If Obamacare Collapses: How States Can Protect Their Citizens

As the case against Obamacare continues to mount, states should be ready to act. Despite the President’s professions of confidence, recent concerns voiced by Members of Congress—added to lackluster support for and understanding of the law by the public—have further exposed Obamacare’s real and practical vulnerabilities.

In preparation for the likely collapse of Obamacare, states should advance their own patient-centered, market-based solutions that stimulate more affordable coverage, better access, and superior quality and innovation.

Cracks in the Foundation of Obamacare

President Obama recently tried to downplay the law’s implementation problems and their impact on everyday Americans. The reality, however, is that the massive disruption caused by this health care law has already started—and the worst is still to come. For instance, in the near future, Americans will see higher taxes, new penalties, and skyrocketing premiums; millions will be displaced from their current coverage, and millions will remain without health insurance.[1]

Even among supporters of the law in Congress, there is growing concern and discontent. At a recent hearing with a top Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) official, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D–WV) warned that the implementation is “so complicated and if it isn’t done right the first time, it will just simply get worse.”[2] At a hearing with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D–MT) expressed similar concerns:

I am very concerned that not enough is being done so far—very concerned. When I’m home, small businesses have no idea what to do, what to expect, they don’t know what affordability rules are, they don’t know what penalties may apply.…

A lot of people have no idea about all of this.… I just see a huge train wreck coming down, and you and I have discussed this many times and I don’t see any results yet.[3]

The American people remain skeptical and confused. According to a new Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll, 40 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of the law.[4] Moreover, 42 percent believe incorrectly that the law has been repealed or overturned by the Supreme Court or do not know.

The dismissiveness of the Administration, the lack of confidence in Congress, and the continued lack of public support and understanding of the law itself all add to the unavoidable structural challenges facing the law.

Getting the Right Health Care Reform Back on Track

Obamacare remains an obstacle to states advancing real health care reform. But states should be ready to act on the inevitable collapse of Obamacare and its full repeal. The following are a few among many state policy ideas that states could pursue and put them ahead of the reform curve:

Assess insurance rating rules and benefit mandates. Rating rules and benefit mandates raise premium costs. States’ experience with combining guaranteed issue (which requires insurers to accept all applicants) and community rating (which requires insurers to sell policies at the same price regardless of key factors) led to the deterioration of the individual market.[5] Excessive and costly benefit mandates also affect the cost of health insurance. One study estimates that mandated benefits increase the cost of health insurance anywhere from 10 percent to 50 percent.[6] Yet Obamacare imposes strict rating rules and new benefit mandates on health insurers. State policymakers should review their rating rules and benefit mandates and modify them to lessen their impact on the cost of insurance in their states.Extend portability of coverage to individually owned policies. Pre-Obamacare federal law provided protections for individuals who maintained credible group coverage, but those protections do not extend to non-group coverage.[7] Rather than shuffling individuals into government-controlled exchanges and Medicaid, as done under Obamacare, states should provide protections in the non-group/individual market similar to those provided in the group market. This would ensure that individuals who maintain credible coverage on their own can switch plans without risk of losing credible coverage protections.Expand access through the harmonization of state rules. Unlike in the purchase of other goods and services, individual health coverage options are limited to products that are available within each state. Obamacare further limits choice by, in essence, pre-empting state law and standardizing rules and benefits across the board. To increase the number and variety of products, states should harmonize their insurance rules, increasing the number of insurance products available to individuals within their borders. Of course, to put consumers truly in charge, it would be even more helpful if Congress would enact legislation to facilitate the interstate purchase of health insurance.Integrate choice and competition in Medicaid. Medicaid is consuming a greater portion of state budgets as demands grow, while access and quality remain problems. Obamacare ignores the structural problems facing Medicaid and makes matters worse by expanding the program to millions of new potential enrollees. It is critical that states reject the Medicaid expansion in Obamacare and consider reforms that will improve the quality of care, establish a path to independence, and harness the benefits of choice and competition to reduce overall costs. States that have pursued similar reforms have demonstrated the success of this course.[8]Adopt medical liability reforms. Rules governing medical malpractice and the cost of medical liability insurance are driving up the cost of medicine and jeopardizing access to care. Obamacare provides no legitimate path to reform. Moreover, this issue should reside with the states, not the federal government. Many states have already tackled this issue and provide a blueprint for others to follow. The states can and should be at the forefront of efforts to establish a more rational approach to addressing medical liability.[9]Remove certificate of need (CON) restrictions. CON laws empower state regulators to limit the supply of health care facilities or services in communities. These restrictions impede access and are almost always anticompetitive. In a report on health care competition, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice found that “on balance, CON programs are not successful in containing health care costs, and…they pose serious anticompetitive risks that usually outweigh their purported economic benefits.”[10] States should eliminate these types of policies.

States Should Lead the Way

The future of Obamacare remains uncertain. Higher premiums, exploding costs, and deteriorating coverage could ultimately lead to its downfall. Its repeal would pave the way for patient-centered, market-based reforms, and states should be ready to lead the way.

