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Honoring Our Veterans

November 8, 2013
Enewsletters

Dear Friend,

Monday, November 11th, is Veterans Day, when we recognize the sacrifices made by our nation’s more than 22 million living Americans who have distinguished themselves through their service in uniform and honor all of the heroes who have served this country throughout the years. The bravery and devotion that they have shown throughout our history have helped build this great country, and each of us owes them—and their families—a debt of gratitude.

Annual Veterans Day Luncheon
Bringing More Competition to the Memphis Airport
Recovering from 2011’s Severe Floods
Helping Memphis Get Covered
Remembering JFK
Medicare Open Enrollment
Keeping More Newborns Alive
Electronics Recycling Drive
Grant Announcements

Annual Veterans Day Luncheon

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As in years past, I will be hosting my annual Veterans Day luncheon from 11AM to 1PM on Monday at BRIDGES in Memphis. BRIDGES is located at 477 N. 5th Street. If you are a Ninth District veteran, I would like to invite you to attend my luncheon and I hope to see you there for good company, good food, and to receive the respect and thanks that you deserve. Also, just before my luncheon on Monday, I will attend the Memphis VA Medical Center’s Veterans Day Parade.

Bringing More Competition to the Memphis Airport

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This Monday, I visited Memphis International Airport to celebrate the beginning of Southwest Airlines’ new service in our city. The airline is bringing six new non-stop routes to Memphis and will offer more than 80 connecting destinations—that means more competition, better options, and hopefully lower prices for Mid-South consumers. While our city’s relationship with Delta Airlines has been a source of disappointment and frustration in recent years, things are beginning to look up for Memphis travelers.

Recovering from 2011’s Severe Floods

Our community sustained terrible damage in the severe storms of 2011, and many Ninth District citizens still need help rebuilding their lives. On Tuesday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development approved Shelby County’s disaster recovery plan, paving the way for the County to receive more than $7.4 million in federal funding for its recovery efforts. This funding will go a long way towards helping our city and the rest of Shelby County recover from the natural disaster that still affects many families in our region.

Helping Memphis Get Covered

All Memphians should have quality health coverage. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in Tennessee’s Health Insurance Marketplace thanks to the President’s landmark Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums in the Marketplace.

If you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year, you’re already covered and won’t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren’t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee’s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open for six months, but you can go online to www.healthcare.gov today to check out your options.

The Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the government shutdown didn’t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the ‘donut hole.’ Health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents’ insurance plan.

In recent weeks, there have been reports of citizens having difficulty successfully using the Marketplace website. Many of these reported problems have already been resolved and there are people working around the clock to fix the problems that remain on the website. But the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit Seedco Mid-South for in-person help. Seedco is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341.

Next week, Seedco will also be hosting two town hall meetings with Mayor A C Wharton to answer questions about the Marketplace and help Memphians enroll in it. On Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, they will host a town hall meeting at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library on Poplar and from 5:30 to 7:00PM on Thursday, you can attend their town hall meeting at Golden Gate Cathedral, located at 3240 James Road. If you have any other questions, you should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131.

Remembering JFK

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Next week, WKNO Public Television will air “American Experience: JFK,” a two-part profile of one of our nation’s most beloved presidents. Last week in Washington, I had the opportunity to see an advance screening of the film with John Seigenthaler who, in addition to being a well-respected Tennessean, was a close friend of the Kennedys. If you are interested in the life and times of President John F. Kennedy, I recommend you taking the time to watch or record this profile next week. The first part will air at 8PM on Monday night, and part two will air at 8PM Tuesday.

Medicare Open Enrollment

Medicare Part D enrollment for 2014 is now open and will run until December 7th. The Aging Commission of the Mid-South will be sponsoring several enrollment workshops in the 9th District to assist seniors in enrolling in next year’s plans. All that you have to bring is your Medicare card and prescriptions. Be sure not to miss out on this great opportunity to lower your monthly pharmacy costs. For dates, times, and locations of the workshops please click here.

Keeping More Newborns Alive

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A few days ago, the New York Times ran a story about one aspect of the Affordable Care Act that many people don’t know about: the landmark health care reform law could help prevent the deaths of infants around the country. Though our nation once lost fewer infants than most other industrialized nations, in 2010 we fell behind most of the industrialized world. Because the Affordable Care Act now ensures broader access to prenatal care for pregnant women in this country, many women at higher risk of premature births—who are often minorities—will have improved health care and we could see a quantifiable decrease in our nation's infant mortality soon. The New York Times story is definitely worth a read.

Electronics Recycling Drive

Next Friday between 3 and 6:30 PM, an electronics recycling drive will be held at the Central Station pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. If you have any electronics that you need to dispose of but that should not be recycled or thrown in the trash (such as computers, TVs, cell phones, DVDs and other items), I hope you will bring them to the recycling drive next week.

Grant Announcements

I regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th District. The announcements are updated regularly on my website.

As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
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Steve Cohen
Member of Congress

Issues:9th DistrictChildren and FamiliesEnvironmentHealth CareMemphisScience and TechnologyTransportationVeterans' Affairs