Friday, July 31, 2009

Fwd: BREAKING NEWS-WEINER BRINGS HR676 BACK TO THE TABLE... FINALLY!!

IN CASE YOU HADN'T HEARD... !  

 You can view Weiner making his amendment at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6XTMPj-os .

Single Payer Gets A Vote (Updated)


"Anthony Weiner is about to be the new hero of the progressive crowd after getting a promise from Nancy Pelosi to debate — and vote — on a single-payer plan to solve health care reform.

Weiner got that promise after he agreed to withdraw an amendment to essentially create Medicare for the whole nation in the Energy and Commerce Committee health care markup session this evening.

The Brooklyn-Queens Rep. looked a little surprised when Chairman Henry Waxman said Pelosi would allow that vote, and made Waxman repeat the deal to be sure it was clear and on the record.

It's an especially big deal for advocates of a single health care system — who see it as cheaper and simpler than the complicated measure being drawn up — because they have been complaining that they have not even been able to get an airing of their position.

And having the vote of the floor of the House will force members to declare a position, and bring much more attention to the idea.

Update: Weiner, who high-fived Tammy Baldwin after getting the deal, crows in a quick press release:

"It's a Better Plan and now it's on Center Stage," says Weiner

Washington, DC - Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chairman of the Energy & Commerce Committee announced today that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged to give Single-Payer an up or down vote when healthcare reform is considered before year's end.

Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Co-Chair of the Middle Class Caucus and member of the Energy & Commerce Committee who led the effort with Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA); Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY); Rep. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL); Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL); and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), released the following statement:

"Single-payer is a better plan and now it is on center stage. Americans have a clear choice. Their Member of Congress will have a simpler, less expensive and smarter bill to choose. I am thrilled that the Speaker is giving us that choice."



Jeanne Ertle
Vice Chair, Health Care for All - California
530-892-1333


"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." Emma Goldman


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Breaking News: Single Payer Health Care Activists Score MAJOR victory

Breaking News!


Ok, single-payer nation (and Mike in the Morning early-adopter radio show fans) you get to exchange high-fives all around. After months of non-stop activism to get Single Payer on the table, the Speaker of the House has agreed (in principle) to allow a vote on a single-payer option to come to a floor vote.

Apparently vote will take place after the August recess (ie after Labor Day)

http://www.demconwatchblog.com/diary/2103/single-payer-to-get-floor-vote
Fri Jul 31, 2009 at 16:16:59 PM EDT
As part of the deal cut today relative to the House Health Care bill, there will be a separate floor vote on Single Payer, we just don't know when.
Pelosi has promised she will schedule a floor vote on a system of single-payer, government-run health care to provide coverage for all Americans, a Democratic aide said Friday.
Remember, the deal in Energy and Commerce only affects the one committee. The Health Care bill has passed the other two committees. Therefore, there will be a lot of horse trading before things come to a full House vote.
Update: I heard a rumour, and I don't know how true it is, but the person who told me is generally very reliable. What he said was that staffers for John Conyers indicated to him that while Single Payer would not pass the floor vote, they were hoping that having the floor vote, and the pressure from the left that goes with it, will ensure the inclusion of a public option.
The public option will allow individual states to opt-out of the Federal program if the state has a program in place. The hope is that Single Payer passes in one state. The state with the highest probability of that is Pennsylvania, as there is already legislation in both the Assembly and the State Senate.

If this happens, then Single Payer would spread until it became the system used throughout most of the nation. This would be strictly predicated on economics, and improvements in patient care. It might not even take that much longer to implement over a nationwide approach, as getting the system in place in multiple states can occur concurrently.
The point about the floor vote is that it's time to start calling and writing, and saying "What I want most is Single Payer, but if I can't have that, I want a public option."
Update 2: I received a call back from the Speaker's office. The floor vote will be held after the August recess, so we've got August to put pressure on all the reps!
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Medicare 44th Birthday and future activism

San Diego Single Payer Health Care Coalition:

Let me congratulate all of you on your courage and persistence in the health care struggle. Yesterday's event was powerful and positive -- and kudos to Anita Simons and to San Diego Single Payer Health Care coalition and Progressive Democrats and DFA supporters.

I loved the location in City Heights, music, attendees, and spontaneous march with kids and septuganarians, and chants.

Davis office visit issues: no, we don't always get the results we want in lobbying, and it can be immensely frustrating to feel that messages fall on deaf ears.

Let me reiterate some positives, and suggest further strategies that incorporates carrots as well as sticks, to add to the menu of activism.

Carrots

Let's give full public credit to great actions by courageous legislators.

This means MAKE A PHONE CALL AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUPPORT for Medicare for All as SB 840 and now SB 810 at the State level, and HR 676 at Federal Level-- I'm making it easy for you:

1) Sen Christine Kehoe, supports a single-payer plan for CA Phone: (619) 645-3133 (sample message "thanks Senator Kehoe for being at fore-front of health care reform. This is a VERY important issue for my commmunity")

2) nd Assemblymember Saldana supports a single-play for CA: (619) 645-3090

3) Former District 3 councilmember Toni Atkins, (now running for the AD-76 seat which Ms Saldana will have to relinquish due to term limits,) appears to be ready to be just as bold on the healthcare front, although she has not yet taken a stand on SB 810, email Atkins campaign at toni@atkinsforassembly.com attn: Toni

4) Congressman Bob Filner co-sponsored HR 676 -- (619) 422-5963

5) Congresswoman Davis statement: You did read, I hope, the Rep Davis position in her stated comments appears to hint at open door to a Kucinich-amendment stance of allowing states to 'design' their own healthcare systems (does that mean 'implement' as well?) -- follow up on that!

'Sticks' you have already hinted at in your discussions

As good grassroots lobbyists, make your 'stick' one that does not close the door, inadvertently, on your Congressperson coming around to your position -- whether they are Democrat or Republican. You must show, no matter how pissed off you are, that YOUR door is open and YOUR proposal makes smart sense.

You are creative people and will employ creative tactics!

Mike, Progressive Democrats Chair

BAD NEWS FOR SENIORS AND FOLKS IN THEIR EARLY 60's:

Know this: Medicare itself may begin to fail in the next decade, or sooner, unless a single-payer reform of the WHOLE system is done. (The US cannot borrow more to make up medicare costs, due to Iraq/Afghan costs, TARP bailouts, and just physics of healthcare cost curves.)

This is why the PUBLIC OPTION (as currently debated) is a purely window-dressing push. Public option will NOT save Medicare.

Costs are going through the roof, population is aging, and creating a 'ghetto' of public option which covers the sick, poor, and old will bankrupt Medicare in a big hurry, as Paul Garver said, while non-expensive patients will be harnessed by the private sector to squeeze profits out of.

Thus the current Health Care Bill pending in the House, HR 3200 should NOT be considered with attitude 'we need to make a health care deal, snappy, that makes the President look good, and pass HR 3200 as-is without any structural change, so Obama can get re-elected in 2012 and Democrats can cheer a victory ' ---

Message is more like this: WE NEED A TRUE STRUCTURAL OVERHAUL BEFORE THE TITANIC OF COST INCREASES HITS THE ICEBERG. Only a single-payer reform can do this. Anything short of that will be failure, on an unacceptable level.

Need back up for that? Read on.....


Two pieces by Drs Himmelstein & Woolhandler:

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0525-06.htm

technical but important:
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/170/12/1814
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YES: SinglePayerRally Saturday at "Whole Foods" Entrance - Saturday 10:30am

☼☺☼☺☼  Hi 
Single Payer Supporters, Advocates, Ever Faithful Believers in the Possibility of Change... Eventually!!

Some of us will be gathering again this week as part of our Summer Fun In the Sun for Single Payer 
 10:30am Saturday on Nobel Drive
 just west of I-5, around Whole Foods parking lot entrance.  
We'll have signs - or bring your own -  and smiles, and friends!  

Jady

Jady Montgomery
for San Diego Single Payer Healthcare Coalition
858-554-0482 hm, 760-271-3328 cell

Join Focus on Change!





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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

American Healthcare Choice: Equality or Death

In the starkest terms, we are at a cross-road in America. We need to decide once again, are "all men created equal"? If so, then why should some get better healthcare than others? If not, then why pretend; the elite will get to live, healthy and full lives, while the rest will suffer, illness and death.
To bad that most Americans will soon find out, they are not part of the elite.


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Thursday, July 23, 2009

HealthReform votes to wait until the Fall

you may have received this from David Roberts...