—Nina Owcharenko is Director of the Center for Health Policy Studies and Preston A. Wells Jr. Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

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The Supreme Court Will Hear A Republican Party Lawsuit To Make Citizens United Even Worse

Billionaire casino mogul and major GOP donor Sheldon Adelson

The Supreme Court’s election-buying decision in Citizens United v. FEC enabled wealthy corporations to spend unlimited money to change the course of American elections, and a subsequent lower court decision gave the green light to super PACs funded by unlimited donations from millionaires, billionaires and corporations. Today, the Supreme Court announced it would hear another case — brought by none other than the Republican National Committee — that would go even further towards transforming American democracy into the Wild West.

Despite recent election-buying decisions permitting unlimited donations to super PACs and other groups that exist independently of campaigns and political parties, federal law still limits individual donations to candidates and to the parties themselves. In the next election cycle, these limits include a $2,600 cap on individual donations to a single candidate, and an overall limit of $123,200 in contributions to candidates, political party committees and similar organizations. The Republican Party’s lawsuit seeks to eliminate most of these limits on election-buying — most importantly, by removing the $123,200 cap on total contributions.

As the unanimous lower court decision upholding this cap explained, removing it would corrupt our election system even more by allowing billionaires to launder as much money as they want through political party committees to individual candidates:

Eliminating the aggregate limits means an individual might, for example, give half-a-million dollars in a single check to a joint fundraising committee comprising a party’s presidential candidate, the party’s national party committee, and most of the party’s state party committees. After the fundraiser, the committees are required to divvy the contributions to ensure that no committee receives more than its permitted share, but because party committees may transfer unlimited amounts of money to other party committees of the same party, the half-a-million-dollar contribution might nevertheless find its way to a single committee’s coffers. That committee, in turn, might use the money for coordinated expenditures, which have no “significant functional difference” from the party’s direct candidate contributions. The candidate who knows the coordinated expenditure funding derives from that single large check at the joint fundraising event will know precisely where to lay the wreath of gratitude.

Significantly, this opinion was written by Judge Janice Rogers Brown, who is one of the most conservative judges in the country. Brown previously authored an opinion suggesting that all labor, business or Wall Street regulation is constitutionally suspect, and she once compared liberalism to “slavery” and Social Security to a “socialist revolution.”

As a lower court judge, however, Brown was also required to follow Supreme Court precedents. The five conservative justices who gave us Citizens United, by contrast, are not.

View the original article here

Remarks by the President at Presentation of 2012 Presidential Citizens Medals

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

East Room

11:30 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, everybody.  Please, please have a seat.  Well, it is a pleasure to welcome some of our nation’s finest citizens here to the people’s house.  And let me be the first to congratulate each of you and your family members for the receipt of the highest honor a civilian can receive –- the Citizens Medal. 

We host a lot of events at the White House but I have to admit this is one of my favorites, because it’s a moment when, as a people, we get to recognize some extraordinary men and women who have gone above and beyond for their country and for their fellow citizens -- often without fanfare; often with not a lot of attention; very rarely for any profit.  You do it because it’s the right thing to do, because you want to give back.  And today, we honor you.  We celebrate you.  And, most of all, we have a chance to say thank you.  Because all of us are what the rest of us aspire to be. 

In America, we have the benefit of living in this big and diverse nation.  We’re home to 315 million people who come from every background, who worship every faith, who hold every single point of view.  But what binds us together, what unites us is a single sacred word:  citizen. 
It’s a word that, as I said in my State of the Union Address, doesn’t just describe our nationality or our legal status, the fact that we hold a passport.  It defines our way our life.  It captures our belief in something bigger than ourselves -- our willingness to accept certain obligations to one another, and to embrace the idea that we’re all in this together; that out of many, we are one.  It’s the thing that Tocqueville noticed about America when he first came to visit -- these folks participate, they get involved, they have a point of view; they don’t just wait for somebody else to do something, they go out there and do it, and they join and they become part of groups and they mobilize and they organize.

That’s who we are, that’s in our DNA.  That’s what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America.  We’ve all got busy lives.  We’ve got bills to pay.  We’ve got kids to carpool, errands to get done.  And in the midst of all the running around, it would be easy -- and even understandable -- for folks to just focus on themselves, to worry about our own lives, to look down the street and see a neighbor in need and say, “I’d like to help but I’ve got problems of my own.”  To look across town at a community that’s in despair and say, “That’s just too big a challenge for us to be able to take on.” 

That’s not who we are.  That’s not what we do.  That’s not what built this country.  In this country, we look out for one another.  We get each other’s backs, especially in times of hardship or challenge.  It’s part of the reason why applications to AmeriCorps are at an all-time high.  That’s why volunteering in America is at the highest level it’s been in years.  And I know that makes Harris proud to hear. 

Harris Wofford has devoted his entire life to creating opportunities for Americans to serve.  And the reason it’s such a privilege for me to share the stage with him and all the others who are participating here today, is because you’ve taken commitment to a whole new level.  Every day, you’re out there righting wrongs.  Healing hurts.  Changing lives.  

And when Janice Jackson was hit by a car at the age of 24, she was told by her doctors that the only thing she would ever move again were her shoulders.  After suffering an injury like that, nobody would have faulted Janice for just focusing on herself.  But as she recovered, and she regained her strength, she resolved to give some of that strength to others in need.  Janice said that “from a wheelchair, I decided to devote my life to women with disabilities…to tell them that even though you have limitations, you also have abilities.”  And every day through her mentorship and through her advocacy, that’s exactly what she’s doing.

When Adam Burke returned from Iraq, he had more than earned the right to just focus on himself.  He had served our nation with honor; a recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds he received while rescuing a comrade from enemy fire.  Because of that attack –- because of the shrapnel that tore through his head and his legs –- when Adam came home, he came home a wounded warrior, suffering from a traumatic brain injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  But a few years later, Adam found himself back on the family farm, and he noticed that working the land was therapeutic.  His coordination improved.  He was able to put aside his cane.  So he decided to use farming to help other veterans with similar injuries see similar benefits.  And by starting Veterans Farm, he’s doing that every day. 

When Jeanne Manford learned that her son Morty had been badly beaten up at a gay rights demonstration, nobody would have faulted her for bringing him home, holding him close, just focusing on her child.  This was back in 1972.  There was a lot of hate, a lot of vitriol towards gays and lesbians and anyone who supported them.  But instead, she wrote to the local newspaper and took to the streets with a simple message:  No matter who her son was -- no matter who he loved –- she loved him, and wouldn’t put up with this kind of nonsense.  And in that simple act, she inspired a movement and gave rise to a national organization that has given so much support to parents and families and friends, and helped to change this country.  We lost Jeanne last month, but her legacy carries on, every day, in the countless lives that she touched.

And then when Dawn Hochsprung, and Mary Sherlach, Vicki Soto, Lauren Rousseau, Rachel D’Avino, Anne Marie Murphy -- when they showed up for work at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14th of last year, they expected a day like any other -- doing what was right for their kids; spent a chilly morning readying classrooms and welcoming young students -- they had no idea that evil was about to strike.  And when it did, they could have taken shelter by themselves.  They could have focused on their own safety, on their own wellbeing.  But they didn’t.  They gave their lives to protect the precious children in their care.  They gave all they had for the most innocent and helpless among us.  

And that's what we honor today -- the courageous heart, the selfless spirit, the inspiring actions of extraordinary Americans, extraordinary citizens. 

We are a nation of 315 million people.  Out of all these folks, around 6,000 were nominated for this medal.  And today, you're the ones receiving it not just for what you do, but for what you represent -- for the shining example that you set every single day and the inspiration that you give each of us as fellow citizens, including your President. 

So congratulations to the recipients.  And now, I would like our military aide to read the citations. 

MILITARY AIDE:  The Presidential Citizens Medal recipients:

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton.  (Applause.)  As one of America’s most respected voices on child development, Dr. Brazelton has dedicated his life to transforming pediatric care.  His pioneering work has given generations of parents the chance to take control of their children’s health from day one.  Alongside his duties as a researcher and educator, he fought to secure some of the 20th century’s essential safeguards for families, including guaranteed maternal leave.  For his tireless advocacy on behalf of families everywhere, the United States honors Dr. T. Berry Brazelton.  (Applause.)

Adam D. Burke.  (Applause.)  During his ninth year of service in the Army, Adam Burke was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder after saving a comrade from a mortar blast in Iraq’s Sunni Triangle.  He received a Purple Heart for his heroism.  Unwilling to stop serving his country, he turned his family farm into Veterans Farm, a space for wounded warriors to heal by working the land and finding stability on friendly soil.  The United States honors Adam D. Burke for his extraordinary service to his country and fellow members of the 9/11 Generation.  (Applause.)

Mary Jo Copeland.  (Applause.)  Driven by her faith and a fierce commitment to her community, Mary Jo Copeland has spent more than a quarter-century lifting up the underserved.  Alongside her husband, she grew Sharing and Caring Hands from a small storefront operation in downtown Minneapolis into a charity that provides thousands of men, women and children the chance to live in health and dignity.  Her unyielding vision for stronger neighborhoods has inspired people nationwide, and her compassion for the poor and the marginalized speaks to the depth of the human spirit.  The United States honors Mary Jo Copeland for sparking hope in those who need it most.  (Applause.)

Michael Dorman.  (Applause.)  When Michael Dorman saw disabled veterans struggling to secure the opportunities they had given so much to preserve, he knew he had to act.  A 20-year veteran of the Coast Guard, he founded Military Missions in Action to help veterans with disabilities live independently and support those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.  His organization has completed more than 100 home improvement projects across the state of North Carolina and shipped thousands of care packages to service members in the line of duty.  The United States honors Michael Dorman for his exceptional service to our Armed Forces and our Nation.  (Applause.)

Maria Gomez.  (Applause.)  Born in Colombia and brought up in Washington, D.C., Maria Gomez has dedicated her life to providing high-quality health care to the community that raised her.  Guided by her vision, Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care has delivered exceptional outcomes to disadvantaged populations for more than two decades.  Her organization’s integrated approach to medicine, education and social services extends a lifeline to tens of thousands every year, giving families across the D.C. region a chance at a brighter future.  The United States honors Maria Gomez for sharing her strength with the underserved.  (Applause.)

Pamela Green-Jackson.  (Applause.)  As Pamela Green-Jackson mourned the loss of her only brother to obesity-related illness, she vowed to honor his memory by saving others from the same fate.  The result, Youth Becoming Healthy, has equipped young men and women in Georgia schools with the knowledge and opportunity they need to get a strong start in life.  Pamela’s dedication to combating childhood obesity reaffirms our belief that as a nation, we have no higher calling than caring for our children.  For putting our sons and daughters on the path to better health, the United States honors Pamela Green-Jackson.  (Applause.)

Janice Yvette Jackson.  (Applause.)  After Janice Jackson was struck by an oncoming car when she was 24 years old, doctors told her she would never be able to move her limbs again.  Battling against the odds, she regained control of her left arm and reached for the promise of the years ahead.  As a mentor, a counselor and the founder of Women Embracing Abilities Now, she has drawn from the depth of her experience to empower women with disabilities and advocate passionately on their behalf.  The United States honors Janice Yvette Jackson for turning personal adversity into a powerful force for change.  (Applause.)

Patience A. Lehrman.  (Applause.)  A first-generation immigrant from Cameroon, Patience Lehrman embodies what it means to be an American citizen.  Recognizing that immigrants have always made our country stronger, she has worked to make America a land of greater opportunity for all who call it home.  Under her leadership, Project SHINE has helped thousands of aging immigrants and refugees build deeper ties to their communities by connecting them with college students nationwide.  The United States honors Patience A. Lehrman for reaffirming the truth inscribed on our nation’s seal:  that out of many, we are one.  (Applause.)

Accepting on behalf of Jeanne Manford, her daughter Suzanne Swan.  (Applause.)  In an era when peaceful protests were met with violence and coming out was a radical act, Jeanne Manford knew she had to stand by her son, Morty.  Side-by-side, they marched proudly down the streets of New York on Stonewall’s anniversary, calling upon other parents of gay and lesbian Americans to show their children the same love and acceptance.  Jeanne’s courage lives on in progress she fought for and in PFLAG, the organization she founded, which today claims more than 200,000 members and supporters in over 350 chapters.  For insisting that equality knows no bounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, the United States honors Jeanne Manford.  (Applause.)

Billy Mills.  (Applause.)  As a boy growing up on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Billy Mills rose above adversity by dedicating himself to a dream.  He realized the height of his ambition at the 1964 Tokyo Games, where he ran what was then the fastest 10,000 meters in Olympic history.  Since then, Billy has spent 26 years lifting other young men and women toward their aspirations through Running Strong for American Indian Youth.  His organization has championed wellness and unlocked opportunity in Native American communities across our country.  The United States honors Billy Mills for inspiring young people to find the best in themselves.  (Applause.)

Terry T. Shima.  (Applause.)  During World War II, Terry Shima served in the Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which became the most decorated unit of its size in American history.  Responsible for securing the 442nd’s legacy, Terry ensured that returning heroes received a welcome befitting their service and sacrifice.  As the Executive Director of the Japanese American Veterans Association, he committed himself to preserving the stories of servicemembers who fought and bled overseas, even while many of their families were relocated to internment camps at home.  For strengthening the sacred trust between America and its veterans, the United States honors Terry T. Shima.  (Applause.)

Harris Wofford.  (Applause.)  Harris Wofford has spent more than 50 years empowering ordinary citizens to make extraordinary change.  A friend to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and an advisor to President John F. Kennedy, Harris fought alongside civil rights leaders to end segregation and advance the march of justice.  During his time at the White House, with the Peace Corps, as a Senator, and leading the Corporation for National and Community Service, he gave generations of Americans the chance to serve their country.  The United States honors Harris Wofford for upholding national service as one of our Nation’s highest causes.  (Applause.)

The Presidential Citizens Medal is awarded to Rachel D’Avino, Dawn Hochsprung, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, and Victoria Soto for dedicating themselves to their students and to the community of Newtown, Connecticut.  Some had been at Sandy Hook Elementary School for only weeks; others were preparing to retire after decades of service.  All worked long past the school bell to give the children in their care a future worth their talents.  On December 14, 2012, unthinkable tragedy swept through Newtown, etching the names of these six courageous women into the heart of our nation forever.  The United States honors Rachel D’Avino, Dawn Hochsprung, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, and Victoria Soto for their extraordinary commitment to the students of Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Accepting on behalf of Rachel D’Avino -- her mother, Mary D’Avino and sister, Sarah D’Avino.  (Applause.)

