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Susan Lane and the Better Birth Coalition are working hard to bring Minnesota the best in evidence-based birth options.
Read more of what Susan says about the Better Birth supported bills in Minnesota by clicking the link "Read More"
This article share's messages from Susan Lane, Chair of the Minnesota Better Birth Coalition. Content is posted and arranged by Gail Tully, webhostess for MinnesotaBirth.com Read Susan's general letter at the very end.
"Add
all your county, state and federal representatives to your address
book, perhaps make them a group, and make it a weekly habit to send
them information about better birth. This is not hard. It's what we all can do. Four Bills [were] introduced to promote evidence-based maternity care. Here are "posts" concerning the process to get them heard at the 2009 legislation.
"Good news! Representative Huntley allowed an
amendment to his health care bill that will move HF 1800 forward, the VBAC bill
that prevents plans/insurers from denying coverage or raising premiums to women
solely on the basis of a previous cesarean. The bill will now go to the
House floor, and if it passes there, it goes on to the Governor." Susan asks us to Thank the Legislators today.
More from Susan on 4-19-09 :
Please TODAY if possible thank the
following legislators if you live in their
district
(it would be
especially good if Huntley could get four or five calls/emails from home today -
he is the most powerful person in the House on health care, and this was a big
departure from his usual support of the health plans) Remember, if you
have friends or family in one of these four districts you can ask them to send
the thanks.
Representative Huntley:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
;
651-296-2228 District 7A (mostly east Duluth and part of
north)
Thank Tom for allowing the amendment to his bill,
HF 1703, preventing health policy discrimination against the 19,500 women who
have cesareans in Minnesota each year.
Rep. Abeler
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;
651-296-1729; District 48B (Anoka, and Anoka county west of Andover and north of
Dayton)
Thank Jim for introducing amendment A2 to HF
1703, preventing health policy discrimination against the 19,500 women who
have cesareans in Minnesota each year.
Rep. Julie Bunn,
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; 651-296-4244;
District 56A (Bayport, Oak Park Heights, Lake Elmo, Lakeland,
Baytown)
Thank Julie for speaking in favor of the A2
amendment to HF 1703, preventing health policy discrimination against the 19,500
women who have cesareans in Minnesota each year.
And as ALWAYS, thank Rep Carolyn Laine,
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,
651-296-4331; District 50A (Columbia Heights,
Hilltop, west part of Spring Lake Park and Fridley)
Thank Carloyn for her support on the doula and VBAC
bills. Carolyn carries - is the chief author of - our bills in the House,
and it's a lot of work, a lot of time.
This is not the end. There may be opposition
from the floor. So if you live in Margaret Kelliher's district, 60A, email
her and ask for her help to pass HF1703 WITH the VBAC amendment; ask her
how you can help. She understands VBAC - she did it herself!
District 60A is Kenwood, the area around Cedar Lake
and most of Bryn Mawr. Her email is
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
and her phone is 651-296-0171.
There is still activity around the doula bill and
the birth center bill as well. It ain't over until the pregnant lady
sings! :)
3-30 through 4-1-09: Hi. Better Birth Advocates, We MUST MUST
MUST get a hearing in the House on this bill, (it has passed all Senate
committees with ease). We need to get it on
the schedule THIS WEEK. Hard, but do-able if you help NOW. The only way
to get a hearing is to swamp the members with calls and convince them
this is a quick, non-controversial bill (it is). So here's what to say
(roughly, or edit as you see fit), and here's who to call and email
(do both).
We have one passing bill [the continuous presence of a doula is the right of all birthing women who want one], two pending bills [the birth center bill and protecting cesarean mothers right to continue to obtain insurance coverage], and two being written for next session (the other VBAC bill with amendments, and the "wish list" bill). Not bad at all for a new organization [MN Better Birth Coalition]. Pretty great, I'd say.
Cesarean should not be a pre-existing reason to deny insurance coverage
Senate File 1469 (House File 1800) is the VBAC bill about insurance denials and rates for women who have had cesareans. This bill has passed the necessary Senate committees, and can go to the House Health Policy committee next February.
It was suggested that we could attach it to the doula bill up for the third and final reading of that bill, but that could cause the doula bill, which is not presently controversial, to be defeated. So it's wiser to let it wait and finish it next year. We'll have more time to build support in the House.
