Watch the ad online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwK9bkkUOr0

Read the report here: http://hcfan.3cdn.net/c822d50a3375e2e9d3_tym6ib6pp.pdf

New TV and radio campaign highlights Sen. John Sununu's support for leaving Granite Staters alone to fight private insurance companies.

Concord, NH – Today, New Hampshire Health Care for America Now (HCAN) debuted a new television ad and released a corresponding report demonstrating that Republican John Sununu is NOT on the side of quality, affordable health care for all.

HCAN sent Senator Sununu and his Democratic opponent Jeanne Shaheen a sign-on form asking, "Which Side Are You On?"- the side of guaranteeing quality, affordable health care we all can count on or the side that advocates leaving us alone to fend for ourselves in the complicated, unregulated insurance market?

See a pdf of the sign-on here: http://hcfan.3cdn.net/517370ec1fddf45044_vbm6ivw3d.pdf

Jeanne Shaheen sent a letter to HCAN indicating she is committed to quality, affordable health care for all. Senator John Sununu did not reply.

HCAN decided to look at John Sununu's record to see if we could figure out why he would not commit to supporting quality, affordable health care, and the reason became clear. Senator Sununu's positions and policies place him squarely on "the other side"—the side of leaving us alone to fight for ourselves against the private insurance industry.

"In 2009, we will either have a guarantee of quality, affordable health care we all can count on, or we will continue to be at the mercy of the private health insurance industry that is charging us more, giving us less, and putting company profits before our health," said John J. Thyng Jr., NH HCAN Coordinator. "John Sununu has clearly chosen to put the interests of the health insurance and pharmaceutical industry over the health of Granite Staters."

"Senator Sununu has been consistently on the side of the insurance and drug companies," said John J. Thyng Jr. "He has voted against bringing drug costs down for seniors by allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. He voted for a bill that virtually eliminates the ability of states to regulate health insurance practices, and he supports high-deductible health plans which shift the risk of health care costs from insurance companies onto individuals and families."

HCAN is running the TV campaign in six Congressional races (MN-3, MI-7, MO-9, IL-11, FL-8, and NY-29) and one Senate race (New Hampshire) across the country. See the attached script for the TV ad.

Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is a national grassroots campaign organizing millions of people in America to win a guarantee of quality, affordable health care for all. We are grounded in organizations that can mobilize people at work, at home, in their neighborhoods, and online. We're bringing together more than 275 organizations that represent community-based groups, nurses, doctors, small business owners, faith-based groups, groups representing people of color, and seniors who believe it's time we had an American solution that provides quality, affordable health care for everyone. .

Health Care for America Now ("HCAN"), a section 501(c)(4) issue advocacy organization, is a broad coalition of nonprofit and political organizations that are working to promote quality, affordable health care for all Americans. HCAN and each of its members conducts and funds only activities appropriate to its tax and election law status.

CHICAGO, IL - Today, the Obama-Biden campaign released a new 30 second TV ad, “Can’t Explain”, which highlights health care in the debate last night. In the ad, which features footage from the debate, Joe Biden sheds light on the truth about John McCain’s health care plan, telling America that McCain pays for his health care plan by taxing your health care benefits, and he calls that, “the ultimate bridge to nowhere.”

The Ad-"Can’t Explain"

"Can’t Explain" will air across the country on national cable beginning today.

Click HERE to watch "Can’t Explain."

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Division of Family Assistance (DFA) is being recognized for improvements to its Food Stamp Program (FSP). The Federal Food Stamp Program will be awarding DHHS with a performance bonus totaling $330,456.

"Allowing children, seniors and others to go to bed hungry is not an acceptable option,” stated DHHS Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas. “This recognition is a tremendous accomplishment for DFA and is a testament to the dedication of our staff who work tirelessly on behalf of the people they serve.”

"This performance bonus recognizes states who improve access to the food stamp program from among low income people who are eligible for it," said DFA Director Terry Smith. "This is the second time we've won an award like this. In 2002, we were awarded more than a million dollars for increasing the food stamp participation rate of eligible families with children."

