Witnesses, including Marcia Angell, M.D Senior Lecturer in Social Medicine Harvard Medical School, Geri Jenkins, R.N. Co-President California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, Walter Tsou, M.D., M.P.H. National Board Advisor Physicians for a National Health Program, testify about proposals for a single-payer health care option before House HELP Subcommittee.

I have the video of it up at ePluribus Media.

I have the rest of the town hall here.

In my email inbox from COMA-CT: Another national call in day in support of H.R. 676. But before you do, we all want you to take a minute and dig through your drawers for some of your your insurance papers if you have any. With emphasis on paperwork showing these death dealers denials of service:

So on March 10th, 2009, we will host a deluge of activity in support of HR 676.

We ask that you join with thousands of others to call Congress and fax your health insurance bill or letter of denial to your Congresspersons.

If you don't know your Congresspersons, or want a script and sample fax coversheets, all of the information you need is on our National Call-In Day page.

They have additional information and resources at the Healthcare-NOW! site. And please remember to blank out personal information like your Social Security number. You don't want your activism to result in identity theft.

This is not a single payer diary, but it does provide insight into some of the problems Doctors face and is worth clicking over to read the entire piece:

Hot off the front page of the burnt orange...

More proof we are a center-right nation from CNN:

Seventy-two percent of those questioned in recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey say they favor increasing the federal government's influence over the country's health care system in an attempt to lower costs and provide health care coverage to more Americans, with 27 percent opposing such a move. Other recent polls show six in 10 think the government should provide health insurance or take responsibility for providing health care to all Americans.

From my email inbox to you - and a job to be had in D.C., if you are interested:

Last week President Obama spoke to the nation and said he wants healthcare reform within a year! We do too. But we want it done the best way, the simple way, the economical way, the humane way - the HR 676 single-payer way!  Read more…

On Single Payer Healthcare

As a candidate you have promised to treat issues in a truly bipartisan manner. On most issues this has clearly been the case.

Single payer is the one single issue that transcends all politics of the American people and they are almost all (65%) clearly in agreement with.

We all want single payer health care.

In the last couple of years I have seen fundraisers for 4 local people in order to pay for their health care because either their insurance refused to cover legitimate costs or they had absolutely zero coverage.   Read more…

Below is hijacked in its entirety from DrSteveB at dKos:

Celebrate Lincoln's birthday by supporting single-payer healthcare.

Thursday, February 12th is the third National Call-In Day to support real universal national health care, single-payer healthcare, HR 676!

Call Congress and the White House. Every call counts!

 An excerpt from the smackdown...

Our current system is failing the patients. People are having to choose between feeding their families, paying their bills, or filling their prescriptions. Copays and other fees are so high that even people with health insurance are opting not to see a physician. Further, the most simple, cost-effective, and efficient medical procedures, such as check-ups, physicals, and other preventative measures, are being forgone for more expensive, reactive treatments.

Via SarahLee, and over at dKos:

First:

Listen to the Thom Hartmann Show on today. During the first hour, Thom will talk with Senator Bernie Sanders, who was a cosponsor of H.R. 676 when he was in the House. During the second and third hours, Thom will talk about how we can get single payer through Congress. And he'll ask everyone to do two things on Friday:

Call Congressman James Clyburn and ask him to whip his colleagues for H.R. 676: (202) 225-3315.

Call your own Congress Member and ask them to cosponsor and promote H.R. 676: (202) 224-3121.