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Today's
Topics:
1. 07NR10 - MRF News Release - HIPAA Call to Action (
mrfnews@mrf.org)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 4 Sep
2007 11:54:44 -0400 (EDT)
From:
mrfnews@mrf.orgSubject: [Mrfnews] 07NR10 - MRF News Release - HIPAA Call to Action
To:
mrfnews@mrf.org,
mrfnews2@mrf.orgMessage-ID: <
27166.68.99.254.31.1188921284.squirrel@www.mrf.org>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts
Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)
HIPAA Call to Action
With Congress poised to return today from a sleepy month off from
Washington,
it's a great time to call or e-mail your federal legislators
and remind them to support HR 1076 and S 616, the two pieces
of
legislation filed on behalf of motorcyclists to fix the discriminatory
loopholes in the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act
(HIPAA). These two pieces of legislation are currently sitting in
committee before both
bodies of Congress. The Motorcycle Riders
Foundation (MRF) encourages you to contact your Senators and
Representatives
this week.
The HIPAA loophole mentioned above allows employer-sponsored health
insurance plans to deny payments
for particular injuries that stem from
any risky recreational behavior. Another wrinkle is that the employer can
determine
what behaviors they want to define as risky. Some have refused
payment of hospital bills for injuries as common as
sprained ankles
resulting from jogging. And although it is a legal form of transportation
subject to taxes, tolls
and licensing fees, for some reason motorcycling
is specifically mentioned in HIPAA as a hazardous recreational activity.
Support
for HR 1076 and S 616 has been growing recently, and we have the
State Motorcyclists' Rights Groups (SMROs) to thank.
Grassroots activism
on this issue has been growing, and this spring saw a swell of SMROs
visiting Washington DC to lobby
for this issue directly. A quick glance
of the congressional supporters reveals that those states that visited DC
are
responsible for the bulk of the co-sponsors on the House bill.
Writing, phoning and e-mailing your elected officials
is important, but of
course nothing drives an issue home better than a face-to-face visit with
your elected officials.
Can't make it to Washington? Not enough vacation
time or extra cash for airfare? Why not schedule a visit with
your
federal elected officials on their home turf in their district offices.
If you can't meet directly with an official,
ask to meet with an aide.
Not sure what to say when you contact your legislator? There is a wealth
of information
about this issue on the MRF website going back several
years, and you can always call the MRF office in DC to discuss federal
motorcyclists'
rights issues before meeting with a legislator. And of
course, you should also contact your SMRO for guidance and
assistance
before visiting your legislators.
Congress is flipping over the closed sign and resuming business this
week,
so make it a point to contact your legislators in the very near future.
They have a lengthy (for Washington)
work period with no more formal
breaks until target adjournment at the end of October. With continuing
support
from motorcyclists and SMROs nationwide, as well as our partners
in DC, we can get this discriminatory loophole fixed.
You
can reach the US Captiol Switchboard and your Member of Congress at
202 224 3121.
==========================================================
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subscribe or unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit
http://www.mrf.org/subscribe.phpRide With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at
http://www.mrf.org/join.phpor call 1-202-546-0983
Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the Minds
conferences.
Visit our website at
http://www.mrf.org/events.php for
further details and registration information.
Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship
fund today. For complete details, visit
http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.
Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by visiting
http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available to MRF members
and non-MRF members.
(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted.
Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based,
national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization
to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively
to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion
the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.
The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and
the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal
and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides
members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and
national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF
REPORTS.
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