Single Payer Amendment to be added to health bill...

[maryf]

From Physicians for a National Health Plan:

July 15, 2009

PNHP has learned that as early as this Friday or Monday (July 17 or 20), Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will introduce, in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, an amendment to the so-called Tri-Committee health care bill. The amendment would replace the private health insurance industry with a single-payer national health insurance program.

In effect, the Weiner amendment would substitute Rep. John Conyers' (D-Mich.) single-payer bill, H.R. 676, for the proposed Tri-Committee legislation.

The vote on the amendment will take place the same day it is offered - again, most likely this Friday or Monday.

If your representative is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, please call your congressperson today and ask that he or she support Rep. Weiner's single-payer amendment. A list of Committee members can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/dhxq65

The Congressional Switchboard can be reached toll-free at 800-473-6711.

If your representative is not a member of the Committee, please call Committee Chair Henry Waxman at 202-225-3976 and ask him to support Weiner's single-payer amendment.

This important legislative initiative was inspired in part by Rep. Weiner's meeting with Dr. Quentin Young of PNHP at the time of Dr. Young's testimony in support of single payer before the House Ways and Means Committee in June. It is also a reflection of the grassroots demand that single payer be on the table in Congress.

Please call today.

Cordially,

Ida Hellander, M.D.
Executive Director Mark Almberg
Communications Director

[ibegurpard]

1. OK, get to it

seriously, the travesty they are trying to pawn off as reform right now is shit.
Let's start with this and compromise from here.

[maryf]

2. You got it...

Instead of starting with the best plan and negotiated, they worked out a plan that was already a compromise, Health care is a human right, lets start from there and get Everybody in, Nobody out...

[jgraz]

14. Single Payer IS the compromise

The real, low-cost solution to healthcare is a nationalized system, including doctors, hospitals and drug companies.

Single payer still lets private industry profit off of our sickness. It just doesn't let private industry profit from actually killing us.

[drm604]

3. It's nice to dream isn't it.

Who knows? Maybe it could actually happen.

[maryf]

4. If we all ask for it, demand it!!

Rally in DC for single payer, July 30th, visits to congress to boot, that works better than phone calls, emails... see details at http://www.healthcare-now.org

[drm604]

9. You're right of course.

I'm just feeling cynical tonight.

We have to fight for this.

[maryf]

10. Being cynical

can be just one step to being ready to fight! thanks!!

[ibegurpard]

5. It can't happen if we sit back and let Insurance companies

write the bill for us.
Maybe we can't get this but this is the point we need to START from.

[maryf]

6. You said it!!

Let those with the people in mind write the bill!! Health care for People not for Profit!!

[maryf]

7. Thanks for all the recs here so quickly!!

Its a sure sign that the people want not just health reform, but a Single Payer Health Plan!! with everybody covered!! Cheers!!

[dflprincess]

8. I found this article in my email

and immediately emailed my rep and Senators as well as the White House (whitehouse.gov) to support this plan instead of the POS they came out with today.

[maryf]

11. Yay!!

now spread the word too! :yourock:

[maryf]

12. Morning kick!

Just saw that Kucinich is proposing a single payer amendment as well...I'll update when I read more on it...

[maryf]

13. From my morning email, somebody make this an OP please!!

I don't have time today to monitor:

From: Deborah Burger, CNA/NNOC co-President <website@...>
Date: Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 07:03
Subject: Critical Calls Needed to Congress Today
To:


<http://www.calnurses.org>

*House Vote on State Option TODAY
for Single-Payer Healthcare*

Congress member Dennis Kucinich of Ohio will be introducing an important
single-payer amendment today, Thursday - the House healthcare reform bill.

The Kucinich amendment which gives states the right to pass and implement
state-based single payer plans and will ensure the federal rules waivers
required to allow that innovation. It will benefit millions of Americans -
from California to Pennsylvania to Illinois to New York and beyond.

While not stepping away from our shared fight for HR676 and national
single-payer reform, this is a chance for nurses and patients to help Rep.
Kucinich to press the single payer fight forward during this legislative
session.

Please make your call immediately as a vote is expected to be held today.

We have built strong support in California for state single-payer reform,
having passed it in the legislature twice, and in other states including
Pennsylvania and Illinois so we can win going through the states.

Single payer remains the best way to provide healthcare for all - and the
most effective way to improve quality of care and control costs.

Now is the time for us to contact Democratic members of the House Education
and Labor Committee to support the Kucinich amendment. Please call now.

Call the Chair of the Committee, *George Miller, at: [phone]*

Calls are also needed to five of the key Democratic members of the Education
and Labor Committee where Rep. Kucinich will offer his amendment, especially
if you are a resident of their district or state.

Rep. Dale Kildee of Michigan: [phone]
Rep. Susan Davis of California: [phone]
Rep. David Wu of Oregon: [phone]
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York: [phone]
Rep. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii: [phone]

*Here's a sample of what to say:*

"Hello, My name is __________, I urge the Representative to vote *YES* on
Representative Dennis Kucinich's state-based single-payer amendment to the
Education and Labor Committee's healthcare bill."

If you are a resident of their Congressional district, be sure to say that
as well.

*Together we can win.* Thanks for joining in this action.

------------------------------

*Healthcare Justice!*

*California Nurses Association* <http://www.calnurses.org/>
*National Nurses Organizing Committee* <http://www.nnoc.net/>
2000 Franklin Street
Oakland, CA 94612



------------------------------

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for
California Nurses Association <http://ga1.org/cna/join.html?r=W7Bj1O7qbFnqE>.

[cascadiance]

18. Nicole Sander talked to Dennis on the last minutes of Hartmann's show today on this...

Kucinich didn't have time to explain it much, but he challenged everyone to call their congressmen and urge that this amendment got passed.

Both Sandler (filling in for Thom today) and Kucinich noted that this freedom of states doing their own thing would follow the same model that Canada had when they incrementally deployed single payer through their various provinces that lead to their current national single payer plan now. Don't let the door get slammed on single payer. Call your congress person now and tell them to vote for this amendment!

[slipslidingaway]

22. Kucinich is currently offering this amendment now n/t

[Chisox08]

15. Single payer is the way to go

Make that phone call. We will jot get what we want if we sit around and let the insurance companies write this bill like the pharmaceutical companies wrote medicare part d.

[slipslidingaway]

16. Told the person at Waxman's office that I was disappointed

he backed off of HR 676 and instead followed the lead in supporting the for profit insurance companies.

Single Payer Action Confronts Henry Waxman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7bTC9lKcv4

'I'm now working on the plan outlined by President Obama...we're building on the employer based system..."

[LWolf]

17. Done.

Not that I expect anything positive from Greg Walden.

[KoKo]

19. I'm hoping we got help from Kucinich on this one. n/t

[dccrossman]

20. K & R

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. "The amendment would replace the private health insurance industry with a single-payer . . ."

Good luck with that plan. LOL