN MINETA, RICHARD LUI, Mia Mingus, Gregory Cendana, Dilawar Syed, Curtis Chin
In addition, EECASU features 45+ workshops covering topics such as LGBTQA, the DREAM act, Remembering Danny Chen, the Model Minority Myth, the Bamboo Ceiling, and more (full list on website).
February 1 is the deadline for regular registration ($75). February 14 is the deadline for late registration. Register at www.ecaasu2013.org. Learn more information at our Facebook page.
For the record, 67 Congressmembers voted against Hurricane Sandy relief. They were all Republican. (Click here for a list. Surprise! It includes Rep. Paul Ryan – keep that in mind, wealthy GOPers in NY/NJ when he comes around fundraising for his presidential run.)
Let me remind folks, this wasn’t the full bill, this was just the part that allows FEMA to distribute more aid to owners of destroyed business owners and the like. This was about 1/6 what the region actually needs. But of course, it might not have happened at all.
Originally, Congress was supposed to vote on the bill the same day as the fiscal cliff vote. House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) disgracefully had promised that he would put the Sandy relief bill to a vote and then yanked it after the fiscal cliff vote divided his members. Boehner also yelled at a concerned Republican member, “I’m not speaking with you people!” before heading off the floor.
The recent vote only happened after a massive shame campaign by Republican and Democratic officials from New York, including most notably Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island.) Rep. King went on a long, impassioned tirade about how he might leave the Republican party and said that New York and New Jersey residents should stop fundraising for the House Republicans.
He expected the political consequences would include “Republican seats in the Northeast that I think were lost last night” due to the House leadership’s move.
“There are a number of Republicans who may be able to kiss their seats goodbye because of what was done to them, not because of what they did, but what was done to them,” he said. “Because the issue is if you can’t provide the most basic assistance for your district, who needs you in Congress?”
Of course, now that Boehner held the vote, things seemed to have smoothed over. But I think that this is an object lesson for folks. The GOP does not care about blue states. In fact, if you look at the Atlantic’s map of the most numbers of Republicans who voted against hurricane relief, it’s interesting to note that some of these members hail from hurricane-prone Texas and tornado-prone states like Tennesee and Kansas. But you don’t see NY and NJ Congressmembers refusing to vote for aid for victims of natural disasters.
It’s pretty small-minded to vote against helping out victims of natural disasters because you don’t like the overall politics of the state or you don’t agree with the size of government. Frankly, natural disasters can happen anywhere. Let’s not blame the folks who are simply trying to rebuild their homes and lives.
UPDATE: Jon Stewart points out Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-Mississippi) in particular as being very biased – just last year he asked for additional FEMA funding for his constituents who are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which happened seven years ago. But he voted against additional FEMA funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy, which happened 2 months ago. And yes, people are still dealing with Sandy because no money has come through.
Stewart also points out in lovely, concise, Lewis Black fashion that there is no pork in the FEMA aid bill – the bill is 2 paragraphs on one page.
–Caroline
What would Jesus say to the NRA? That article already writes more eloquently than I about that question and answer, so I add reflection on how far religion and politics, often the same thing, has gone from what might’ve been its original intent & message.
It’s obvious pro-gun folks, like their conservative bretheren, are closed to debate, self-justifying, extremist, ideological, forceful (pushiness is needed in evangelicizing), vindictive & narrow-minded. I already said in a past post how many of these traits are those of evangelical Christians & other similar types who use religion to justify their personal flaws.
Since the aforementioned article is so gentle about poo-pooing the pro-gun folks, I’ll use a more barbed approach by throwing the onre onto the evangelicals:
Step. Comment.
Republicans in the U. S. Senate have countered the White House’s $60 billion Hurricane Sandy relief proposal with a plan that would only give $23.8 billion, far short of the $82 billion that the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut requested.
Republicans say the package is only meant to cover immediate needs through March, and they’ll consider providing more funding for projects the consider less pressing — such as preventing subway flooding and protecting shorelines during future storms — in the coming months. “We don’t have time right now to get all the way through and analyze the actual losses that were attributable to Sandy,” said Republican senator James Inhofe, adding that the White House proposal looks like a “slush fund.” (h/t NY Mag)
Lawmakers from affected states worry that their states’ needs will be forgotten in the press of legislation, and it’s hard to start on large scale rebuilding projects without adequate funding. Recently FEMA granted NYU Langone $114 million for reconstruction efforts, out of the estimated $1 billion that it will cost. The photo above is the waterlogged NYU basement auditorium where I’ve sat a few times in my life for special occasions like graduation ceremonies. The NYU hospitals are still closed, except for outpatient activities. And hopefully a good portion of the cleanup funds go to Bellevue, the city’s only public hospital, because they do God’s work.
