Focus on Single-Payer
H.R. 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act, Rep. John Conyers' bill to establish a single-payer health care system, recently lost a co-sponsor. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Florida, who became a co-sponsor in March, withdrew his support "because the debate on healthcare is not focused on creating a single-payer system."
Let's make sure the debate in the Senate will be so focussed. Senator Sanders of Vermont is to call for a Senate vote on single payer and our Senators need to hear that we want them to support both the Sanders bill and an amendment for a state single payer option that he plans to offer.
Write, email, phone, fax, twitter, or visit Senators Webb and Warner.
Articles of Interest
Sitting in for Healthcare
By Diana Novak
In These Times, November 16, 2009
Solidarity, Individualism and Public Goods
By Alan Nasser
Counterpunch, November 16, 2009
What next for the single payer movement?
By National Nurses Movement
Daily Kos, November 12, 2009
Statement by CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro on the House bill on healthcare
By Rose Ann DeMoro
November 10, 2009
Is the House Health Care Bill Better than Nothing?
By Marcia Angell, M.D.
The Huffington Post, November 8, 2009
Remember Medicare for All in the healthcare reform debate
By Kay Tillow
The Hill, November 3, 2009
Four Arrested at Baltimore Health Insurance Protest
By Sharmina Manandhar
Southern Maryland Online, October 29, 2009
Weekly Challenge
This past July, colleagues in the National Physicians Alliance (NPA) gathered over 1,000 prescriptions for health reform from physicians across the country and delivered them to Congress. It's three months later, and a refill is needed on those prescriptions.
With the Senate leadership working on merging the HELP Committee and Finance Committee bills, and similar work proceeding on the House side, this is a critical time to send our members of Congress a new prescription for health reform, encouraging them to "Start from Scratch" and guarantee healthcare for ALL through an expanded and improved Medicare for All.
On prescription pads, write simple letters to your members of Congress. (Handwritten letters, especially from physicians, are more powerful than e-mail.) The message can be very simple:
"Hello Senator/Representative ________, as one of your constituents and as a (physician, medical student, nurse, etc.), I support the needs of patients over health insurance profits. Medicare for all is fiscally sound and guarantees the right to healthcare for all Americans. Start from scratch and support HR 676 and S 703."
These prescriptions can be faxed to your members of Congress at their offices in Washington DC:
Senator Jim Webb: 202-228-6363
Senator Mark R. Warner: 202-224-6295
Rep. Rob Wittman: 202-225-4382
Rep. Glenn Nye: 202-225-4218
Rep. Bobby Scott: 202-225-8354
Rep. J. Randy Forbes: 202-226-1170
Rep. Tom Perriello: 202-225-5681
Rep. Bob Goodlatte: 202-225-9681
Rep. Eric Cantor: 202-225-0011
Rep. Jim Moran: 202-225-0017
Rep. Rick Boucher: 202-225-0442
Rep. Frank R. Wolf: 202-225-0437
Rep. Gerry Connolly: 202-225-3071
(Determine which Representative is yours
here.)
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