Visible Vigils for Health Care Reform

The next two months will be critical in the shaping of health care bills in the U.S. Congress. We want to let our Congressmen know that Rhode Islanders support meaningful health care reform, a strong national health care option (“Medicare-For-All”). We are holding “Visible Vigils” across the state every Tuesday evening between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. from September 15 until November 17th.

September 20th – 27th, 2009

Join us in Washington D.C. September 24th, 4:30 pm
for the
3rd Annual Health Care Justice Vigil

In solidarity with American Patients United's 3nd Annual Health Care Justice Vigil in Washington DC, single-payer/Medicare For All healthcare activists are organizing solidarity vigils from New York City to the state of Washington. Also, the G20 Summit will take place in Pittsburgh on September 24-25, and provides another opportunity for single payer activism.

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July 30 Great Falls Tribune

HELENA — Donors planning to attend Sen. Max Baucus' "Camp Baucus" fundraiser at the posh Big Sky Resort south of Bozeman this weekend will be met by an unfriendly welcoming committee.
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On Friday, Baucus kicks off the first of the annual three-day fundraising event, and health care reform activists will be there to greet Baucus' donors as they drive the narrow and windy road to the event.

Republican Health Care Politics and Right Wing Thuggery

With the support and encouragement of the Republican leadership, one of America's most despicable political thugs, Dick Armey, a corporate lobbyist funded by the "health" industry, is organizing mobs to disrupt, harass and intimidate every public event organized to discuss the health care reform effort.

Single payer advocates were very effective in coopting the Obama health care house parties, we should be able to coopt these town meetings and overwhelm Dick Armey's thugs. How about single payer activists?

July, 30th, 2009, Washington, DC, Lobby and Rally

Celebrate Medicare’s 44th Birthday by showing Congress and President Obama the people, unions, doctors, nurses, seniors, faith groups, and Americans of every stripe support a single-payer system.

As President Obama says, “We must build on what works and leave out what doesn’t.” Medicare has
successfully provided care to seniors and people with disabilities for almost half a century. Medicare is a truly American-made system that other health care systems around the world have since been modeled after. With little over 3% administrative overhead, we must look to this American solution to our health care crisis.

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As we all know there is talk of taxing health care benefits to provide subsidies that will not be used to buy heath care for people who do not have it, but buy health insurance.

It will do nothing about recission.

It will do nothing about the denial of care.

Combined with a mandate it will drive the cost of health insurance even higher.

Current news coverage does not make this clear. Therefore we need a flood of letters to the editor alert citizens.

basic talking points:
It is being proposed that we tax health insurance benefits.

Congress will adjourn for the 4th of July. Over the holiday they will be everywhere, parades, festivals, fireworks displays, picnics, everywhere. That is the time to approach them personally and ask them to support single payer, or at least not pass anything that prohibits the states from enacting their own plans.

Tell them that no plan is better than a bad plan.

Check their calenders, they may have their events on their Senate website, or it might be on the campaign website, or it might be on the web site of the local Democratic or Republican committee. Don't let the Republicans off the hook, ask them to support single payer. Believe me, there is a lot of nervousness behind that facade of Republican obstructionism.

I just got an email from Health Justice complaining that faxes in support of single payer were being thrown out. Yeah. No kidding.

People think that big lobbyists keep winning because they have the $. Well, that is only part of the reason. Another reason is that they are respectful of the ways of capitol hill. When they contact their clients they make sure that everyone contacts THEIR representative. If you are from Montana Baucus is interested in you, otherwise you need a gazzillion dollars. That is just the way it is.

Of course, Health Justice could collect emails by state and send out its notices sorted by state with the right contact info for senators from those states, but Health Justice can't be bothered.

If we are going to win, we need to be smart.

I thought we all could use some words of encouragement this morning:

Embedded video from CNN Video

Update:

Don't forget this and this and this and, of course, this.

Aux blogs, citoyens!

Washington Post

Our Readers Who Comment express great skepticism this morning about the news that health-care industry groups are promising the White House that they will use "efficiencies to trim the rise in health-care costs by 1.5 percent a year," as Michael A. Fletcher and Ceci Connolly report.

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There are several letters to the editor concerning health care, but I like the first one the best:
Here's a universal care proposal

Re: "Texans without coverage top U.S. – Nearly 1 in 4 lack policies; some say statistics misleading," Wednesday news story.

Why doesn't Texas implement universal health care or state Medicare for all of its residents?

Birthday Party for Medicare 30JUL2008

You are invited to join me, Barabra DeVane, at Congressman Boyd's office at 11AM on Wednesday, July 30 for a birthday party complete with cake and noisemakers (that would be our Healthcare coalition calling for Boyd to sign on to HR 676).

We will celebrate the 43rd birthday of Medicare and ask Congressman Boyd for his support in extending Medicare to All through Universal Single Payer Healthcare--HR 676.

Boyd is very conservative, so they have their work cut out for them.

Health Care Now is announcing a series of parties across the country to celebrate 43 years of Medicare and to organize for HR 676! If you live in or near Detroit you can meet John Conyers! Say hellow for Corrente Wire. Parties in Texas, Florida, Ohio, New York, Illionois, and many other states. Download the list.

Medicare’s 43rd Birthday is July 30th - Medicare is known as one of the most successful social programs in the United States. Its universal coverage for those 65 and older creates the ability to redistribute benefits to those who are neediest, it pools risk in order to share the burdens of health care among the healthy and the sick, and through Medicare, the government protects the rights of all beneficiaries to essential health care without putting profit interests first. Medicare beneficiaries are overwhelmingly satisfied with their coverage, and now it is time to give improve and expand this wonderful program to everyone in the country! Support HR 676, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All!
We need you to help us celebrate! Here is what you can do:

Join a group near you! Medicare Birthday Parties are happening all over the country to celebrate the importance of Medicare and to fight the privatization of one of our most beloved social programs. Download the list--located in the right column--of already planned parties to see if there's one near you.

State & Local Organizations Working for Health Care for All
CA
Health Access California - www.health-access.org
Health Care for All California - www.healthcareforall.org
California Universal Health Care Organizing Project - www.singlepayernow.net

CO
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative - www.cohealthinitiative.org

Single-Payer Health Coverage, HCAN And Health Care Reform:

What strikes me about the three quotations I start with above is how they really encapsulate the single-payer problem in the upcoming universal health care debate. Single-payer advocates are often dedicated and strong-willed grassroots activists for their cause - but they are as of now marginalized in the policy discussion, with a public that doesn’t really understand its options. Single-payer advocates have already lost the crucial framing of the current universal health care political debate because as noted the compromises for ’some sort of universal health care’ are what’s on the table - not adherence to single-payer, or we walk away. The time to win the debate was before, or at worst, during the Democratic primary. Part of why single-payer advocates have lost for now, I suspect, is because they lack the resources of “K-Street professionals” and are, as a group, not as experienced or skilled at “building mailing lists and fundraising and get[ting]-out-the vote for November.” Look at Massachusetts’ recent reform, or what happened much earlier in 2002 in Oregon, where single-payer forces lost massively...

Let's look at the assumptions here.

I think this is about a local union, but I can't be sure.

Scott

Board meeting all day friday, but that never feels like work. We're discussing healthcare reform again, more specifically the glaring fact that our local has not taken a formal position on it. We had a short presentation on HR 676 in march and i proposed we officially make a motion of support, but got shot down..Lots of people saying they didn't have enough information. Well believe me...they'll not be able to say that THIS time. I've got about a ream of paper ready to distribute this time, and am not even about to let it go without a hell of an argument...Fun times, man.

Health Care for All Colorado

Greater Boulder Area Chapter, of HCAC

Denver, Colorado HCAC Chapter

Northern Colorado HCAC Chapter - Fort Collins

Southern Colorado HCAC Chapter

Western Slope Of Colorado HCAC Chapter

Target: Insurance companies and their lobbyists. Pretty funny.

Health Care for All

I am really happy to see that the health care movement in the United States seems to be growing. It makes sense that the movement is growing, since our health care situation is getting worse and worse. Here are some stats from a recent Healthy Washington Coalition caucus I attended:

The Washington Health Care Caucuses:

Speak Up for Quality, Affordable Health Care

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Yes We HCAN!

Forum set Thursday on reforming health care

A free public forum on reforming health care in California will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. in Mountain View's City Hall, 500 Castro St.

Local health care experts and advocates for a new "single-payer" system for the state will discuss accessibility problems of today's health care and a "Medicare-type" plan designed to make health care more accessible.

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Letter: Universal health coverage within reach

We feel that one of the prominent issues to be discussed among many in the presidential elections should be our health-care system. The only real solution is a universal, single-payer system.

HR 676 is a perfect answer to the mess our present system is in with regard to the uninsured and underinsured. It is backed by many counties, the National Conference of Mayors (very recently), nursing organizations, business coalitions and doctors’ groups. Three Florida congressmen have endorsed it.

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FISA: A Time To Sit In At Obama's Campaign Offices?

Many activists involved with the struggle to preserve our 4th Amendment rights and oppose the latest revisions to FISA were deeply disappointed by the substance of Obama's response, which contained a whole series of misleading arguments, as Glenn Greenwald documented here.

While some were ecstatic that Obama listened at all, others had a higher standard, and found the disingenuous arguments to be insulting to their intelligence, particularly given how fundamental the issues are, and how clearly Senator Obama had previously stated his intention to filibuster if telco immunity was part of the deal.

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The Wichita Eagle has a letter to the editor about the alleged evils of single payer. If we are to win this fight, we need to write our own letters to the editor. You can tie your letter to a local candidate who supports single payer, or find some other hook.

Letters to the editor are one of the most popular sections of any newspaper. They are closely studied by both politicians and their press secretaries.

Letters to the Editor are a baromator of reader interest, so even if your letter is not printed, there is a good chance of influencing future news coverage.

S.E.C. Backs Health Care Balloting

WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission, shifting its position, has told companies they must allow shareholders to vote on a proposal for universal health insurance coverage.

Shareholders, including religious groups and labor unions, have offered the proposal in an effort to draw the nation’s largest corporations deeper into a debate over the future of health care, fast emerging as one of the most important issue in domestic policy.

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