Movement On Single Payer?
We have have all created some small victories, but we still have miles to go as the media has had a near complete blackout of any mentions of Single Payer.
The next big step?
Via The NY Times:
In a further effort to build consensus, the Obama administration announced on Friday that it would hold five regional forums on health care. They will be held in California, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Vermont.
In other words... We have a lot of work ahead of us. Think of how hard it was to get just 2 single payer advocates in to the healthcare summit? Now, multiply it by 5. ACCCK!
While strategy gets plotted out by the many groups that have come together in the hopes of making Congress and the Obama administration do the right thing for the simple reason that it is the right thing to do, enjoy a little death dealer humor:
Healthcare CEO Phone Sex
Courtesy of getofflikeaceo.com:
My guess is that their idea of porn would be snuff films.
Health Insurance Companies are Toxic: Do Something About It
These are some other groups working on health care reform that you may want to become familiar with:
Insurance Company Rules
Health Care for America Now
Campaign for America's Future
AFL CIO
SEIU
MoveOn.org
Labor for Single Payer
Families USA
Health Care Now!
Health Care United
Health Beat Blog of the Century Foundation
Though, my resource of choice is PNHP.
It is safe to say that when it comes to healthcare reform... The Doctors know best.
What Citizen Activists Can Do
- Educate yourself about single-payer national health insurance with the PNHP website resources and PNHP slideshow.
- Write a letter to your representative in support of HR676.
- Use this handout "Top 10 Reasons For Enacting a Single Payer Healthcare System" from the California Nurses Assocation.
- Sign up for PNHP action alerts on important health policy issues and new research. (PNHP members are automatically subscribed).
- Invite a PNHP speaker to speak to your community group about single-payer.
- Organize a meeting with your legislators. The citizen single-payer group Healthcare Now has been holding congressional hearings and winning sponsorships for the single-payer bill all over the country. Visit their website for more information. Here's a tip sheet.
- Write an op-ed or letter to the editor of your local news publications. PNHP has a handout with tips.
- Donate to PNHP.
For the record, I'm linking here to my recent blog on why single payer health care makes sense:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/therap/2009/03/the-fallacy-of-republican-heal.php
It explains using a simple imagery why single payer makes sense on so many levels. And just below the post are links to recent TPM blogs that discuss single payer from different perspectives.
I post the link here for those who may have missed my post. And as I say, for the record.
Thanks for your dogged determination to keep this option front and center. If single payer comes to pass, it will be due to people - working hard against corporate interests that are out to marginalize us and deprive us of the best and cheapest option for universal health care.
In that blog of mine, do not miss the comment by Chris M, which I posted as a long quote in the comments section. It describes what we're up against better than anything I've read!
March 8, 2009 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I will read it later today when I have time to read more of the diaries here. I am working on a couple of ideas for some other Blogs (my own and ePM's) right now but I do not like drive-by diaries where some (not many) dump a diary and then do not respond to people that did them a favor by taking the time to read it, so I always make an effort to watch anything I have posted in a community somewhere.
One thing I should note about those other health care sources listed: Not all of them are necessarily Single Payer. Some of them are on the side of pushing for a "public option" to compete with for profit insurers. (IOW: running insurance companies into the ground over the long haul. Because that is what will happen.) Others may support both ideas.
March 8, 2009 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
You've already read mine. And you bookmarked it. No need to read more. You're already doing enough!
March 8, 2009 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
AHHH! The same one. Good. I will be checking that one every few days until you stop updating it OR the fight is over. lol
March 8, 2009 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
My experience twenty and thirty years ago was that doctors were as selfish and conservative as any pilot I ever represented. It is just amazing to me that the AMA backs real changes in our health care system--if you can even call it a system--and really am impressed by your site to the doctors for single payer. We have a doctor on this site who espouses that system too, a real humanitarian.
Really fine, well laid out post.
March 8, 2009 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Doctors used to oppose health care reform - till the insurances basically got them in a stranglehold by trying to "manage" care. The disruptions to the doctor-patient relationship, perpetrated by insurances, has finally led them to drink the water they did not want to drink until now.
The question is, can we lead the congress to water and help them drink the common sense idea of single payer?
March 8, 2009 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
If this movement fails... I am thinking we would do better to ask the many single payer health groups to start their own non-profit health care plan so we can pay them directly and cut out the middle man.
March 8, 2009 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
PNHP is not my site. I am just not that good. lol But I do endorse it thoroughly because of the wealth of information they and their allies have gathered together.
March 8, 2009 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
.
Just a heads-up . . .
Don't overlook Roger Hickey's visit here at the Cafe.
He's definitely on the good side of the fight.
~OGD~
March 9, 2009 1:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
One additional action suggestion.
Sign up for "Google alerts" with the subject heading "single payer" and you will get a daily email with listings of news articles and blogs which mention single payer. Then you can read those items, learn what people are saying, on both sides, and offer your insights as comments.
March 9, 2009 2:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
I produced that video, and am happy that people enjoy it!
I hope that you all followed the action that took place outside the Ritz today in DC. For the first time we had folks from HCAN and the hybrid community standing side by side with the single payer folks united in our opposition to the toxic health insurers.
Here is a quick video of the protest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLqHHuz4KXI
March 10, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink