Sharing Good News … Liberally
It’s only been two days into 2024, but I can already feel the difference in the air.
There’s an energy. A feistiness. A buzzy, busy feeling.
I’m seeing it in emails and newsletters, headlines and videos.
The stock market is at an all-time high. Our economic recovery is the strongest of the G7. Inflation is at pre-pandemic levels. Gas prices have plummeted. Violent crime is 1/2 what it was 30 years ago.
Don’t look now, but Democrats appear to be getting their groove back! I love to see it – and not just because it’s a drag to see Democrats who have accomplished so much channel the mood of a wet woolen blanket.
I love it because success breeds success; like attracts like; energy builds on energy. Momentum matters.
It’s political reality that we’re fighting against some really awful forces right now. Once again we head into an election year knowing that it’s a make-or-break-democracy election.
But it’s great to remember we’re fighting for things, too.
With Democrats at the helm, we proved that an economic strategy focused on building out the middle class is good for everyone. And now we have to keep hammering this message home. As Simon Rosenberg likes to say, with Democrats things get better.
And, you know what? He’s right.
So as we close out the first Tuesday of this New Year, join me and resolve to share the good news that happening around us liberally. (See what I did there?)
It’s good politically, but it also feels good to focus on the positive.
Heck – it feels good to have so much positive to focus on.
Let’s keep that ball rolling, shall we?
And let’s get to work.
Medicare Advantage regulations: Comment by January 5
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed a rule that it hopes will cut back on predatory marketing behavior by insurance companies with regard to “Medicare Advantage” plans. https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/cms-proposes-rule-to-tighten-medicare-advantage-marketing
Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurance companies; those private insurance companies are paid with Medicare funds, even though they’re not traditional Medicare plans. In the past those plans have used questionable tactics to bring in more members, and this rule is intended to provide more guardrails and to expand benefits.
The rule would improve access to behavioral health treatment by adding marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, addiction medicine clinicians, opioid treatment providers, and others, to CMS’ Medicare Advantage network adequacy requirements. That’s an excellent improvement!
Bottom line, with the rule CMS is working to improve access to healthcare and promote equity – while cracking down on predatory marketing behavior. Three cheers!
This fact sheet has more specifics on the various aspects of the proposed rule: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/contract-year-2025-policy-and-technical-changes-medicare-advantage-plan-program-medicare
Here’s an excellent primer from Indivisible (national) about the proposed rule: https://indivisible.actionkit.com/mailings/view/96541
…And an even better one from Indivisible OneNYS that has suggested comment language: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hPdkJEwU9Nra6KyDVSsgT9WKEF8HWp9g0rDEclG_ivA/edit
You can submit a comment in support of the proposed rule any time between now and 5pm on January 5. It’s a simple process to leave a comment.
Here’s the link to submit a comment: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/11/15/2023-24118/medicare-program-contract-year-2025-policy-and-technical-changes-to-the-medicare-advantage-program
Bring Your Own Phone: Texting Bootcamp with Field Team 6:
Help Field Team 6 text millions of unregistered likely Democrats in the key swing states before 2024’s elections! Field Team 6 is hosting BYOP or Bring Your Own Phone events, which are great ways to register new Democrats. (It’s not really your phone, either – it uses your own computer with an anonymized Google Voice number or Apple’s iMessage app. But that’s neither here nor there…).
They get you all set up and give you the skinny at their BYOP Boot Camp sessions, but you can also set things up yourself using this fancy training doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RQeU1Z9YVpnqI0dLFD7CV2HBEgP–R2-OfGITkfd34g/edit?usp=sharing
The best part? Once trained, you’ll be able to send texts any time between 9 am – 9 pm in the Time Zone you’re texting. Woot! They have multiple campaigns available (listed in the google doc linked above, with messaging) and you get to choose which one appeals to you. TARGET STATES are Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Training is at 4pm PST. Sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/433467/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations
Write: Vote by Mail!
Here’s an excellent vote by mail postcarding opportunity with Postcards to Voters. In Florida, Vote by Mail enrollees need to re-enroll after each general election if they want to continue to receive VBM ballots. Postcards to Voters is writing to registered Escambia County Democrats to remind them to request a VBM ballot. (Thus far, Republicans have no similar effort to re-enroll their members.)
If you are an approved Postcards to Voters writer, to request addresses you can just send an email with the subject “hello” to Request@abbyaddresses.org. If you are not yet approved with PTV, you just need to either text text JOIN to Abby The Address Bot at 484-275-2229 or email the team at Join@TonyTheDemocrat.org and they’ll get you sorted!
Watch:
This excellent Rachel Maddow clip (housed on an excellent Hopium substack piece) is really worth five minutes of your time. It’s a great reminder that Republicans are not only ineffective and failing to work for the American people, but that their inaction is by design. Seriously – watch it! (Again, go here – then scroll down until you see the video clip.)
WHEW! GO TEAM!
P.S.: Why don’t you make someone’s day and send this pep talk to a friend or two? I bet they need it.
If you’d like to sign up to get this pep talk and action list in your in-box each week, you can do that here. Welcome, friend!
P.P.S.: If you want to help support this work you can do so via Patreon at
https://www.patreon.com/smalldeedsdone or via paypal at https://www.paypal.me/smalldeeds
My deepest gratitude in advance.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. I read and respond to every email! We’re in this together. Don’t you forget it.