Dec 1st, 9am-12n - HCHR-WA Retreat Pt2
Dec 9th, 1-4pm - Universal Health Care Work Group Meeting #9 - check here
Dec 16th, 7pm - PNHPWW December Monthly Meeting via Zoom - Program TBD
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State Organizations
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-Health Care is a Human Right - Washington
-Vermont Workers Center
-Health Care for All Oregon
-Maine People's Alliance
-Whole Washington
Organizations advocating for single payer, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All in Western Washington
-Health Care for All -WA
-United for Single Payer
-Progressive Democrats of America
-Health Care is a Human Right - WA
-United for National HealthCare - Bellingham
-Socialist Alternative
-Washington Community Action Network
-Backbone Campaign
-Whole Washington
Coalition Partners
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Dr. Gerald Friedman's economic analysis of how a state single plan would affect our state
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New WHST PowerPoint
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It's Time to Add
Your Voice
Since 1987, Physicians for a National Health Program has advocated for reform in the U.S. health care system. A large part of our work involves educating health professionals, and others, about the benefits of a single-payer system - including fewer administrative costs and providing comprehensive health insurance for all residents of the United States.
PNHPWW November 18th Monthly Meeting
Review of 2020 PNHP Virtual Annual Meeting
And - What's Ahead in 2021
This meeting was a review of what happened in the virtual PNHP 2020 Annual Meeting on November 13th, 14th and the PNHP Board meeting on Nov 15th. See agenda below.
The PNHP meetings focused on what we can expect in the way of meaningful health care reform under the administration of President Biden and what should be PNHP's strategy and tactics to move forward in 2021. In our PNHPWW virtual meeting we showed video snippets from the Saturday panel and focused our discussion on should single payer advocates also support some incremental legislation?; should we work on both state and national single payer legislation?; and should PNHP continue its focus on organizing and educating health care professionals but, also, broaden its advocacy to work in coalition with other social justice organizations that work on social determinates of health?
You can watch a video of the meeting here
PNHP 2020 Annual Meeting Agenda
Friday, November 13
*Keynote address from Sara Nelson, international president of the 50,000-member Association of Flight Attendants and an outspoken proponent of Medicare for All
* Post-election analysis panel discussion with Dr. Adam Gaffney, president of PNHP; Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen; and Stephanie Kang, health policy advisor to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
Saturday, November 14:
*Health policy update and discussion with PNHP co-founders Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein
*Panel discussion: Next steps for single payer with Dr. Claudia Fegan, national coordinator of PNHP; Dr. Adam Gaffney, president of PNHP; Dr. Susan Rogers, president-elect of PNHP; and Rachel Madley, national executive board member with Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP)
*Keynote address from Dr. Rhea Boyd, pediatrician, public health advocate, and scholar
Past Events
October 7th - Universal Health Care Work Group Meeting #8 - watch it here
PNHPWW October 21st Monthly Meeting - Holding the US Accountable Internationally for Abusing the Human Right to Health - You can watch a video of the meeting here
Nov 13, 14th - PNHP Annual Meeting via Zoom - see above info
Nov 15th 2-4pm - Health Care for all WA Annual Meeting via Zoom. - check HCFA-WA web site
Future Events
Dec 1st HCHR-WA Retreat - Part 2
December 9th, 1-4pm - Universal Health Care Work Group Meeting #9 - follow developments here
PNHPWW Dec 16th Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7PM - Program TBD
PNHPWW October 21st Monthly Meeting
Holding the US Accountable Internationally
for Abusing the Human Right to Health
Martha Schmidt, LL.M., J.D.
This was a very informative meeting. Our speaker was Martha Schmidt, a member of the National Lawyers Guild. She is a retired equal employment lawyer, professor and labor organizer, who has been focusing on the US international human rights record. Her activism and scholarship involves both domestic and foreign/military policy, including US use of illegal Unilateral Coercive Measures (economic sanctions).
She described the process the National Lawyers Guild is involved in to ensure that when the United Nations Human Rights Council reviews the US's record on human rights during its Universal Periodic Review on November 9th it will review the NLG report, she wrote, as well as reports from over 350 other US civil society organizations, detailing how the US falls far short of its commitments to the human right to health care. The UNHRC's report will be posted here soon.
