October News & Events

Features from this month’s Nebraska Appleseed newsletter:

• SAVE THE DATE: Medicaid expansion hearings happening near you
• Foster youth deserve access to all supportive services and programs like their peers
• Nebraskans Aim to Lower Payday Lending Interest Rates from 404% to 36%
• We’ll see you at the Good Apple Awards on October 10
• Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace begins next month

SAVE THE DATE: Medicaid expansion hearings happening near you!

You have a chance to use your voice. Tell the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) what your concerns are on their proposed Medicaid expansion plan, also known as an 1115 waiver.

DHHS is holding four public hearings on the following dates and locations:

• October 29 in Scottsbluff
• October 30 in Kearney
• November 7 in Norfolk
• November 12 in Omaha

DHHS is proposing to reduce coverage options for Nebraskans eligible for Medicaid expansion and implement complex and costly work requirements.

TAKE ACTION

Testify at a hearing or submit a comment. Stay tuned for more information on exact locations and times for each hearing and how to submit a comment online. For additional updates, you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Your voice is needed to make sure Medicaid expansion is implemented as voters intended.

Do Not Waiver. Stand for Medicaid Expansion.

Foster youth deserve access to all supportive services and programs like their peers

Today, our Child Welfare team represented our clients before the Nebraska Supreme Court in the cases, E.M. v. NE DHHS et al. and J.S. v. NE DHHS et al.

The cases seek to ensure that all foster youth are eligible for Nebraska’s extended foster care program, also known as the Bridge to Independence Program, regardless of immigration status. Once in the program, they should have access to medical coverage like their peers.

We will update you when a Court decision on each case is announced.

Nebraskans Aim to Lower Payday Lending Interest Rates from 404% to 36%

Last month, Nebraska Appleseed joined a coalition of Nebraskans to file a ballot measure that would lower annual interest rates on predatory payday loans to 36 percent.

In Nebraska, payday lenders currently charge over 400 percent annual interest on loans that are designed to trap people in long-term cycles of debt. Though the loans are marketed as short-term, borrowers are commonly unable to meet the unaffordable terms and end up paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees over time, falling further behind on their bills and often losing bank accounts or even filing bankruptcy.

“Many in our state are dealing with financial struggles and living paycheck to paycheck. Rather than helping consumers, payday lenders make things worse for hardworking families. This measure would stop these predatory lenders from inflicting serious financial harm on people who are already struggling to get by,” said James Goddard, Appleseed’s Economic Justice Program Director.
The next step is to gather the necessary signatures from Nebraskans to get the measure on the 2020 ballot.

For more information or to connect with coalition partners contact Julia Tse with Voices for Children at (402) 597-3100 or jtse@voicesforchildren.com

We’ll see you at the Good Apple Awards next Thursday!

Great News! The Good Apple Awards is now officially sold out!

We’re only one week away from our annual fundraiser happening next Thursday, October 10, 2019 at the historic Livestock Exchange Building Ballroom in south Omaha.

At the Good Apple Awards, we’ll reflect on the progress we’ve made as a community in the past year, and lift up a special group of advocates and organizations, each of whom exemplify what it means to fight for justice and opportunity for all Nebraskans. This year’s honorees include:

Click here to Donate in honor of our Good Apple Awards honorees.

To inquire about a spot on the waitlist, please contact Edgar Reynaga at ereynaga@neappleseed.org or (402) 438-8853 x127.

Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace begins next month!

It’s almost time! Open Enrollment 2019 begins next month, Friday, November 1 and runs through Sunday, December 15. New Census data shows that there’s a growing number of uninsured individuals across the U.S., which is why our Enroll Nebraska team is preparing to help Nebraskans find affordable coverage for you and your family.

Free application assistance for the Marketplace and Medicaid is available in most parts of the state and by phone. Find locations and enrollment assisters using Enroll Nebraska’s locator or by calling 2-1-1 toll-free anywhere in the state.

Stay up to date with Appleseed by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Strengthen Appleseed’s fight for a just society