President Obama's Weekly Address 11/15/14: Open Enrollment Starts Today

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President reminded Americans that Affordable Care Act open enrollment begins this weekend. In the past year more than 10 million people have gained health insurance, including more than seven million who enrolled in Health Insurance Marketplace coverage. They are proof that the Affordable Care Act is working, making health care more affordable, accessible, and of higher quality for millions of people. The President encouraged all Americans to take advantage of open enrollment, and remind their friends and families to do so as well.

Obamacare Numbers On Track To Enroll 7 Million At Deadline

Obamacare Sign-Ups on Track to Hit 7 Million on Final Day - Talking Points Memo

Pallone Speaks on Affordable Care Act Enrollment

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Monday, December 9, 2013, at 7:00pm, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06) co-hosted an ACA enrollment event at the Highland Park Board of Health with Highland Park Councilwoman Susan Welkovits and the Board of Health Chairwoman, Diane Heimlich. Congressman Pallone, Senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, discussed the benefits and savings possible as a result of the health reform law.

“Helping New Jerseyans take advantage of the benefits of the health care law and get covered is a top priority for me,” said Congressman Pallone. “We must make sure that New Jersey families, under the Affordable Care Act, get access to the care that they need and deserve. It is our responsibility to help educate New Jersey families about what is available to them – and that includes the Health Care Marketplace.”

Congressman Pallone, along with Justine Ceserano, New Jersey State Director of Enroll America, and Chaim Lazarus from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, explained the benefits of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and how New Jersey residents and business owners can now access them.

Since the Affordable Care Act passed, New Jerseyans have already experienced many gains that have made health coverage and care more accessible and affordable. Over 70,000 young adults under the age of 26 in New Jersey have been able to stay on their family’s insurance plan as a result of the ACA. Nearly 170,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the state have saved an average of $977 each on their drugs, totaling nearly $300 million since the law’s enactment. Additionally, over 800,000 Medicare beneficiaries in New Jersey received at least one cost-free preventive service—such as an annual check-up, mammogram, or bone mass measurement—in 2012.

The ACA will allow New Jersey families looking for health coverage to purchase health insurance through the state’s Health Care Marketplace. The open enrollment period for the first year of the Marketplaces runs through March 31, 2014. For those who enroll by December 23, health coverage will begin on January 1, 2014.

Attending the Presidential Inauguration

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

As you may know, the next presidential inauguration will be held on Monday, January 21, 2013, on the Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C.   If you are interested in attending, I encourage you to begin your travel plans now, as hotels, airlines, and Amtrak all sell out quickly.

You do not need a ticket to attend the inauguration.  The National Mall will be open and equipped with large projection screens and sound systems so you can see and hear the festivities from as far as a mile away.  You may also attend, without a ticket, the inaugural parade, which runs up Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House shortly after the swearing-in ceremony. 

Certain areas around the Capitol will be open to ticket-holders only.  As your representative in Congress, I have received a small allotment of tickets to these areas, and to ensure their fair distribution, my office will conduct a random lottery.  All requests from the 12^th Congressional District – including those from elected officials, friends, community leaders, and even my staff – will go through the lottery. 

If you are interested in entering the ticket lottery, please e-mail your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address to Andrew Black of my staff at andrew.black@mail.house.gov.  Each lottery entry is limited to two tickets, and all requests must be submitted by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 18.  If you enter the lottery, I will let you know in late December whether or not you have received tickets.

Further information on the inauguration is available on the website of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

Trouble in Toyland

Earlier this week, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) released its annual Trouble in Toyland report, which provides safety guidelines for purchasers of toys for small children and lists toys that may pose safety hazards.

If you plan to shop for toys for small children over the holiday season, I encourage you to read through the report.  In particular, PIRG found that lead paint, phthalates, and magnets in toys continue to pose potential safety risks.  The full report is available online.

Medicare Open Enrollment Season Runs Through December 7

Medicare’s annual open enrollment season, during which recipients can make changes to their prescription drug coverage and Medicare Advantage plans, runs through December 7th.  To learn more, visit Medicare.gov.

A Thanksgiving Thought About Our Great Land

From Aldo Leopold, in A Sand County Almanac (published posthumously 1949), one of the most important collections of essays in America:

"In short, a land ethic changes the role of homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it.  It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.

“In human history, we have learned (I hope) that the conqueror role is eventually self-defeating.  Why? Because it is implicit in such a role that the conqueror knows, ex cathedra, just what makes the community clock tick, and just what and who is valuable, and what and who is worthless, in community life.  It always turns out that he knows neither, and this is why his conquests eventually defeat themselves."

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress