Pennsylvania Legislature has 2 bills on health plan

If Congress fails to pass a federal single-payer program, a single-payer system could happen quickly in Pennsylvania, California and Illinois, Knoche said. The Canadian national health care system started in a single province and spread individually to all others.

Single-payer health care in several states could help move the national political will toward a national system, Knoche said.

Activist Fought for Civil Rights, Health Care

Marilyn Clement, 74, a social activist who helped expand black voting rights under the guidance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s and later was a campaigner for a universal health-care system in the United States, died Aug. 3 in New York. She had multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

Marilyn Clement - June 30, 1935 to August 3, 2009

A giant has fallen.

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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My local single-payer activist sends some happy news: Dr. Margaret Flowers of PNHP has been invited by Sen. Kennedy's office to testify at the Senate Hearing on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) on Thursday, June 11 at 3:00.

So, as she says, we can update the latest Healthcare-NOW! action alert: contact Sen. Kennedy's office (Phone: 202-224-4543 - Fax: 202-224-2417) and let them know we are glad to hear Dr. Margaret Flowers has been invited to testify on behalf of national single-payer healthcare reform and that we expect single-payer advocates to continue to have a seat at the table in meetings and senate hearings on health care reform.

Healthcare-NOW! just sent me this email:
Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, George Miller (CA), has agreed to hold a hearing on single-payer!

Call your representative and ask him/her to attend. If you know your representative, call 866-338-1015 for the Capital Switchboard. If not, visit votesmart.org to find out. Either way, you can easily email them here.

Here's the information:
Examining the Single Payer Health Care Option
Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Hearing
10:30 AM, June 10, 2009
2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
SECOND - Ask Two Chairmen to Hold Single-Payer Hearings

Please call the chairmen of these committees and tell them that:

SINGLE-PAYER RALLY–Pittsburgh–Targeting the two biggest health insurers in Southwestern PA.

When: Friday, May 29th

Where: 11:30 am - 12:15 pm - Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield headquarters, Fifth and Liberty Aves, downtown

12:15 pm - 12:30pm –Procession with signs to UPMC headquarters, Grant Street, downtown for rally there 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm

Contact: Sandy Fox
Sponsor: Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare

MIDCOAST HEALTH CARE REFORM

RALLY – Put your FEET ON THE STREET

Saturday, May 30 12 - 2 p.m.
Capitol Building (Maine State House) in Augusta

If you care about health care, you'll be there.

A committee has been formed to organize a RALLY to take place at the Maine State House in Augusta on Saturday, May 30 from 12 noon to 2 pm. The committee includes individuals and organizations like the Maine State Nurses Assoc./CNA/NNOC, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Peoples Alliance and Maine Healthcare Reform.

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Healthcare-Now! reports that Albany will hold its its national day of action on May 27, which is a Wednesday.

We will be lobbying to get New York State to pass legislation to establish a single payer program for New York State. Legislation (A2356 / S2370) is pending in both houses. Governor Paterson has been a long time supporter of single payer health care.

We also will be working to pass a State Senate resolution in support of a federal single payer bill. The New York State Assembly passed a resolution last year.

There will be a noon time rally in west Capitol Park. This is part of a national week of action on single payer.

 Read more…

Healthcare-NOW! is calling for a national day of action on May 30.
Planning is happening in:

Albany, NY - May 27th
Atlana, GA - May 27th
Augusta, ME - May 30th
Austin, TX - May 30th
Indianapolis, IN - May 20th
Lawrence, KS - May 30th
Louisville, KY - May 28th
New Albany, KY - May 30th
Pittsburgh, PA - May 29th
Pontiac, MI - June 16th
Princeton, NJ - May 31st
Rochester, NY - May 30th
San Diego, CA - June 3rd
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA - May 30th
Terre Haute, IN - May 27th
Topeka, KS - May 30th
Colorado
Michigan
Maryland

From My COMA-CT mailbox to you:

TODAY: National Call-In Day

Today is a nationwide call-in day for single-payer national healthcare. Our message is clear: "Tax payer dollars should go to people, not profits. Support single-payer national health care now."

So today, we ask that you join with thousands of others to call Congress, to support single-payer legislation in both the House (HR 676) and the Senate (S 703).

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

If you know your Representative and Senators, the Capitol Switchboard number is 866-338-1015. Ask to be connected, and then ask him or her to support HR 676 or S 703. If they are already a co-sponsor, thank them.

More stuff below the fold...  Read more…

Email from Healthcare-NOW!

Wednesday, April 1st

10am-2pm, Rayburn House Office Building, South Capitol Street Entrance

Help Single-Payer take on the Hill on April 1. We will be dropping the book Do Not Resuscitate to key Democratic leaders in the US Senate to encourage co-sponsorship of the national, comprehensive, single payer bill introduced by Senator Sanders, and to urge that Single-Payer be included in all health care hearings. Others of us will drop at US Representatives offices an announcement for The Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare April 1, 2pm Congressional forum as well as a news update on the high volume of single-payer support at the White House Regional forums.

 Read more…

Action Alert: “Sick Around America”

We urge you to reach out to your community and host Sick Around America watching parties on and after March 31st.

Sick Around America, a compelling and timely documentary exposing the serious consequences of getting sick in the United States, will premiere on PBS on March 31st. It is the sequel to the highly acclaimed Frontline documentary, Sick Around the World.

 Read more…

The third Call-In Day on February 12th will target Representatives and the White House.

This Call-In Day has four objectives:
1. If your Rep. hasn’t already, tell them to co-sponsor HR 676.
2. If your Rep. is a past co-sponsor, thank them and urge them to co-sponsor again.
3. Urge your Rep. to attend the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care’s Congressional forum on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm, 2226 Rayburn House Office Building, to explore the serious flaws in the Massachusetts health plan and why it cannot serve as a national model for providing universal and comprehensive care.
4. Tell President Obama that you support national, single-payer healthcare.

 Read more…

Action Alert: Demo. at National Health Policy Conference
Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 8:30 – 10:00 AM

Where: JW Marriott, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC

What
National Health Policy Conference that includes a Congressional Plenary on Tuesday morning starting at 9:00 AM. Senator Baucus and Representative Stark start off at 9:00, followed by Senate and House staff at 9:45 AM.

The Plan
-Gather outside the hotel with banners and signs
-Street theater targeting health insurers, big Pharma and Baucus

Letter for Healthcare-NOW!:
Dear Healthcare-NOW! members and supporters:

The second round of voting in Change.org’s “Ideas for Change in America” competition has begun. Let’s make single-payer healthcare one of the ten ideas that will presented to President Barack Obama on January 16th.
According to Change.org, “The top 10 rated ideas from the final round will be presented to the Obama administration on January 16th at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, co-hosted by the Case Foundation. At the event we will also announce the launch of a national advocacy campaign behind each idea in collaboration with our nonprofit partners to turn each idea into actual policy.”

Letter from Healthcare-Now!
Dear Healthcare-NOW! Members and Friends,

Until December 31st, 2008, we have the opportunity to use the Obama web site to vote your support for the single-payer position. The Obama transition team is soliciting questions from the public via their web site [Some are listed below]. Visitors may "vote" for the best questions, which will then be responded to by the Obama team.

As of this writing, single-payer questions have been voted #2 and #3 under the "health care" section. Please help us vote them to the top and send a strong message to the Obama team and the new Congress that the American public favors single payer, not incremental band-aids.

Just got this email from HealthCare Now:
On December 22nd, we are asking that all of our supporters contact their Representatives and Senators to tell them that you support national, single-payer healthcare (HR 676). Be sure to ask your Representative to co-sponsor HR 676 and ask you Senators to introduce a companion bill to HR 676. This is part of a larger national day of action.

Single-Payer Talking Points & Why Mandate Plans Won’t Work

California Nurses Responds to Daschle Appointment

OMG, the Orange Frat House endorses HR 676.

Just received this email:
Dear Healthcare-NOW! Supporter,

President-elect Obama's transition team says they want to hear from us on healthcare. So, the time has come to rise up and speak up as never before. Let's contribute the single payer -- publicly funded, privately delivered -- healthcare message loud and clear.

Go to the change.gov site to sign up and host a health care community discussion.

http://change.gov/page/s/hcdiscussion
If we're going to have a seat at the discussion table, we're going to have to invite our friends, neighbors and family, set the table and serve up the best option for this nation's healthcare mess --

Coverage mandate will fail as a healthcare reform plan

It’s time for Congress to stop getting carried away with financial bailouts for big industries, especially when it comes to some of the most-profitable and least-responsible companies: the health-insurance giants.

Two major trade lobbies, America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Association, have announced that they would be willing to end their disgraceful practice of excluding people from coverage based on their health or age. In exchange, they want the federal government to force uninsured Americans to buy private insurance.

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Just got this note from our friends at Healthcare-NOW!:

Here is a list of four (4) timely actions you can complete in under 10 minutes to get the word out to elected officials about the need for single-payer national health care. We need to say loud and clear that single-payer national health care is the the ultimate bail out plan. Single-Payer national health care has been expected to save up to $350 billion dollars because it will surgically remove the profiteering of the private health insurance industry.

It is estimated that 95% of all Americans will pay less for their healthcare than they are currently paying. Savings under HR 676 will be delivered directly to the people along with access to quality, comprehensive health care.

[Welcome TalkLeft, Agonist, and Digby readers! --lambert]

Greetings! My name is Katie Robbins and I am the Assistant National Coordinator for Healthcare-NOW! and I will be "live blogging" right here on building the movement for single-payer national health care tonight, Sunday, November 23rd from 5pm -6pm! Please bring questions, ideas, and topics to discuss.

(Following up on this post and this one in the series)

The second of my chosen areas of emphasis is getting Single Payer Health Care more into the public awareness and mainstream thinking, and, of course, ultimately to get HR 676 or something very like it passed into law in this country.

DCBlogger and hipparchia have done an excellent job keeping us up-to-date on the issue, so I won't even attempt to duplicate their efforts here: just follow the relevant tags.

I will report on the Healthcare-Now! Rally for HR 676 which took place last Thursday in Times Square. and some of my thoughts coming out of that rally. And, of course, photos! (Not very many this time because my batteries ran out.)

THIS SUNDAY at 5 PM Katie Robbins of HealthCare Now! will be live blogging at CorrenteWire to answer all your questions about the current battle for single payer. She has many interesting announcements to make, so save up all your questions. For those you of not familiar with HealthCare-Now!:

The Single-Payer Legislative Battle Begins!

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MAJOR NEWS! I just got off the phone with Katie Robbins of HealthCare-Now!. She has graciously agreed to do a live blog here at CorrenteWire in the very near future. We are still working out the details and will post as soon as everything is arranged.

Things are moving very fast, and she has a lot of great news to announce. They are in the process of organizing events. There are weekly strategy sessions that she will be describing to you. Please think of any questions you have about the fight for single payer and be ready.

More when all the details are worked out.