Jady Montgomery

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Roberts, David" <droberts@himss.org>
Date: July 23, 2009 2:25:56 PM PDT
Subject: Grassroots OFA CD 50 Health Policy Update - Thursday, July 23, 2009

All - Senate Democratic leaders today made it official that health reform will have to wait until the fall to be considered by the Senate.  Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Conference Secretary Patty Murray (D-WA) told reporters they decided Wednesday night to put off a Senate vote until after the chamber reconvenes after Labor Day on September 7.  The Senate leaders said they hoped to send legislation to President Obama by the end of the year. They originally had hoped to send a final bill to the president in mid-October.

In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Thursday that she was open to putting a vote off in that chamber until after the August recess.  That would mean neither chamber would meet its original goal of completing work on a bill before the August recess. The House is scheduled to adjourn a week from Friday; the Senate is scheduled to remain in Washington for one additional week.

Reid said he had spoken directly with Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on the new deadlines.  He and other Senate leaders now hope to get a bill out of the Senate Finance Committee, merge it with legislation approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and get that combined bill to the Senate floor by the recess date. Schumer dismissed the idea that the bill would lose momentum over the August recess, citing public demand for some type of change.  "The whole goal has always been to have the president sign it by the end of the year," he said. "So the plan is going to be out there for a period of time, and it's going to have to stand the test of the public as well. I'm not worried. It should be out there, and maybe the plan is modified."
 

The Democratic leaders also tried a personal touch Thursday to  promote healthcare reform,  having two women tell their stories of health hardship to reporters.  

Kathy Devincentis of Washington, a retired hospice nurse from Delaware and a breast-cancer survivor, told reporters she had to struggle to get insurance for chemotherapy treatments and faced costs of $1,000 per month and a $5,000 deductible.  "We really need to change this," she said of the current health system.

Regina Holliday of Maryland, an art teacher whose 10-year-old son Freddy has autism, told of her husband's death last month from kidney cancer that went undiagnosed because they could not afford insurance.  "Would access to affordable health insurance have made a difference in our case? I think so," Holliday said. "If my husband could have seen a primary care doctor throughout the past 10 years, there would have been a very good chance his cancer could have been caught before it reached stage four."

"Those who oppose reform like to talk about it in the abstract — they use code words, scare tactics and sound bites," Reid said of the women's stories. "Reforming healthcare is about real people." 

 

Our work must continue more than ever if we are to reform healthcare this year!  Dave

 

David W. Roberts
Grassroots OFA CD 50 Health Policy Team Leader

 

Councilmember
City of Solana Beach

 Please encourage your neighbors, colleagues and friends to join our Grassroots Organizing for America (OFA) 50th Congressional District of  California Health Policy Team.  Receive updates and attend events focused on health policy.  All are welcome to join and participate.  To join, just e-mail Solana Beach Councilman and Health Policy Team Chair Dave Roberts at droberts@himss.org.   

 

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SINGLE PAYER POWERPOINT - for your toolbox

Below is another PowerPoint presentation on Single Payer, forwarded from Carla Mays, by: 
Rose Roach
Field Director
CA School Employees Association
River Delta Field Office
209-472-6102
209-472-2089 Fax
We have a health care system that doesn't value getting the health care you need when you need it so much as getting the health care you want or need when you can afford it.  Tim Foley
 

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Sat Morning Fun in the Sun for Single Payer

Hi Everyone - 
We will be Rallying again for Single Payer -- and whatever we can get... --  this Saturday - 10:30am
 Nobel  Drive & I-5 - Whole Foods entrance.  Bring signs, smiles,  friends 
and copies of this petition!    Some of us may go inside the shopping center which I did a few weeks ago before the flu got me and got some signatures.
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Friday, July 17, 2009

fwd: SUSAN DAVIS - Deja Vu All Over Again - Can U Call?

This is where we started in March isn't it??? .... with Susan Davis.  

From: "John P. Falchi" <pacerjp14@sbcglobal.net>
Date: July 17, 2009 5:21:29 PM PDT

Dear Friends- 
    Kucinich's amendment to HR 4300, to allow states to have single payer healthcare in a state, passed the House Committee 25-19.  However Rep. Susan Davis voted against it. We should let her know that we don't approve of her vote, and try to get her to switch as it comes up for a vote on the floor.