Accepting on behalf of Dawn Hochsprung -- her daughter, Erica Lafferty, and mother, Cheryl Lafferty.  (Applause.)

Accepting on behalf of Anne Marie Murphy -- her husband, Michael Murphy, and daughters, Paige and Colleen Murphy.  (Applause.)

Accepting on behalf of Lauren Rousseau -- her parents, Terry and Gilles Rousseau.  (Applause.)

Accepting on behalf of Mary Sherlach -- her husband, Bill Sherlach, and daughters, Katy Sherlach and Maura Schwartz.  (Applause.)

Accepting on behalf of Victoria Soto -- her parents, Donna and Carlos Soto.  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Let me close by just saying a few words of thanks -- first of all, to Wendy and all the people at the Corporation for National and Community Service, thank you for all that you do to make our communities and our country stronger.  We’re very grateful. 

To those who nominated these outstanding individuals -- thank you for taking the time to share their stories.  The competition was stiff.  And your words gave life to their work.

To all the family and friends who are here celebrating with the winners, thank you for the love and support that you provide to them every single day, because they couldn’t do what they do unless somebody had that love and support for them.  I know the awardees would agree that this honor belongs not just to themselves but to everybody who supports them.

And finally, to the winners of this year’s Citizens Medal, we want to congratulate you once again.  A special note just to the families who are here from Sandy Hook -- we are so blessed to be with you.  I’ve gotten to know many of you during the course of some very difficult weeks.  And your courage and love for each other and your communities shines through every single day.  And we could not be more blessed and grateful for your loved ones who gave everything they had on behalf of our kids. 

On behalf of a grateful nation, thanks to all of you for showing us what it means to be a citizen of this country that we love.  Hopefully, we will all draw inspiration from this and remember why it is that we’re lucky to be living in the greatest nation on Earth.  Thank you all for coming and enjoy the reception.  (Applause.)

END
12:02 P.M. EST

The two leaders discussed the world economy and President Obama's plan to pursue a U.S.-European Union free trade agreement, which was mentioned in his State of the Union address earlier this week.

Here’s a quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov.

Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, answers questions from the public about immigration reform and President Obama's State of the Union Address in an “Open for Questions” session moderated by Elianne Ramos from LATISM.

view all related blog posts

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President Honors Late PFLAG Founder With Citizens Medal

Today, President Obama awarded the Presidential Citizens Medals to several recipients, among whom was the late Jeanne Manford, who publicly defended her gay son and founded Parents, Friends, & Family of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to advocate for other gay sons. Here is what Obama said about her in his remarks:

When Jeanne Manford learned that her son Morty had been badly beaten up at a gay rights demonstration, nobody would have faulted her for bringing him home, holding him close, just focusing on her child.  This was back in 1972.  There was a lot of hate, a lot of vitriol towards gays and lesbians and anyone who supported them.  But instead, she wrote to the local newspaper and took to the streets with a simple message:  No matter who her son was — no matter who he loved –- she loved him, and wouldn’t put up with this kind of nonsense.  And in that simple act, she inspired a movement and gave rise to a national organization that has given so much support to parents and families and friends, and helped to change this country.  We lost Jeanne last month, but her legacy carries on, every day, in the countless lives that she touched. [...]

Accepting on behalf of Jeanne Manford, her daughter Suzanne Swan.  (Applause.)  In an era when peaceful protests were met with violence and coming out was a radical act, Jeanne Manford knew she had to stand by her son, Morty.  Side-by-side, they marched proudly down the streets of New York on Stonewall’s anniversary, calling upon other parents of gay and lesbian Americans to show their children the same love and acceptance.  Jeanne’s courage lives on in progress she fought for and in PFLAG, the organization she founded, which today claims more than 200,000 members and supporters in over 350 chapters.  For insisting that equality knows no bounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, the United States honors Jeanne Manford.  (Applause.)

The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian award, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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President Obama to Honor Recipients of the 2012 Citizens Medal

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Recipients from across the country will visit the White House to receive Presidential award for exemplary service to their fellow citizens

WASHINGTON, DC – On February 15, 2013, President Obama will welcome to the White House the recipients of the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor.

“It is my distinguished honor to award these individuals the 2012 Citizens Medal for their commitment to public service,” said President Obama. “Their selflessness and courage inspire us all to look for opportunities to better serve our communities and our country.”

This event will be open press and begin at 10:45AM ET.  Members of the media who wish to cover this event must send NAME, MEDIA OUTLET, PHONE AND EMAIL for each person planning to cover the event to media_affairs@who.eop.gov by Wednesday, February 13th at 5:00 PM ET.  If we are able to accommodate your request for credentials, we will send a confirmation with further instructions and logistical details after the RSVP deadline passes.

NOTE: Members of the media who do not have a White House hard pass must also submit their full name (including middle name), date of birth, Social Security number, gender, country of birth, country of citizenship and current city and state of residence. 

The Citizens Medal was established in 1969 to recognize American citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. President Obama is recognizing Americans whose work has had a significant impact on their communities but may not have garnered national attention. The President called on members of the public to nominate people in their lives who have performed exemplary deeds of service outside of their regular jobs, including individuals:

Who have a demonstrated commitment to service in their own community or in communities farther from home. Someone who has engaged in activities that have had an impact in their local community, on a community or communities elsewhere in the United States, or on fellow citizens living or stationed around the world.

Who have helped their country or their fellow citizens through one or more extraordinary acts. Individuals who have demonstrated notable skill and grace, selflessly placed themselves in harm’s way, taken unusual risks or steps to protect others, made extraordinary efforts to further a national goal, or otherwise conducted themselves admirably when faced with unusually challenging circumstances.

Whose service relates to a long-term or persistent problem. Individuals who have made efforts to combat stubbornly persistent problems that impact entire communities; for example, those who have taken innovative steps to address hunger, homelessness, the dropout crisis, lack of access to health care, and other issues that plague too many Americans.

Whose service has had a sustained impact on others’ lives and provided inspiration for others to serve. The ideal nominee for a Citizens Medal is a person whose work has had a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of others.

For more information on the President’s Citizens Medal and to nominate someone for the 2013 Citizens Medal, visit www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmedal.

Nearly 6,000 public nominations were submitted, and the President has selected the following awardees:

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton (Boston, Massachusetts)
Brazelton is one of the foremost authorities on pediatrics and child development as well as an author and professor. One of Brazelton’s best known achievements was the development of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS), which is now used worldwide to recognize the physical and neurological responses of newborns, as well as emotional well-being and individual differences. In 1993, he founded the Brazelton Touchpoints Center® (BTC) at Boston Children’s Hospital where he continues to promote strengths-based, family-centered care in pediatric and early education settings around the world. 

Adam Burke (Jacksonville, Florida)
Burke is an Iraq combat veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart which he received for injuries occurred by a mortar attack while running combat operation in Iraq. In 2009 he opened "Veterans Farm," a 19 acre handicap-accessible farm that helps teach veterans of all ages how to make a living from the find healing in the land. He has been awarded numerous accolades for his work, including the 2011 Good Person of the Year award from the Good People Foundation and the Star of Honor from Work Vessels for Veterans.

Mary Jo Copeland (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Copeland founded Sharing and Caring Hands in 1985, which has served as a safety net to those in the Minneapolis area through the provision of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical and dental assistance.  Sharing and Caring Hands assists thousands of people a month, and is staffed almost entirely by volunteers. Copeland, who currently receives no salary for her work, has served as its director since its opening and still greets every client entering the center and conducts intake interviews.

Michael Dorman (Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina)
Dorman is the founder and executive director of Military Missions in Action, a North Carolina-based non-profit that helps veterans with disabilities, both physical and mental, achieve independent living.  All veterans who have served are eligible to receive services including home modification, rehabilitation and family assistance.  Since 2008, the organization has completed more than 100 home modification projects and shipped thousands of care packages to soldiers.

Maria Gomez (Washington, DC)
Gomez founded Mary’s Center 25 years ago with the mission to build better futures through the delivery of health care, family literacy and job training. Mary’s Center is part of the working group launching First Lady Michelle Obama's “Let's Read Let's Move Campaign.” Prior to establishing Mary’s Center, Maria was a public health nurse with the D.C. Department of Health. She has also worked for the Red Cross, directing community education programming and disaster services, and with the Visiting Nurses Association. She currently serves as Regional Representative for the South East to the National Council of la Raza, and previously served two terms on the board of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. 

Pamela Green Jackson (Albany, Georgia)
Green Jackson is the Founder and CEO of the Youth Becoming Healthy Project (YBH), a non-profit organization committed to reducing the epidemic of childhood obesity through nutrition, fitness education and physical activity programs.  YBH was created in memory of Pamela Green Jackson's only brother, Bernard Green, who died in 2004 from obesity-related illnesses. YBH provides resources for during and after school wellness programs for elementary and middle school students as well as a summer wellness camp where the students learn about exercise, nutrition and can participate in martial arts, walking club and dance programs. 

Janice Jackson (Baltimore, Maryland)
Jackson is the creator and program director of Women Embracing Abilities Now, (W.E.A.N.) a nonprofit mentoring organization servicing women and young ladies with varying degrees of disabilities.  She is also a professor at The University of Baltimore. Jackson has actively advocated on behalf of people with disabilities and currently serves on the board of directors for The League for People with Disabilities, the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics at the University of Baltimore, and The Image Center of Maryland. She also serves on the Community Advisory Council at the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute, and is a counselor at Kernan Rehabilitation Center. She has also founded two support groups, We Are Able People (W.R.A.P.) and Women On Wheels & Walking (W.O.W.W.).

