Blog

I spent Monday afternoon at the White House as the guest of President Obama and the First at a celebration of International Women’s Day—not a bad way to spend a Monday.

In the company of current and future women leaders— everyone from Cabinet members to high school students—I had a moment to pause and reflect on how much has changed for women, how much we still have to accomplish, and how many women around the world continue to face serious oppression and need our help. President Obama pledged his partnership in addressing these issues.

Guest speaker Madeleine Albright especially focused on the hardships women face globally, reiterating that we cannot tolerate oppression of women anywhere—that it’s part of our responsibility as women leaders to make sure other women have the same opportunities we do.

I take her words to heart—our work to advance women’s issues...

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What a great Saturday I had this past weekend… a series of events that, looking back, really capture a day in the life of our fascinating state—from children’s programs to the arts to help for the homeless, with a dash of college hoops and economic development thrown in for good measure.

I started the day with a delegation of Southeast Asian community leaders in Providence to encourage participation in the 2010 Census.

I went from there to the Warwick Mall, where I read to children as part of NEARI’s Read Across America event. This is the fourth time I’ve participated, and I thoroughly enjoy it every time.

I then visited the RISD Museum for its Free-For-All Saturday, with special programs for families and children. RISD students had drawn details of human eyes, ears, and hands on the walls throughout the entry area next to the current exhibition of Pat Stier drawings—to a quite striking effect. Children and families were spending the afternoon in this fascinating environment; I felt lucky to be there, too.

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This morning I met with RI Business Group on Health to discuss what we can do in Rhode Island to address the urgent need for health care reform and cost containment.

This local discussion happens to coincide with President Obama’s health care summit today, when all eyes will be on Washington as he brings together Democratic and Republican leadership to hammer out a path to passage of federal health care reform.

I’m glad to see the president tackle runaway health insurance premium hikes by proposing the federal government—along with state insurance regulators such as our own Christopher Koller—have power to reject outrageous premium increases. In fact, the federal government is looking at the Rhode Island model in drafting their plan.

Health care reform must happen in our state as well. Rhode Islanders need a system that provides high-quality care at a price...

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As part of my Buy Local RI initiative, this week I kicked off a month-long, statewide tour of small businesses focused on arts and culture—businesses that create entrepreneurial growth and jobs as well as boost the quality of our lives here in Rhode Island.

From small jewelry manufacturers, to on-stage performers, to high-end graphic designers and so many more, the small businesses of the arts and culture sector are a key component of the state’s economy.

I launched the tour at an advocacy training session, organized by Rhode Island Citizens for the Arts, where members of the arts community received advocacy training to lobby to restore arts funding that has been slashed from the governor’s proposed 2011 budget.

I support the efforts to restore funding to arts-related small businesses, and hope my Arts and Culture tour will help focus attention on stopping these cuts.

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Over the last few days, I have been humbled by the support of many Rhode Islanders who have encouraged me to enter the race to succeed Congressman Kennedy representing Rhode Island’s first district in Washington. While it would be an honor to have the opportunity to be a member of congress, my place right now is here in Rhode Island.

As I declared last July, I will run for re-election as lieutenant governor. Rhode Islanders need an advocate - someone who will stand up to insurance companies who are looking for double digit rate increases and will work to bring down the cost of health care, and most importantly, someone who works with small business owners to grow jobs in our state.

Tonight, I stood up for businesses large and small across the state who are struggling with the worst economy in decades in the face of more double digit increases from health insurance...

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Health insurance commissioner Christopher Koller yesterday approved a 7 percent rate hike for Blue Cross Blue Shield direct-pay plans—a reduction of both the original 10.2 percent request and the 9.5 percent increase agreed to by the attorney general and Blue Cross last week.

While I am encouraged that the commissioner further lowered the rate hike to address affordability issues, the approved 7 percent hike will still be a tremendous financial burden for struggling Rhode Islanders. From my press release:

“This rate hike will severely impact the self-employed, small business owners, and individuals who have no access to insurance through their employers or who have lost their jobs.  I fear many will see health insurance becoming simply too expensive—and they will have nowhere else to turn. 

“The continuing unaffordable and unsustainable health insurance rate increase requests will only multiply if we do not address the underlying escalating costs of health care. Even as we oppose these increases, we must at the same time concentrate aggressively on controlling the costs of health care and make it the focus of our implementation of health care reform in Rhode Island.

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I’m encouraged that both the president and the governor have shown recognition this week that small business needs governmental support during this economic downturn—an encouraging beginning but we can’t stop there.

President Obama has proposed using up to $30 billion of repaid bailout loans to encourage community banks to lend to local small businesses and giving small businesses a $5,000 payroll tax credit for each new hire—part of a larger federal effort to create more jobs.

Closer to home, the governor has proposed a tax credit for small businesses that hire from the ranks of those who were unemployed, received government assistance or graduated from college in the past two years. The business must keep the new hire on for at least 18 months, offer health insurance and pay at least $18.50 an hour.

The way the governor’s proposal is structured now, I’m...

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Earlier this week, the RI Attorney General and Blue Cross Blue Shield reached an agreement for approval of a 9.5 percent rate increase for individual, or direct-pay, health insurance plans—the original proposed rate increase was 10.2 percent.

I don’t think the 0.7 percent reduction is a good agreement for the people of Rhode Island, and in written testimony on the proposed rate increase, I requested that the application for the increase be rejected entirely. From a press release I issued Wednesday: “As Rhode Islanders struggle through this economic downturn, the 9.5 percent rate hike agreed to by the Attorney General and Blue Cross is simply unaffordable and unacceptable. This rate hike affects Rhode Islanders who can least afford any increase, let alone one that tips toward double digits. The self-employed, small business owners, and individuals who have no access to insurance through their employers or who have lost their jobs will see health insurance become simply too expensive—and they will have nowhere else to turn.  ...

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Yesterday I voiced my vigorous opposition to another request for a double-digit insurance rate hike by Blue Cross—this time for direct-pay plans, or those bought by individuals directly from an insurance company. A 10.2 percent rate hike would affect those who can afford it least—those who don’t get insurance through their work and the unemployed—and again underscores the pressing need to find meaningful ways to curb health-care costs.

Early last summer, a broad coalition came together to denounce a double-digit insurance rate hike aimed at group plans—and the rate hike was rejected. We will need to join together again to fight this latest proposed hike. From my letter to Christopher Koller, health insurance commissioner:

"All Rhode Islanders are struggling in the current economic downturn, but individuals and families who purchase their health insurance directly...

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How often do you get something vitally important for free?

Rhode Island adults can obtain the H1N1 flu vaccine free of charge at a series of public clinics around the state, beginning tomorrow (Saturday) at 10 a.m. at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence. The only requirement: that you must be 18 or over. You don’t have to live in the community where the clinic is held, and no insurance or ID is needed.

The clinics come at a key time. Though the early fall swell of reported H1N1 cases has abated somewhat, most flu currently seen in the state by health professionals is still H1N1, according to Dr. David Gifford, the director of the state Department of Health.

Dr. Gifford also told us at an Emergency Management Advisory Council meeting earlier this week that we should expect another wave of the H1N1 virus in the spring. This is not the time to grow complacent...

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