Rep. Davis' # is (202) 225-2040 -- Spencer Young is her staffer on this * *TOLL FREE NUMBER TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES: 877-762-8762 (it rings a long time before being answered)*
 
 Thanks.
Yours for single payer, John
________________________________
John P. Falchi
San Diego, CA 92107
619-222-6036
____________________________________________________________________________
 
-----Original Message-----
From: pdla-bounces@svpal.org [mailto:pdla-bounces@svpal.org] On Behalf Of Yannick Phillips
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 11:02 AM
To: progressivecaucuscdp@yahoogroups.com
Cc: pdla@svpal.org; Members of WLADC; dfa-norcal
Subject: CALL NOW~CA GEORGE MILLER & SUSAN DAVIS VOTE AGAINST CAHEALTHCARE
 
Linda Sutton wrote:
> 
> *EVERYONE PLEASE MAKE A CALL TO THESE TWO CALIFORNIA REPRESENTATIVES
> WHO VOTED AGAINST OUR RIGHT TO HAVE HEALTHCARE IN OUR OWN STATE. THEY
> BOTH NEED A PRIMARY CHALLENGER!!! *
> *...And our newest representative, Judy Chu, in one of her first
> votes, PASSES!!!*
> **
> *ALL ORGANIZATIONS AND CLUBS NEED TO CONSIDER A CENSURE RESOLUTION. *
> **
> *SINGLE PAYER IS IN THE CA DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S PLATFORM. THEY VOTED IN
> OPPOSITION TO IT.*
> **
> *NEITHER OF THEM SHOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN ENDORSEMENT!!!*
> **
> *Chair of the Committee, George Miller, at: (202) 225-3725 (FROM
> CALIFORNIA) HE IS A DEMOCRAT!!!!*
> *-- Mark Zuckerman is the staffer in charge of this. This number is to
> the subcommittee.
Rep. Susan Davis of California: (202) 225-2040 -- Spencer Young is her
 staffer on this *
 