The mission of the food stamp program is to serve as a nutritional safety net for low-income people. To measure its mission outcomes, in 1998 New Hampshire's FSP conducted an analysis of how many people were eligible for food stamps versus how many actually participated. This was the first time such a study had been conducted. Six months after submitting it to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, federal authorities came out with their own national study on participation and began providing high performance awards for this new category.

"New Hampshire set a standard for program management that has been adopted as a national model. Since submitting that first program analysis in 1998, the rate of eligible New Hampshire people participating in food stamps has improved steadily every consecutive year. We're the only state in the Northeast who can claim that," stated Smith.

Currently 32,325 households participate in the Food Stamp Program in New Hampshire. All benefits are federally funded and amount to nearly $70 million a year in New Hampshire. The maximum food stamp benefit is about $4.50 per person per day, or a bit over a dollar per meal. Food Stamps can only be used to purchase food; tobacco, alcohol, paper products, or other non-food items are not allowed.

Note: All future public schedules will work on a 9-day, as opposed to a 7-day, period. The schedule will start on Saturday and end on the following Sunday. For example, this week’s schedule will start on Saturday, September 27, and run until Sunday, October 5. The next schedule sent will start on Saturday, October 4, and run until Sunday, October 12.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

12:00 p.m. – New Horizons for New Hampshire “Empty Bowl Event;” Brookside Congregational Church; 2013 Elm St.; Manchester

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

10:00 a.m. – Press conference with the Greater Manchester Chapter of the American Red Cross; Aldermanic Chambers; One City Hall Plaza; Manchester (Contact Leslie Schaffer at the Red Cross for more information – 603-624-4307)

Thursday, October 2, 2008

5:00 p.m. – AARP Divided We Fail press conference; University of New Hampshire-Manchester; 400 Commercial St.; Manchester (Contact Steve Griffin at AARP for more information – 603-621-1003)

Friday, October 3, 2008

1:30 p.m. – Manchester Community College Automotive Center Groundbreaking; 1066 Front St.; Manchester

Saturday, October 4, 2008

11:00 a.m. – Breast Cancer Awareness Month; Mall of New Hampshire; 1500 South Willow St.; Manchester

12:00 p.m. – Engine Company 7 100th Anniversary celebration; 679 Somerville St.; Manchester

Sunday, October 5, 2008

12:00 p.m. – Manchester Fire Department parade; Elm Street; Manchester

Please contact Mark Laliberte at (603) 624-6500 or mlaliberte@manchesternh.gov for more information about any of these events.

Michelle’s Law legislation would ensure students don’t have to maintain full-time status as a condition of coverage

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sept. 25, 2008 – Full-time college students facing a medical emergency are closer than ever to having protections in place so they can keep their insurance coverage, regardless of enrollment status. The Senate today approved Michelle’s Law (H.R. 2851), which would allow some seriously ill college students to take up to 12 months medical leave without the risk of being dropped from a parent's insurance plan.

The bill is named after Michelle Morse, who was a student at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. After being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004, she was forced to remain a full-time student while undergoing debilitating chemotherapy treatment just to stay on her family’s insurance. She ultimately lost her battle to the disease.

“Far too many seriously ill college students are forced to make an incredibly difficult and unfair choice between education and well-being,” said Daniel E. Smith, president, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “This bill will help preserve health insurance coverage for these students so they can focus on their treatment without the added burden of a full-time course load. We thank the Senate for their support of this issue and urge President Bush to sign this bill into law when it reaches his desk.”

The bill would require students to provide written documentation from a medical professional explaining the need for the temporary medical leave and would only apply to full-time students who are already dependents on a health plan. The bill would not require insurance companies to cover any new procedures or new individuals – it just prevents them from dropping coverage.

“Ensuring access to quality health care for all Americans, including college students, is essential to winning the fight against cancer,” said Laura J. Hilderley, RN, MS, volunteer chair of the ACS CAN board. “Enacting legislation that protects health insurance coverage for seriously ill college students is a step toward achieving this goal.”

If enacted, Michelle’s law could benefit an estimated 2,400 college students who will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan partner advocacy organization of the American Cancer Society, dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.