Democratic Victory on Health Care Reform Needed Lots of Work

It's estimated that a million voters peppered Congress with letters, emails and phone calls. That helped President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi get the job done along with some hand holding and assurances on Federal funding of abortion (already clearly forbidden by previous measures). It's too bad that health care reform has been held hostage to anyone with a particular issue. This is big (as the Vice President said in so many words) and we need to continue to act boldly to assure that everyone gets good health care just because they are a citizen of the world's most advanced democracy with the biggest economy. There's something crazy about a society that provides gigantic payouts and great health care coverage to executives, movie stars and athletes, but denies the most basic human dignity to the working poor. And there's something crazy about denying coverage to immigrants who work in restaurants and other places with direct contact with the public. Don't we want them to be healthy?

Democrats need to prepare to work hard this November if we want to keep our majority and answer the dishonest characterizations of the legislation that the right keeps feeding our citizens. Interestingly capitalism was not destroyed by this law. The very next day after the vote the stock market rose on the good news for health care businesses.

Health Care by The Numbers

Here's the latest bulletin from The White House:

32,000,000 -- that's the number of Americans who will get health insurance under the President's plan.

That's also a little more than the entire populations of Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona -- COMBINED.

For the past couple weeks, we've been using key numbers to help raise awareness about how we just can't wait any longer for health insurance reform. We used $1,115 to tell the story of how skyrocketing premiums are crippling America's workers. We used 8 to convey how widespread and severe discrimination for pre-existing conditions is across the health insurance industry. And we used numbers like 625 and 50/50 to clearly show that any one of us is at risk of losing insurance in our broken health care system.

Today -- in our last number of the series -- we're using 32,000,000 to represent not only all those who will get health care, but also all the numerous benefits America's families and small businesses will see from health insurance reform. From eliminating discrimination based on pre-existing conditions to controlling costs and lowering the national deficit to providing tax credits for middle class families and small businesses, health insurance reform will finally put America's families and small businesses in control over their own health care.

Watch our new 'Health Reform by the Numbers' wrap-up video and learn more about what you have to gain from reform: (go to White House.gov)

32,000,000 is the last number in ‘Health Reform by the Numbers,' our online campaign to raise awareness about why the time is now for health insurance reform. Help spread the word by sharing this message with your family, friends and online networks. Call Rep. Shuster and our Senators Casey and Specter.

Senate Committee Finally Holds Hearing on Single Payer

There was a major breakthrough in the Pennsylvania legislature on December 16. The Senate Banking and Insurance committee, chaired by Republican Senator Don White, held a hearing on Senate bill 400 which provides for a Statewide comprehensive health care system. In light of the weak showing by Congress on health reform, it was a breath of fresh air.

Supporters of the measure, whose primary sponsor is Sen. Jim Ferlo testified first. Ferlo explained the need to look at different approaches rather than be tied to the usual failed insurance model. Among other attributes, he said that the state Single Payer plan would free employers from the onerous burden of skyrocketing health insurance costs by, instead, providing healthcare for everyone at far less cost.

Chuck Pennacchio, Executive Director of Healthcare for all PA set forth the particulars of the state-level, Single Payer approach, and how it represents values we can all embrace: freedom, choice, fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility, modeling solutions, constitutional federalism, fair-share taxation, efficiency, transparency, accountability, jobs creation, bureaucratic streamlining, investment and reinvestment, coordinated and comprehensive care, reduced rationing, restored patient-provider relationship, healthy outcomes, tort remedy, end bankruptcy fears, health care education, "medical home" data base, and more.

Patricia Eakin, RN from Philadelphia explained that she was a nurse in one of the busiest ERs in Pennsylvania at Temple and that she sees the problems of the lack of insurance on a daily basis. She gave some examples of the problems faced by people who have lack insurance. She noted how her hospital was losing money because they had to spend limited resources on billing personnel, and had to absorb, and/or pass along, financial losses on people without insurance or on Medicaid.

Dwight Michaels, MD, a Republican family practice doctor from Gettysburg, spoke about how his experience with private insurance bureaucrats had driven him to support the Single Payer Solution. He said it is increasingly difficult to practice medicine because his five-person practice struggles daily with 20 different insurance plans, all with different rules.

David Steil, a former Republican state legislator and head of a small manufacturing business was knew all of the Senators and broke the stereotype that all Single Payer supporters are Democrats on the left. Mr. Steil spoke about how he tries to run a business, but the cost and hassle of health insurance has made his company more vulnerable in an international market where his non-American competitors have far cheaper health costs.

Those opposed included the head of the Blues, the head of the PA Medical Society, a spokesman for the National Federation of Independent businesses, the Insurance Federation, the Pennsylvania Hospital Association. Their arguments included standard objections including fear of government monopolistic control of health care, but they frequently cited some of the same problems that the supporters of single payer raised. Ultimately the very respectful and excellent questions from the Senators spurred them to say: "we need to get together a discuss better reforms." Everyone agreed that the system was seriously broken and imperiled state finances.

The room was packed with supporters of Senate bill 400 including from our area Dan and Ruth Jordan and Jack and Kathy Hendricks. For further information check out the Health Care for All website.

President's Speech Could be a Game Changer

President Obama appealed to the better nature of the American people and of his opponents in Congress tonight to put aside politics and work on behalf of the millions who have no health insurance, the tens of thousands who are denied proper care because they haven't "enough" insurance, and the tens of thousands who are cut off from care because of previous conditions. You can listen to the President's inspiring message by going to http://www.whitehouse.gov/ The speech and a discussion of the issues are featured. Then get on the phone, send an email and call your friends and families around the nation .... tell them to put pressure on their members of Congress to pass genuine health care reform this year!

Paying for Health Care With Bake Sales

Here's a wonderful video from Maine about paying for health care by begging for pennies on behalf of sick children who have no coverage. We've seen it here in Greencastle too. Containers on counters instead of affordable, accessible care. Write your Senators, write your Congressman, have your families do the same where ever they live. We need health care reform.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nonFMjU-iU8

Unions Signing on to Single Payer Legislation

More and more unions are supporting the bill in Congress that calls for single payer. Two central labor councils, in New York and Pennsylvania, have endorsed HR676single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).

In York, Pennsylvania, the York-Adams County Central Labor Council has
endorsed HR 676, reports Council President Clark Ruppert of IAMAW #1403.
Ruppert said: “Delegates have approved the resolution supporting a single
payer health care plan for all Americans because they have all seen that
the current health care coverage is not affordable and is not working for
the American workers, and it is not working for our employers either. It
is one more unfair burden on the worker and the employers who are
competing with foreign business.”

You can celebrate Medicare's Birthday by learning more about the health care legislation pending in the Pennsylvania legislature. http://www.healthcare4allpa.org/