> *California's newest representative, JUDY CHU, DID NOT VOTE FOR IT and
> needs to be called about 2 PASS votes. She was elected with strong
> support of the progressive community. BUT please note that she got
> very large contributions from the healthcare/insurance industries for
> her recent election. (202) 225-5464 -- her staffer on this is Amelia
> Wang.*
> **
 *TOLL FREE NUMBER TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES: 877-762-8762 (it rings a
long time before being answered)*
> House Committee Allows States to Create Single-Payer Healthcare
> By David Swanson
> 
> On Friday morning at 9:45 a.m. ET in the *House Committee on Education
> and Labor, the committee members voted 25 to 19 to pass Congressman
> Dennis Kucinich's amendment to the healthcare reform bill. * This
> amendment, *if it survives the full House, the Senate, the conference,
> and the President, will not alter the federal legislation except to
> allow states to create single-payer healthcare systems if they choose
> to.*  If this change to the bill makes news, it will pass the Senate,
> because there is no legitimate argument against it, and the support
> for it is bipartisan.
> 
> The committee members voted in order of seniority through all the
> Democrats and then the Republicans, returning to allow those who
> passed or were not present on the first round or the second round to
> cast their vote.  No members switched their votes from yes to no or
> vice versa, during the voting, but s*everal passed and then voted
> after hearing their colleagues vote.  In t*he final count, 25 voted
> Yes, 19 No, 2 left their vote as "Pass," and 3 were not there or did
> not respond at all.
> 
> *On the first go round, these Democrats voted Yes: Woolsey, Kucinich,
> Holt, Grijalva, Loebsack, and Fudge.  Not nearly enough, but then came
> the Republicans, not a single one of whom has supported single-payer h
> ealthcare, but many of whom apparently respect states' rights: Kline,
> Petri, McKeon, Souder, Ehlers, Biggert, Platts, Wilson, McMorris
> Rogers, Price, and Guthrie.  That gave us 17 votes going into round
> two.  Among Democrats, we then picked up Payne, Scott, Shea Porter,
> and Polis.  Among Republicans, Hoekstra and Castle joined in.  We had
> 23 votes moving into round three.  Two more Democrats, Tierney and
> Tonko, brought the total to 25.*
> 
> Then you have the list of members who voted for the arguably
> unconstitutional step of banning states from providing their citizens
> with healthcare, a step for which no legitimate case has been made,
> but which the health insurance companies strongly favor.  First and
> foremost was Committee Chairman George Miller who led the voting with
> a resounding "No."  He was joined on the first round by Democrats
> Kildee, Andrews, Hinojosa, McCarthy, Bishop, Sestak, Altmire, Hare,
> Courtney, Sablan, and Titus, and Republicans McClintock, Hunter, Roe,
> and Thompson.  On the second round Democrats Davis and Hirono voted
> No, along with Republican Cassidy.  On the third round, no more Nos
> were added.  Not voting yes or no were: Wu, Clarke, Pierluisi, Chu,
> and Bishop of Utah.
> 
> *There are major campaigns with a good chance of passing single-payer
> healthcare if Congress permits it in the following states:
> Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, and Massachusetts.*
> 
> RO LL CALL ON VOTE TO ALLOW STATES TO CREATE SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE
> 9:40 a.m. ET, July 17, 2009
> House Committee on Education and Labor
> Y=Allow states to provide their citizens healthcare if they choose
> N=Ban states
> PASS= Pass
> --= Not present or no response
> Democrats
> 
> 25 to 19 to 2
> 
>     * George Miller, Chairman (CA-07) N
>     * Dale E. Kildee (MI-05) N
>     * Donald M. Payne (NJ-10) PASS, Y
>     * Robert E. Andrews (NJ-01) N
>     * Robert C. Scott (VA-03) --, Y
>     * Lynn C. Woolsey (CA-06) Y
>     * Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) N
>     * Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04) N
>     * John F. Tierney (MA-06) --, --, Y
>     * Dennis J. Kucinich (OH-10) Y
>     * David Wu (OR-01) PASS, PASS
>     * Rush D. Holt (NJ-12) Y
>     * Susan A. Davis (CA-53) PASS, N
>     * Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07) Y
>     * Timothy H. Bishop (NY-01) N
>     * Joe Sestak (PA-07) N
>     * Dave Loebsack (IA-02) Y
>     * Mazie Hirono (HI-02) PASS, N
>     * Jason Altmire (PA-04) N
>     * Phil Hare (IL-17) N
>     * Yvette Clarke (NY-11)  --, --
>     * Joe Courtney (CT-02) N
>     * Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) --, Y
>     * Marcia Fudge (OH-11) Y
>     * Jared Polis (CO-2) PASS, Y
>     * Paul Tonko (NY-21) --, --, Y
>     * Pedro Pierluisi (PR) --, --
>     * Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands) N
>     * Dina Titus (NV-3) N
>     * Judy Chu PASS, PASS,
> 
> Republicans
> 
>     * John Kline, Ranking Member (MN-02) Y
>     * Thomas E. Petri (WI-06) Y
>     * Howard "Buck" McKeon (CA-25) Y
>     * Peter Hoekstra (MI-02) PASS, Y
>     * Michael N. Castle (DE-At Large) PASS, Y
>     * Mark E. Souder (IN-03) Y
>     * Vernon J. Ehlers (MI-03) Y
>     * Judy Biggert (IL-13) Y
>     * Todd Russell Platts (PA-19) Y
>     * Joe Wilson (SC-02) Y
>     * Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) Y
>     * Tom Price (GA-06) Y
>     * Rob Bishop (UT-01) --, --
>     * Brett Guthrie (KY-2) Y
>     * Bill Cassidy (LA-6) PASS, N
>     * Tom McClintock (CA-4) N
> 0A     * Duncan D. Hunter (CA-52) N
>     * Phil Roe (TN-1) N
>     * Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-05) N
> 
>
> 
> --
> Linda Sutton
> PDLA Co-Chair
> 41st AD Delegate CDPLos Angeles, CA
> __._,_.___
 

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

PRIDEFUL PETITIONING for SINGLE PAYER--this SAT 7/18/09

This Saturday's Fun in the Sun for Single Payer - instead of rallying at Nobel in La Jolla - will be moving to the LGBT PRIDE FESTIVAL in BALBOA PARK.

WHY?  It's a great opportunity to gather signatures for a petition to be delivered to Senators Boxer and Feinstein.  We expect to gather thousands of signatures this summer - a key objective for our Single Payer Coalition. Petition attached at bottom to print out (Word doc and PDF).  

WHERE? 6th & Laurel  - Hillcrest, Marsten Point 

TIME?  12:00 noon (after the Parade)
PARKING?  If you drive, park in the lots near Park Blvd. and take the shuttles provided to 6th & Laure
 
 QUESTIONS?   Contact Anita Simons - asimonsays@gmail.com - for the inside scoop!   
And Have a Prideful Weekend!!!


Jady Montgomery
San Diego Single Payer Healthcare Coalition
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