Citizen Action Weekend E Newsletter, October 13th – 15th
Citizen Action is hiring Deep Canvass Field Organizers in Green Bay and Milwaukee.
For more information contact Priscilla Bort at [email protected]
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Day of Action: Health Insurance Companies profiting from denial of claims is making us sick.
Healthcare Insurance companies have been making us sick in the Driftless Co-Op area so we organized a rally to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for our citizens.
On Sept. 28th we held our Conversation About Healthcare in the Driftless event where we shared our healthcare stories (I should say nightmares). We discussed local healthcare system billing issues like incorrect coding and surprise and improper billing. We also talked about the greedy insurance corporations that are denying claims and not authorizing proper care because they put profits over care.
This event was just the beginning! We are forming a local healthcare action team that will be working on local issues as well as supporting our statewide efforts on Healthcare, including raising awareness about the BadgerCare Public Option Bill soon to be announced by Rep. Christina Shelton of Green Bay.
At Citizen Action of WI – we don’t just talk about change – we take action for change. Several of our newly formed healthcare team members traveled to Waukesha on Oct 11th for our National Day of Action. We joined other Citizen Action members from around the state and other organizations around the country in demanding answers from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. We took our signs, a demand letter, shared our stories and made some noise. Driftless member Lori Toso was front and center sharing her claim denial story.
The Wisconsin action was one 15 nationally targeting insurance company denials of care for profit.
Watch video of Wednesday’s Blue Cross/BlueShield action in Waukesha.
Thanks to Wyatt Molling and Lori Toso for joining me on this Day of Action. Also a big thank you to those members on our team who couldn’t make this action but were supporting us from back home. I look forward to the local actions we are planning closer to home in the Driftless.
If you are interested in joining our Driftless Healthcare Action Team or would like to support our work through a sustaining membership, please call me, email me or find out more here.
Kristie Tweed, Driftless Co-Op Organizer; 608-317-1331, [email protected]
Watch video of Citizen Action member Nancy Wilson who attended the Healthcare Day of Action.
Nancy is a former Milwaukee area healthcare worker who says she regularly fought with insurance companies who denied the claims of her patients that should have been covered.
Citizen Action North Side Rising Organizing Coop has busy week!
North Side Rising’s Leadership Meeting successfully drew a large crowd to hear more about our Climate Equity work. In the photo, NSR Energy Burden Organizer, Keviea Guiden, explains the issue of energy burden while presenting energy saving hardware to members.
The average energy burden is 2.5% for majority white neighborhoods in Milwaukee, compared to 5% for majority Black neighborhoods and 5.3 percent for majority Hispanic/Latinx neighborhoods.
Members are in full support of the implementation of MKE’S Climate Equity Task Force Recommendations and the MPS Green Resolution. Both would focus dollars on “green” jobs and workforce development programs created to accomplish tree planting, tree maintenance, de-paving, landscaping and establishment of green infrastructure. As small business owners and tradesmen in particular, they have hands-on experience in window and door replacement, insulation, and construction and remodeling.
As father’s they want to see job opportunities in their community. They want to take on blight in their neighborhoods.
Most importantly, these men are committed to work and teaching those skills to their youth. And all left with energy-saving shower heads they will install in the homes of family, friends, and their customers and neighbors while they educate on energy savings.
To get involved contact: Valerie Ricks, 414-416-3348, [email protected]; or, Keviea Guiden, 414-841-3839, [email protected].
Citizen Action North Side Rising members attend PSC public hearings to oppose We Energies two year 15% rate hike.
Citizen Action Northwest Co-op member Chris Hambuch-Boyle recognized with Justice Ally Award
Citizen Action Northwest Organizing Co-op member Chris Hambuch-Boyle is known statewide as an ally to many progressive groups and causes and is pictured here outside the state capitol earlier this year fighting for BadgerCare Expansion at WISDOM’s Madison Action Day. Chris was the recipient of the first annual Justice Ally Award, during a celebration October 8th in Eau Claire, hosted by WISDOM affiliate JONAH.
She is a retired speech and language pathologist and early childhood special education teacher, and is also a former president of the Eau Claire Area Board of Education. Chris works as the Northwest Regional Organizer for Wisconsin Public Education Network, and Citizen Action’s Northwestern Organizing Co-op is a proud network partner.
Upcoming Events in the Citizen Action Northeast Organizing Co-op
Sarah Godlewski will be in Appleton next week for a social at the Outagamie County Democrats office! Come on out to meet Sarah, eat some pizza, and learn more about the Secretary of State’s office. The event is on Monday, October 16th at 5:30pm.
Join Citizen Action’s Northeast Co-op for a Climate Action Team meeting to discuss local Green Bay and statewide climate work and its importance in the upcoming 2024 elections. This event will be held over Zoom on Tuesday, October 24th at 7:00pm.
Citizen Action in the News
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on the Earl Ingram Show for the full hour to discuss the atrocities taking place in Israel and Gaza, and other breaking national and state news.
Listen to “Understanding History” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
After reflecting on the tragic and horrifying war in Gaza and Israel, we dig into the latest news on the GOP threat to impeach Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz before she rules on a single case. Will the opposition of two former GOP State Supreme Court Justices who were advising Assembly Speaker Robin Vos deter him from pursuing an illegal impeachment?
Next, we turn to the on-going drama over the massive public subsidy sought by the ultra-rich owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. State Senator Chris Larson joins us to tell us about pressure Gov. Evers’ office is applying to Legislative Democrats to support Robin Vos’ stadium plan.
We welcome State Representative Francesca Hong to hear about her experience at the Assembly “public hearing” on the GOP stadium plan last week in West Allis. We also have an in depth conversation about Representative Hong’s new legislation directing school boards to provide instruction on Hmong Americans and Asian Americans in our public schools. Representative Hong talks passionately about her personal experience growing up in a state where many people she encounters don’t know her history and culture, showing the critical importance of the bi-partisan legislation.
Listen to the show