Where are the Democrats? Drafting a plan to assist survivors

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1755099

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Advance_Senate_Democrats_issue_relief_plan_for_0905.html

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The following are just some examples of proposals that Senate Democrats believe deserve immediate Senate action this week:

Ensuring health care for all displaced victims

* Immediate access to Medicaid for displaced victims.
* No need to prove residency or assets
* No copayments
* No penalties for failing to sign up for Medicare Part B in time.

To ensure access to medical care, we should ensure immediate access to Medicaid for displaced victims. Paperwork requirements should be streamlined and asset requirements waived to ensure that victims, many of whom have no legal documents in their possession, can enroll in the program with little red tape. Residency requirements for participation should not apply to these victims to allow them to obtain health care services around the country. In addition, copayments should be waived for these people as they struggle to meet other needs as well. The Federal government should bear the full cost of these changes, and ensure that no affected state suffers a reduction in Federal Medicaid funding (their “match rate”) for other populations. This proposal is based on a similar successful initiative after the September 11 disaster.

We also should provide compensation to health care providers who provide a disproportionate share of the care for these victims.

Displaced victims should not be penalized for late enrollment in Medicare Part B because they have become newly-eligible or have lost coverage from another plan during this time. Similarly, everyone from the affected states should have an additional year to enroll in the new Medicare drug benefit and its low income subsidies. The automatic transition of dual eligible beneficiaries from Medicaid to Medicare drug coverage should be delayed in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, with the Federal government bearing the full cost of those people continuing Medicaid drug coverage.

Getting victims housing

* Emergency housing vouchers for displaced victims
* Expedited application procedures with no red tape.
* No tenant contributions until they find work.
* Tax incentives for private families to take in victims.
* Identify federal facilities that can house victims.
* Relief for homeowners facing threat of foreclosure

FEMA has said that up to 1 million people may need housing assistance. The Senate therefore should immediately authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create and distribute temporary emergency housing vouchers to victims, without many of the restrictions that apply under the existing Section 8 low-income voucher program. For example, victims should not have to document their income levels, and tenant contributions should be waived until they find work. HUD also should be authorized to increase existing limits on allowable rents given the likelihood that rents in Gulf Coast areas will increase substantially for the foreseeable future. HUD needs to take over primary responsibility for distributing vouchers since many of the region’s local housing authorities are not functioning at full capacity, if at all.

Given the scarcity of rental housing, we will need to rely on private individuals and families to provide free room and board to victims. To encourage this, we should immediately approve a tax subsidy for those who provide such assistance to Katrina’s victims.

:kick:

Kicked and recommended.

Kicked and recommended as well.

But you could put this post in neon and keep it kicked for a week. And we'd still have folks saying "Where are the Dems."

of what I THOUGHT was going on behind the scenes.

We are the party that gives a damn. No photo ops. No excuses about how these people deserved it for not leaving. Just plans to help.

Now if Frist will drop his estate tax legislation plan and do something useful for a change, maybe this stuff will pass quickly.

:kick:

Go Democrats!

And for those who say there's no difference between the parties, consider that the main item on the Repub agenda now is to repeal the estate tax.

It's the way it should be, hopefully America will notice.

One of the many reasons I love being a democrat. We're not vocal about what we do but we get what's necessary done. (See Al Gore and the plane)

The fuckers on the right are more concerned about making tax cuts for the wealthy permenant.

I'm glad they're working on this. That way when someone asks what the democrats are doing I can tell them! Thank you again Raw Story!

:kick:

This is great. These actions will help those in need.

are only needed because we don't have universal basic healthcare in this country.

in the real world.

NGU.

kick

:kick:

FUCK all the haters who have been beating the "Dems are spineless" drum. THIS is what leaders do; they craft real, actual plans to help real, actual people. They don't froth at the mouth and scream about the "Chimpy McAsshole" or whatever the latest DU nickname for Bush happens to be.

I shall kick it as well

measures at this point in time.

Your suggestions are the only constructive suggestions I've seen on this blog. All I see are rants or gratutitous comments. Great!

is concerned but thanks for the compliment :D

:dem: