March 17: Secretary Sebelius Takes Questions About Health Reform Via Yahoo! News and Ustream at 5:15 p.m. ET

Today, as our nation enters the home stretch on health reform, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will take your questions via Yahoo! News and Ustream. You can e-mail your questions to news-editorial@yahoo-inc.com, and then join the chat at 5:15 p.m. ET. The entire event will stream via White House Live.

"President Obama's health insurance reform plan will make our insurance system work for families, small-business owners, and individuals," Sebelius wrote in an op-ed piece published in today's Yahoo! News.

"First, it will protect families by ending the worst insurance practices," Sebelius explained. "It will outlaw the practice of arbitrarily canceling someone’s coverage and eliminate caps on benefits. It will also forbid insurance companies from denying you coverage because of a pre-existing condition like high blood pressure. So for the first time ever, every American will be able to get an insurance policy.

"Second, it will give self-employed workers and small-business owners the same private insurance choices as members of Congress by creating a new, consumer-friendly insurance marketplace called an exchange. Because this marketplace will allow consumers to band together to negotiate lower rates, it's estimated that premiums for many consumers will go down 14 to 20 percent for comparable coverage. And it will provide tax credits to help middle-class Americans and small-business owners buy insurance.

"Third, the president's plan will bring down costs for families, businesses, and government with the broadest package of health care cost-cutting measures that has ever come before Congress. A report from the Business Roundtable [an association of CEOs from leading U.S. companies] says these reforms could lower costs by as much as $3,000 per employee. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the president's plan will lower the federal deficit by about $100 billion over the next 10 years.

"Collectively, these changes will help give Americans control of their health care choices..."

To learn about what President Obama's proposal for health insurance reform specifically means to you, go directly to the following sites:

* Own a small business? http://bit.ly/SmallBizOwnersFAQ

* Have insurance through work? http://bit.ly/ThroughWorkFAQ

* Have Medicare coverage? http://bit.ly/MedicareFAQ

* Don't have any insurance? http://bit.ly/NoInsuranceFAQ

* Buy your own insurance? http://bit.ly/BuyOwnInsuranceFAQ

GoodBiz113's take: Health reform deserves everyone's full attention and understanding. Make time to learn about how President Obama's proposal for health reform will benefit you, your family, and/or small business. Then, contact your senator and/or representative in Congress ASAP, and ask them to vote for the triple-win plan this week: http://bit.ly/ElectedOfficials

SOURCES: Congressional Budget Office, HealthReform.gov, USA.gov, The White House [photo], Yahoo! News
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Franken Campaign Releases Two New Ads Focusing on the Economy, Middle-Class Families and Small Businesses

Just one day after Minnesota's U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken unveiled his proposal to unfreeze credit and help small businesses create jobs, his campaign released two new television spots highlighting Franken's strong message on middle-class economic issues and supporting small businesses. The ads -- "Get to Work" and "Honest Differences" -- began airing this morning and will run statewide.

"The election comes down to a simple choice," said Andy Barr, communications director of the Al Franken for Senate campaign. "Norm Coleman chose Bush economics over Minnesota's middle class. And, now, Minnesotans have a chance to choose a new direction. In these ads, Al Franken lays out his plans to help the middle class: Cut taxes for middle-class families, create jobs, bring real oversight to Wall Street, and work to put our economy back on track."


SCRIPT: "Get To Work"
Al Franken: It's such a tough time. People's life savings are literally slipping away. We have got to change the disastrous policies of the Bush administration. I don't have all the answers – but here's where we start. Let's stop the billions of dollars in giveaways to big oil and drug companies. Bring real oversight to Wall Street. Work to make college affordable. And fix the economy to help the middle class. I'm Al Franken. I approve this message. Because it's time to get to work.


SCRIPT: "Honest Differences"
Announcer: Honest differences on the issues that matter to your family. The economy: Al Franken supports tax breaks for the middle class. A five thousand-dollar tax credit to help families pay for college. Stop giveaways to the special interests. Norm Coleman? He supported George Bush's economic plan all the way, voting for budgets that have left us ten trillion dollars in debt. It's Al Franken who will stand up for the middle class. For a change.

Al Franken: I'm Al Franken, and I approve this message.


GoodBiz113's take: During this election year, while far too many candidates have stooped to unleashing petty, baseless and mean-spirited attacks on their opponents, it's refreshing to see and hear specific, pragmatic and forthright proposals -- especially those that pertain directly to economy-propelling small businesses.

SOURCE: Al Franken for U.S. Senate
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Joined by Sen. Dorgan, Franken Proposes New Lifeline for Minnesota Small Businesses

Joined by Sen. Byron Dorgan [D - N.D.] and two local small-business owners, DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken [D-Minn.] today offered a new proposal to unfreeze credit for Minnesota small businesses. His initiative is part of an economic recovery plan designed to create jobs and help Minnesota families in these tough economic times.

Franken unveiled the plan today at a news conference, joined by Dorgan and two local entrepreneurs:

* Mallard Teal is the owner of Payne Ave. Body Shop. A small-business loan enabled him to renovate his storefront and expand his business.

* Mary Leonard is the owner of Chocolat Celeste. She applies for a seasonal loan each year to expand production and hire additional employees for the busy Christmas season -- but this year, has been unable to acquire that capital.

"George Bush and Norm Coleman just don't get it: giveaways to the special interests and tax cuts for millionaire CEOs don't create jobs," Franken declared. "Small businesses create jobs. And, while Washington rushed to bail out huge corporations on Wall Street, we're going to lose jobs here in Minnesota if we don't do something to unfreeze credit for our small businesses. My proposal will ensure that folks like Mallard and Mary can continue to grow their operations and get our economy moving again."

Dorgan wholeheartedly agreed. "Al and I both opposed the bailout because it didn't protect taxpayers by adding in provisions to make sure this type of meltdown would not happen again," he said. "Al Franken is now proposing smart ideas to get this economy moving. We need him in the Senate to help fight for the middle class and stand up to the special interests."

Franken's proposal generates $4 billion for direct loans to small businesses through the Small Business Administration [SBA], and adds another $1 billion to the SBA's loan guaranty programs. It also simplifies the process of obtaining these loans; eliminates associated fees; and expands the network of lenders to increase liquidity and secure better loan rates for small businesses.

The initial $5 billion investment will be repaid by small businesses, resulting in no net cost to taxpayers over time. But Franken called for the $5 billion upfront cost to be paid for, in the short term, by taking it out of the $700 billion earmarked for the bailout package, or by eliminating unwarranted and excess stock-option deductions on executive compensation.

SOURCE: Al Franken for U.S. Senate
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