Patience Lehrman (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Lehrman is an immigrant from Cameroon and the National Director of Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders), an immigrant integration initiative at the Intergenerational Center of Temple University. SHINE partners with 18 institutions of higher learning, community-based organizations, and county and city governments across the country. SHINE engages college students and older adults to provide language and health education, citizenship and civic participation lessons to immigrant communities. Lehrman also mentors inner-city high school students, provides free meals to low-income children in the summer and serves as an election official.  She holds three Masters Degrees from Temple University.

Jeanne Manford  (Queens, NY)
Manford and her husband, Jules, co-founded in 1972 a support group for parents of gay children that grew into the national organization known as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).  Manford had always supported her son Morty, but was inspired to act after the police failed to intervene while Morty was beaten and hospitalized during a Gay Activists Alliance demonstration in April 1972. In the years that followed, Manford continued to march and organize, even after losing Morty to AIDS in 1992.  Today, PFLAG focuses on creating a network of support and advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.  Manford passed away in early January at the age of 92.

Billy Mills (Fair Oaks, California)
Mills co-founded and serves as the spokesman for Running Strong for American Indian Youth, an organization that supports cultural programs and provides health and housing assistance for Native American communities.  Mills gained prominence during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, when he unexpectedly won a Gold Medal in the 10,000 meter run.  Today, he remains the only American to ever win this event. At the time Mills competed in the Olympics, he was a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. After the Olympics, Mills, an Oglala Lakota, was made a warrior by his tribe. In 1986, Mills and Eugene Krizek, president of Christian Relief Services, joined forces to found Running Strong.

Terry Shima (Gaithersburg, Maryland)
Shima was drafted into the US Army on October 12, 1944 as a replacement for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This unit was composed of Japanese Americans who volunteered for combat duty. In November 2011, the US Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal collectively to the 442nd RCT, the 100th Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service. Shima served as Executive Director of the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA), a nonprofit organization that publicizes and assists Japanese American military veterans and their families, from 2004 to 2012 and is now chair of its Outreach and Education Committee.

Harris Wofford (Washington D.C.)
Wofford served as a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1991 to 1995, and from then to 2001 was the chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. From 1970 to 1978 he served as the fifth president of Bryn Mawr College. He is a noted advocate of national service and volunteering. He began his public service career as counsel to the Rev.Theodore Hesburgh on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and was an early supporter of the Civil Rights movement in the South in the late 1950s. He became a volunteer advisor and friend of Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1961, Kennedy appointed him as special assistant to the President for civil rights. He was instrumental in the formation of the Peace Corps and served as the Peace Corps' special representative to Africa and director of operations in Ethiopia. On his return to Washington in 1964, he was appointed associate director of the Peace Corps. In 1966 he became the founding president of the State University of New York's College at Old Westbury.

Rachel Davino, Dawn Hochsprung, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, and Victoria Soto (Newtown, Connecticut)
On December 14, 2012, the names of six courageous women were forever etched into the heart of our Nation as unthinkable tragedy swept through Newtown, Connecticut.  Some of these individuals had joined Sandy Hook Elementary School only weeks before; others were preparing to retire after decades of service.  All had dedicated themselves to their students and their community, working long past the school bell to give the children in their care a future worthy of their talents.

President Obama urges Congress to act to avoid a series of harmful and automatic cuts—called a sequester—from going into effect that would hurt our economy and the middle class and threaten thousands of American jobs.

Here's quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov.

Vice President Biden's Chief of Staff Bruce Reed sat down with us to give us a quick update on the work the President and Vice President have been doing since the President released his plan to reduce gun violence.

view all related blog posts

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GOP Secretary Of State: Allowing Citizens To Register On Election Day Undermines Their ‘Individual Freedoms’

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R)

Giving citizens the flexibility to register to vote (or update their existing registration if they’ve recently moved) on Election Day actually chips away at Americans’ “individual freedoms,” according to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R).

During a panel discussion on voting at the conservative Heritage Foundation on Thursday, Kemp lambasted the idea of same-day voter registration. Ten ideologically diverse states, from Idaho to Wisconsin to California, have enacted the program, also known as Election Day registration. By removing barriers to voting and making it easier for citizens to register, studies have found that EDR boosts turnout on average by 7 to 14 percentage points.

Kemp dismissed EDR as a “buzzword” that is as an affront to Americans’ right not to participate in elections. “[It] really gets down to the individual freedoms of people in our state and Americans in general and their ability to decide for themselves, ‘yes I want to register to vote and participate in the process, or no that I don’t,” Kemp said.

KEMP: I think we do have to have commonsense protections to make sure that our rolls are secure to stop potential voter fraud. This whole issue with dealing with the federal government and universal registration and same-day registration and all these different buzzwords really gets down to the individual freedoms of people in our state and Americans in general and their ability to decide for themselves, “yes I want to register to vote and participate in the process, or no that I don’t.”

