The current administration in Washington daily seeks to strip away laws and policy's that have been put into place to protect citizens of this country from discrimination. Some we hear about, and sadly some barely make the news. One of the recent attacks is the proposed changes to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Section 1557 is the primary anti-discrimination provision in the ACA and prohibits health programs from discriminating against patients on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.  If finalized it would significantly narrow the scope of the existing HHS implementing regulations by:

• Eliminating the general prohibition on discrimination based on gender identity, as well as specific health insurance coverage protections for transgender individuals;
• Adopting blanket abortion and religious freedom exemptions for health care providers;
• Eliminating the provision preventing health insurers from varying benefits in ways that discriminate against certain groups, such as people with HIV or LGBTQ people;
• Weakening protections that provide access to interpretation and translation services for individuals with limited English proficiency;
• Eliminating provisions affirming the right of private individuals to challenge alleged violations of § 1557 in court and to obtain money damages, as well as requirements for covered entities to provide non-discrimination notices and grievance procedures;
• Narrowing the reach of the regulations by only covering specific activities that receive federal funding, but not other operations, of health insurers that are not “principally engaged in the business of providing health care,” and no longer applying the regulations to all HHS-administered programs

Please click read more below for comments from a healthcare professional here in Cass County.  Also, find the link and/or address to publicly respond to this by the August 13th deadline.  

NOTE - LOCATION - CENTERVIEW IN RAYMORE

Missouri's health system is the 8th worst among the 50 states & the District of Columbia, losing more ground every year. The legislature has refused to expand Medicaid and our system is failing our children, elderly and working families alike.

Join us as we welcome Beth Andes MD, FACP. Dr. Andes has practiced internal medicine with a sub-specialty in Geriatrics for 40 years. She retired in 2018 to concentrate her efforts to bring health care for everyone. To that end, she volunteers with PNHP (Physicians for a National Health Program) and Missouri Health Care for All.

Please watch and then share the link below to view the movie "Fix It, Healthcare at the Tipping Point" then invite your friends, family, and neighbors to our forum on July 25th. 6:00 pm snacks and conversation. 7:00 pm program and discussion.

Link to Movie: https://fixithealthcare.com/

We will have the petition to expand Medicaid in Missouri at this event!  

Join us at 6:00pm for a special $10 Taco Buffet and conversation.

At 7:00pm we'll introduce you to Erich Arvidson who is running for MO 4th Congressional District. We're anxious for you to meet Erich in person, but until then, here's a little more info: http://ericharvidson.com/meet-erich/

Please join us at our meeting Thursday night.  We have a special dinner buffet at 6:00 pm and our meeting at 7:00 pm. This month we are going to talk about Cass County politics and the races coming up in 2020.   We'll talk about how we are going to recruit a candidate for every open county race and every legislative district in Cass. Between what has happened in Jeff City and what is going on at the national level the time is now for everyone to step up, while we still can!  Never has it been more important for you to ask yourself......

“If not us, who? If not now, when?”

NOTE LOCATION FOR THIS EVENT - CENTERVIEW - 227 MUNICIPAL CIRCLE, RAYMORE, MO

Please join the Cass County Democratic Party in welcoming Elad Gross, former Assistant Attorney General of Missouri and candidate for Missouri Attorney General, to Raymore on Thursday, March 28, at 6:00 p.m.

Elad is a constitutional attorney who served as Assistant Attorney General of Missouri until 2016. We are excited about his campaign because, as he puts it, "It's the Attorney General's job to stop these dark money groups pretending to be charities, taking taxpayer subsidies to steal our elections. To learn more about his campaign before the event, visit: https://www.eladgross.org/

This month we're collecting donations for Help Humane - A True No Kill Animal Shelter in Belton. Please look at this wish list and bring what you can to help this local animal shelter:

http://helphumane.org/donate/wish-list/?fbclid=IwAR2r07grrKLBgyo9KJwuVbCkdAJC46Z4qu-pX8aj-N5C6nf725DTL0JzOEU

We'll have pizza ($10.00/person) if you're interested.

Join us Saturday, March 16th in the Belton St. Patrick's Day Parade. We'll meet at 4:00 pm in Memorial Park in Belton. You can ride on the float or walk with us, either way, come join in the fun!  

RESPECT OUR VOTE

Missouri Republicans are at it again - acting like they know better than the same voters who put them into office.

66% of voters in Cass County voted AGAINST “right to work” Prop A

Sen. Eric Burlison, (R) Springfield, who filed a bill in December, said right-to-work is an inalienable right that shouldn't be on the ballot.

“I will always support worker freedom,” he said in an interview. “It should be upheld regardless of the people’s vote. These kinds of issues should be elevated above the kinds of things that can be lost in a democratic vote.” 2-13-19 Springfield News Leader

What?!? Exactly is “lost” when the people vote? The Republicans who support this think that profits for BIG business are more important than your VOTE. Our 4^th District Rep. Hartzler has gone so far as to sign on to a national right to work bill. The facts show that workers in “right to work” states make less money, it’s not up for debate. Politicians who support this legislation believe corporate profits are more important than your VOTE!

Sen. Emery (R) 31SD, Rep. Bondon (R) 56HD, Rep. Haffner (R) 55HD, Rep. Pfautsch (R) 33HD and Rep. Reedy (R) 57HD, respect our VOTE! 

NOTE the NEW location. This month we'll be at the El Dorado Mexican Restaurant in Raymore. We have a private room to hold our ever-growing group!

We will be collecting items for Hope Haven of Cass County. Their current needs list includes: Gift Cards (Groceries, Gas Cards, etc.) Dish Soap, Conditioner, Women's Deodorant, Body Wash/Body Lotion, Bras/Underwear (All Sizes), Toilet Paper, Plastic Storage Totes, Clorox Wipes, Pull-ups Boys Sizes 2T to 5T and Girls Pull-ups Sizes 2T to 4T, Paper Towels, Hair Brushes.

We've moved our location for our 1st meeting in 2019 to Brickyard Bar & Grill in Belton.  Hope to see you this Thursday night at 6:00pm for dinner and 7:00pm for our meeting.