Also, it’s important to fund mitigation efforts to prevent subway flooding and protect shorelines. The Hoboken NJ PATH stop just reopened yesterday.
Seriously, I mean the Democratic Governor of NYS and the Republican Governor of NJ are working together to get the job done without competing for funds. Why can’t Congress do the same?
–Caroline
We congratulate all incoming Senators and Members of Congress:
Too close to call
We cannot say a huge enough thanks to everyone. Special congratulations and elated delight to AAAF of Greater Chicago whose numerous months long phone banking, website editing, email forwarding, logistical organizing, people pulling & generally good cheer & energy for the easy-to-volunteer events, sharing their many delights and overall pulling so many for so many critical last minute get out the vote all for Tammy Duckworth has given us such a brilliant example of an effective grassroot campaign.
These Congressmen & Congresswomen represent the largest caucus of Asian American and Pacific Islander Members in any single Congressional session as well as other records:
We are thrilled not only to share in the delights of our elected officials above but also to our other endorsed candidates:
Lastly, just seen on the ED Show on MSNBC:
| Demographic groups | Voted for Obama | Voted for Romney |
| Whites | 39% | 59% |
| Black | 93% | 6% |
| Latino | 71% | 27% |
| Asian | 73% | 26% |
Thank you to all!
Update Nov 12: Our Dr. Ami Bera is leading!
Update Nov 17: Bera Wins!
Editor’s Note: The below is our Maya Ono’s post about her 4th week as an AAA-Fund sponsored fellow at Nate Shinagawa’s campaign. Read her reports from week 1 and week 2 & week 3. The AAA-Fund has endorsed Nate as a candidate for the US House of Representatives from NY’s 23rd district.”
Recently, the issue of voting has been a popular topic of conversation among my group of friends. What do you say to a disenfranchised “jaded” youth who doesn’t really believe that her voice will make a difference?
According to the US census, there are over 314 million citizens in the United States. Out of the 213 Americans who were eligible to vote in 2008, only 145 million registered.1 In 2008, all records were broken when 130 million people came to the polls,2 the highest number in recorded history. In other words, 41% of Americans, the most who had ever voted, decided the political future of 100% of Americans.
The fact is that we all enjoy certain freedoms of living in a democracy. We hear about how “freedom isn’t free”, alluding to the troops who fight overseas to protect us. But if you think about it, the unsung heroes of democracy are ordinary people who vote. Without them, quite literally, democracy would not exist. Those who don’t vote but choose to whine and complain, enjoy the freedoms of living in the United States on the backs of others who cast a ballot.
The act of voting is proving to be even more important now, as voter ID laws threaten to asphyxiate the political voices of seniors, veterans, minorities and students.
In 2008, a group of 80 and 90 year old Nuns presented out of date passports at an Indiana polling location and were turned away.3 Gil Paar, a veteran living in Wisconsin, presented his veteran’s ID to cast a ballot for the school board elections. He was turned away because a veteran’s ID isn’t considered valid identification by Scott Walker, the governor, the bill’s largest cheerleader.4 95 year old Florence Hessing, also of Wisconsin, has voted in every election that she was eligible to in her lifetime. Now with Wisconsin’s new voter ID laws, she would need to get a certified birth certificate to obtain a photo ID because her driver’s license is expired. Only, she was born by a midwife in 1917 when record keeping wasn’t a priority and there is no record of her birth.5 In some states, private university student IDs will not be accepted, disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of students.
The New York Times cites that approximately 5 millions people could be affected by voter ID laws. In other words, 5 million out of the currently eligible 213 million Americans will no longer be able to cast a ballot without valid photo ID as described by the specific laws in that state.
“Voter ID, which is going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done”, Pennsylvania State Representative Mike Turzai (R) famously stated after voter ID laws were passed in his state.
The truth is that voter ID laws represent a threat to our democracy which is already underrepresented. Staff, volunteers, and interns at the Nate Shinagawa campaign headquarters are calling voters across the district, urging them to get out and vote! Single moms, graduate students, grandfathers, a grocery clerk, a lawyer, and a registered republican come into the office and sit side by side to make sure their neighbors are voting.
I just cast my absentee ballot. And as my vote floats through a sea of love letters, phone bills, and postcards, I will continue fight to ensure that not only my voice is heard but that every American voice is heard in this election and those to come.
To find your polling location, go to Google’s Politics & Elections homepage and type in your voting address.
To find out more about Nate Shinagawa or to contribute to Nate’s campaign, please go to www.nateshinagawa.com.
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