Watch it:

There are countless problems with our voting system, but infringing on Americans’ right to not vote is not one.

Regardless, Kemp’s assertion that EDR somehow compels citizens to vote is ludicrous. The law simply allows those citizens who want to to register on Election Day.

In fact, Georgia, as much as any state, could benefit from EDR. In 2012, the Peach State ranked 33rd out of 50 states with a voter turnout of 58 percent. Meanwhile, five of the top six voter turnout states have EDR.

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Citing Citizens United, Federal Appeals Court Blocks Access To Birth Control

On Friday, a divided panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in an order joined by two conservative Republican appointees, temporarily immunized a company from the Obama Administration’s rules guaranteeing that employer-provided health plans cover birth control. Judge Ilana Rovner, a George H.W. Bush appointee, dissented.

The order is brief, and it mostly deals with the most significant issue in this case in just a single paragraph — holding that a for-profit corporate employer can claim that its religious liberties were somehow violated:

[T]he government’s primary argument is that because K & L Contractors is a secular, for-profit enterprise, no rights under RFRA are implicated at all. This ignores that Cyril and Jane Korte are also plaintiffs. Together they own nearly 88% of K & L Contractors. It is a family-run business, and they manage the company in accordance with their religious beliefs. This includes the health plan that the company sponsors and funds for the benefit of its nonunion workforce. That the Kortes operate their business in the corporate form is not dispositive of their claim. See generally Citizens United v. Fed. Election Comm’n, 130 S. Ct. 876 (2010). The contraception mandate applies to K & L Contractors as an employer of more than 50 employees, and the Kortes would have to violate their religious beliefs to operate their company in compliance with it.

As a matter of current law, this decision is wrong. As the Supreme Court explained in United States v. Lee, “[w]hen followers of a particular sect enter into commercial activity as a matter of choice, the limits they accept on their own conduct as a matter of conscience and faith are not to be superimposed on the statutory schemes which are binding on others in that activity.” Lee established — with no justice in dissent — that religious liberty does not allow an employer to “impose the employer’s religious faith on the employees,” such as by forcing employees to give up their own rights because of the employer’s objections to birth control.

Nevertheless, the Seventh Circuit’s citation to Citizens United is an ominous sign. Lee was decided at a time when the Court understood that corporations should not be allowed to buy and sell elections. That time has passed, and the precedents protecting against corporate election-buying were overruled in Citizens United. It is not difficult to imagine the same five justices who tossed out longstanding precedent in Citizens United doing the same in a case involving whether employers can impose their religious beliefs on their employees.

It is likely that we will know soon whether those five justices are prepared to do so. The Seventh Circuit’s decision is at odds with a decision out of the Tenth Circuit, and the Supreme Court typically agrees to hear cases where two federal appeals courts disagree.

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Thousands Of L.A. Citizens Choose Groceries Over Handguns

(Photo Credit: Rick Loomis/ Los Angeles Times)

Thousands of Los Angeles’ citizens lined parking lots yesterday in a chance to exchange their guns for groceries in a city-organized buyback program. The event, normally an annual Mother’s Day event, was pushed up to Wednesday by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT.

City officials offered up to $100 in gift cards to a local grocery chain for rifles, handguns, and shotguns, with assault weapons fetching more, up to $200 in cards. Despite moving the date, turnout was extremely high, with the two parking lots where the buybacks took place finding themselves overcrowded at times by eager sellers. In fact, the city found itself surpassing last year’s total of 1,673 guns by yesterday afternoon:

Many came bearing more than one gun. They pulled 22 pistols from the trunk of one white Honda, a haul that earned the driver $1,000.

Two men in a pickup truck with two children in the back seat handed over a rifle, a pistol and a MAC-12, altered with a silencer.

While the majority of the guns retrieved were handguns and other small-scale weapons, at least “a few dozen” assault weapons were taken off the streets as well. One of the first guns purchased in the buyback was a Bushmaster rifle of the same model as those used in the Conneticut shooting and a planned attack in New York where two firefighters were targeted and killed.

Since its inauguration in 2009, the gun buyback program has purchased over 8,000 guns from L.A. citizens, according to Mayor Villaraigosa. While gun buyback programs are not the most effective way to lower gun violence, they do reduce the supply of firearms in a community. Several other communities will be running their own in the near future, including Newtown’s neighboring city Bridgeport.

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The "Don't You Love the citizens United case?" Friday Open thread.

I mean, I personally love the citizens United case. Aside from greeting free speech it seems a positive stimulus for creativity. Check out these latest Spy spoof of American crossroads, with Barack Obama starring as the almost-urban secret agent trying to fumble-finger the rest of us in giving our missile defense plans:

For the record: no, really, Vladimir Putin really does go parade around shirtless, and on a horse. (Bolero) Apparently it plays well in Russia.  As well as planning to give away the store on missile defense; that should cheer the President.  At least the notion is popular somewhere...

Open thread.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

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