From March 31st:
ONLY THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE DISTRICTS BELOW SHOULD CONTACT THEIR LEGISLATOR [as of 4-2-09].
If you aren't sure who is your legislator or if you live exactly in one of the districts, go to <http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/>
Click on "Member Information" to get the contact info, or if you're not sure if you live in the district listed, click on "Who Represents Me." Representatives listed need to be contacted by people who live in their district who are
willing to say they support a hearing and passage of the bill. In other words, it does little good for me to contact Jeff Hayden because I don't live in his district. He needs to hear from people who can vote for him, the people he is there to represent.
But my girlfriend lives in his district and she has had a cesarean, so I asked her to call Jeff and tell him this means a lot to her. Calls and emails from your friends, clients, and family members [in the following districts] are as good as gold.
Dear (name of legislator),
Please make time to hear and pass HF1800 which would prevent insurers from denying coverage or raising rates for women who have had cesareans. It took only ten minutes for each of the Senate committees to pass this bill, and it was unanimous in Commerce. As one Senator said, "It's becoming a 'pre-existing condition to be a woman."
This has happened to more than one Minnesota resident and many across the nation. Five other states have passed this legislation. 19,500 women have cesareans each year in Minnesota. [With] 37% of birthing women get MA or MN Care funding, as many as 10,000 privately insured women in Minnesota experience cesarean birth EACH YEAR. To eliminate their coverage or discriminate with higher fees just because of their birth experience is unjust. Please protect women who have had surgical birth from further harm. Make time to hear and pass the bill. Thank you.
Name
Address (essential that it be in their district!)
Phone/email
Susan adds, If you emailed regarding the birth center bill, thank them and ask for one more act on behalf of women giving birth. Feel free to add your comments or story, AFTER you write and say why you're contacting them. Always make your request first, and give background second. Here's the list again, and remember, it shows approximate areas. You need to check to be sure. Please help!
Paul Thissen, chr District 63A Far south Mpls and Richfield (parts of each)
Jim Abeler District 48B Anoka and surrounding
Laura Brod District 25A New Prague and surrounding
Julie Bunn District 56A Lake Elmo and surrounding
Tom Emmer District 19B Delano and surrounding
Patti Fritz District 26B Faribault and surrounding
Paul Gardner District 53A Shoreview and surrounding
Steve Gottwalt District 15A St. Cloud and surrounding
Jeff Hayden District 61B South central Minneapolis
Tom Huntley District 7A Duluth (part of)
Tim Kelly District 28A Red Wing and surrounding area
Carolyn Laine District 50 A Columbia Heights and surrounding area
Tina Liebling District 30A Rochester area (part of)
Dianne Loeffler District 59A Northeast Minneapolis
Tara Mack District 37A Apple Valley area (part of)
Erin Murphy District 64A St. Paul (part of)
Kim Norton District 29B Rochester (part of)
Maria Ruud District 42A Minnetonka and surrounding areas
Cy Thao District 65A St Paul (part of)
Paul Torkelson District 21B between Nelson township and New Ulm
The women and a number of the men on this committee will respond, I believe. Contact them now, please. We have to do every little bit to help women giving birth, one step at a time. This one is justice.
Thanks, Susan Lane You have my permission to forward this email.
Birth Center Bill
[The actions of the House Health Policy committee cause the birth center (HF 1795) bill to go to Civil Justice, unless the bill goes back to the floor to have the liability amendment removed.]
4-1-09
How things change overnight! It seems that Rep. Mullery, chair of the Civil Justice committee, agrees that this bill should not have section 5 (releasing/limiting liablitily for hospitals and physicians in transfer situations) and so two process alternatives have been presented which are being discussed with Rep Ruud, the House author:
1. By agreement with Rep Huntley, chair of House Health Finance, Ruud will take the bill back to the floor with Sec 5 amended out, a move to recall (from Civil Justice) and re-refer (to Health Finance, Huntley's committee). (Rep Huntley is very powerful. He's like Berglin in the Senate - if it's ok with Huntley it passes.) Then it would go to Huntley's committee and back to the floor. This could begin as early as tomorrow's full House session. or
2. The bill will go to Civil Justice on Monday, pre-agreed to pull Sec 5 and in a flash will be referred to Huntley's committee, Health Finance. The Civil Justice committee prefers option 1, because it's extra work for them to hear it even if it only takes a minute, and it shouldn't have gone there in the first place.
Either way, the bill will go to Health Finance. There it may be amended to match the Senate bill, amended some other way, or passed without Sec 5 and sent to conference committee. That is, if Huntley agrees.
It could also still be placed in either the Senate or House omnibus bills or both. Somewhere along the line the differences between the Senate and House versions have to be ironed out.
Go ahead and call/email your Senator and Representative and let them know you support passage of a birth center bill.
3.25.09
Great committee hearing tonight (3.25.09) - a virtual love
fest of CNMs, CPMs, doulas, moms - even a doctor and the legislators.
Birth Center Bill passes but because of added language about liability, it must
now go to House Civil Justice. This is a law committee, not concerned with
health, only liability issues. I am working on appropriate
testimony.
Meanwhile, if you are coming to the VBAC
hearing today or to the meeting tomorrow night, please call email in
the AM if you can so I know what/whom to look for.
The hearing is in Room 110 Capital in the
afternoon. It starts at 12:30, but we are middle agenda. I
will be there at 12:30 but think it's a safe bet to come closer to 1:30.
Senate Hearing on VBAC bill SF 1469 with
Commerce Committee, Room 110 of the Capital Building. Our bill is in the
middle of the agenda, unlike before 1:30 but likely before 3:30. Again,
anyone who can come should come.
Meeting from 7-8 PM at Wellness Center is
ON. Better Birth members and others wanting to be involved in strategizing
next moves should be there. Much will need to be done to keep these bill
moving in our direction. This time we can be prepared ahead of time!
3.24.09 New House File for Birth Centers: Please email and call your House of
Representatives member today in support of HF 1795, which would establish birth
centers in Minnesota. This bill must pass this committee or it could be
dead until 2011.
All you have to say is that you support the
creation of freestanding birth centers run by midwives in Minnesota, or even
just that you support HF1795. Parents and friends can email/call
as well.
Go to http://www.house.leg.state.mn.
us/ and
click on Member information on the left hand side of the screen to find out who
represents you. Email them immediately and also call and leave a
voice message or talk to whomever answers the phone. Of course, add any comments you have.
If you'd like, you can copy your email to Maria Ruud, the House author,
with your thanks. Her email is
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. All of the
legislators can be contacted by addressing an email to your Representative and adding the
first name dot, last name dot @house.mn. Use the list below if
you live in those districts. Legislators on the committee are most important to
contact. These are:
Paul Thissen, chr
District 63A
Far south Mpls and Richfield (parts of
each)
Jim Abeler
District
48B Anoka
and surrounding
Laura Brod
District 25A
New Prague and surrounding
Julie Bunn
District 56A
Lake Elmo and surrounding
Tom Emmer
District 19B
Delano and surrounding
Patti Fritz
District
26B Faribault and
surrounding
Paul Gardner
District 53A
Shoreview and surrounding
Steve
Gottwalt District
15A St. Cloud and
surrounding
Jeff Hayden
District
61B South central
Minneapolis
Tom Huntley
District
7A
Duluth (part of)
Tim Kelly
District
28A Red Wing and
surrounding area
Carolyn Laine
District 50
A Columbia
Heights and surrounding area
Tina Liebling
District 30A
Rochester area (part of)
Dianne Loeffler
District 59A
Northeast Minneapolis
Tara Mack
District 37A
Apple Valley area (part of)
Erin Murphy
District 64A
St. Paul (part of)
Kim Norton
District 29B
Rochester (part of)
Maria Ruud
District 42A
Minnetonka and surrounding
areas
Cy Thao
District
65A St Paul (part
of)
Torkelson
Paul District
21B between Nelson
township and New Ulm
Forward this email to clients who might have liked
the choice of a birth center for their births. The bill can be amended if
anyone has concerns, but it is supported by the American Association of Birth
Centers. It's a great new possibility for birthing women. No one
would be forced to go to a birth center, but it would be a choice for birth for
low-income women as well as women who can afford to pay.
From 3.13.2009
"The first hearing is on 5:30 this Monday at the Capital, probably in the room right below the rotunda (15).
There are two VBAC bills, the two issues are separate, and the birth
center bill. It's possible all could pass. We will need to testify at
many hearings - possible six for each of the bills. (That's 18 hearings
in the next month!) If we organize now it will save time later. We need
some folks to testify now, some to see the process, know the rap, and
be ready for the next hearings. This is it, kids. This is a VERY BIG
DEAL for birthing women, for midwifery, and probably for doulas, too.
It would be good to have a crowd.
Please invite any friends, clients, etc. Kids are ok, but unlike Monday
they will have to be quiet or taken out so judge your own little guys.
There is room to move about however, both in and out of the hearing
room. The bill requires that midwives be CNMs (ACNM certified) or CPMs (NARM certified) and if CPMs then be state
licensed, which is consistent with the APHA and AABC regulations. The
bill, like all bills, isn't perfect but it's very good. Paula and Clare
reviewed the language today with the author, and both are comfortable
with it. "
See the article, Come to the Capitol to read which bills Susan is referring to.
Also from Susan:
The doula bill is Senate File 0401 and has passed
the Senate. It should pass the House any day now, maybe Friday. It
has cleared the committees. It does require that doula certification be
current in order for the client to have a right to continuos care. A CPM
called the Senate and had that added. So get those CEUs!!
The birth center bill is getting a hearing next
Monday in the Senate. It's Senate File 0780. It's looking good for
passage of this bill, but it has a long way and many hearings (maybe six or
eight) to go.
The VBAC bills are Senate File (SF) 1468 and SF
1469. The latter requires all hospitals to allow VBACs.
I recommend that if you are interested you register
at the legislature's web site for "MY Bills" using these numbers. Then
you'll get an email any time something happens!
You can call or email your representatives to urge
passing of these bills. I will be contacting some of you who have
representatives on the committees hearing the bills as the hearing dates come
up, so I may ask you to contact them more than once - and that is great.
They like to hear from you!
We especially need those of you who are Republican
to contact the Governor and any Republican representatives you vote for to urge
their vote, and let them know this is NOT a DFL issue just because DFL senators
have introduced these bills. Most of the members of DONA and also the Minnesota
Better Birth Coalition live in the metro, which is how we get so many DFL
sponsors. But these are definitely bi-partisan bills. Jim Abeler,
R-Anoka, always supports us.
Send any questions my way. Thanks for
sticking up for choices for birthing women! Hope your births are going
well!
Susan Lane, DONA State Representative
Convener, MN Better Birth
Coaltion
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Susan Lane's general letter to our birth activist community:
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Hi,
Just a note about health care legislation. We
- the Minnesota Better Birth Coaltion and Minnesota DONA, have been tracking
four bills this session.
But there are 214 bills in the Senate alone
relating to health care, and 51 introduced by Senator Berglin, the state and
national legislative authority on health care legislation.
I recommend that instead of cruising Facebook
everyday, every other day you take a minute to go to Minnesota Legislature, clic
on bill search, clic by author Berglin or by topic Health, and read a few.
You can then check the status of the bill by following the leads. The
names of the bills will pop out at you -it's easy to see the ones you care
about.
We should all be concerned about how we will get
and pay for our health care. These decisions are being made in our state
legislature, in accordance with the rules of the federal
legislature.
The reason we need to know is that we can
change what seems wrong to us. We have to have priorities, but while
our coaltion will focus on birth, if there are other areas that interest you,
it's easy to find the groups that are supporting or opposing the legislation in
those areas.
Let's start being good citizens and good stewards
of the health and enviroment that our kids will inherit. It's not so
hard. If you believe women should be informed about birth, how about we
become informed about a lot of things that affect our kids?
Start with the power source, not your favorite
health or political website. Those are essential, but second. First
find out what's actually happening now. Then go for the info to form your
opinion, then make your voice heard. 1.2.3. for woman power.
If you have time for Facebook and games, don't you
also have time for this?
Democracy only works if it's participatory.
Stand for what you believe, and learn how to do so effectively.
Actually, it's pretty fun when we do it
together.
Susan
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