You can watch a video of the meeting here
You can read the National Lawyers Guild Report to the UN Human Rights Council here
You can download Marti's PowerPoint slideshow here
The Saving Lives Campaign
Cuba and the COVID-19 Pandemic
We had a wonderful September meeting focused on the "Saving Lives Campaign in Collaboration with Cuba" and Cuba's response to the pandemic within Cuba and with its Henry Reeve Brigades internationally. Speakers were Cindy Domingo and ELAM medical student Sol Bocklie.
You can view a video of the meeting here
Kevin Zeese: Rest in Power
Kevin Zeese, longtime powerful advocate for improved Medicare forAll and all the other social justice issues passed away peacefully in his sleep a few days ago. Kevin, along with his partner Margaret Flowers, founded Popular Resistance, an invaluable source of information for social justice advocates. They participated in a PNHPWW's Annual Public Meeting and some Monthly Meetings. Kevin will be sorely missed, but we will always have his example. Kevin's sons and Margaret held an online vigil for him on Sept. 19th. You can watch a video of this very moving tribute to Kevin here. and YouTube.com/PopularResistanceO
The Kevin Zeese Emerging Activist Fund has been set up to to sponsor young s and keep Kevin's legacy growing. You can donate to the fund using a credit card (one time or monthly) or by check. All donations are tax-deductible. 
Historical Perspective on Pandemics
Hugh Foy recently gave a wonderful presentation to King County EMTs "Pandemics Then and Now
PNHPWW August Meeting
WA Universal Health Care Work Group Meeting
We cancelled the usual PNHPWW third Wednesday August meeting to substitute the Universal Health Care Work Group's fifth meeting on August 25th.
The Group, of which PNHPWW President Sherry Weinberg is a member, is charged to look at three possible legislative routes to "universal health care" in our state, including a single, publicly financed option and making a recommendation to our state legislators for the next session beginning in January. More info on Work Group here. Here is Health Care for All Washington's summary of the meeting in which the single, universal, publically funded, privately delivered opton was the overwhelming favorite.
HCHR-WA General Meeting - August 11th
Racism is a Public Health Crisis
Co-Chairs of the HCHR-WA Policy Committee - Fathiya Abdi of the Community Health Network of WA and Sam Hatzenbeler of the Economic Opportunity Institute - discussed recent legislation; Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matters showed a video & discussed defunding the police; Rachel Erstad from SEIU 1199NW talked about their work with BLMs; and Aretha Basu, Community Outreach Manager for Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda talked about the efforts by the Council to overcome systemic racism. You can watch a video of the meeting here.
There is growing recognition that racism is a public health crisis. A key step in this development happened on June 6, when 7,000 health care workers marched from Harborview Hospital to Seattle City Hall in support of people of color, to declare racism a public health emergency, and to demand an end to police brutality against people of color. Following this, King and Pierce counties joined governments across the country in recognizing racism as a public health crisis and taking steps towards racial equity. Similar resolutions have been introduced in the US Congress and adopted by the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association.
John Geyman's latest book and pamphlet just published |
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—Ralph Nader, activist, founder of Public Citizen, and |
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Order Common Sense Here
John appeared on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour on July 1st, 2020 to discuss his latest book: |
"The horrific multiple costs, cruel denials of benefits, and huge entrenched commercial crimes driving the health care industry is described in this motivating, accurate report by Dr. John Geyman. This book points citizens towards Congressional action.
PNHPWW July 15th Monthly Meeting
Black Health Matters
North Carolina Medicare for All Coalition
We screened a very informative and moving webinar produced by the North Carolina Medicare for All Coalition. Speakers talked about their personal experiences with the structural racism of our health care system and called for action to achieve Medicare for All. Dr. Susan Rogers, MD, President-Elect of PNHP was a featured speaker.After the presentations, we had some time to discuss what we'd seen.
You can watch the video here
PNHPWW June 7th Monthly Meeting
Residency Unions:
Medical Residents Join the Labor Movement
Brenna Stroup
Executive Director, UW Housestaff Association
Brenna Stroup, Executive Director of the University of Washington Housestaff Association (UWHA) gave a very informative presentation that included UWHA's history, UW resident benefits in comparison with other residency and fellow programs, advantages for residents in joining a union, and the recent efforts to successfully come to an agreement on a new contract with UW. A Q&A session followed the presentation.
You can watch the video here - https://youtu.be/62_fvc1l78g
PNHP Statement on Police Violence and Racism as Public Health Emergencies
Info about and how you can support Black Lives Matter - Seattle-King County
PNHP Web Site - Link for latest Coronavirus information
PNHP has a comprehensive web page about the pandemic. Click here to see the latest info.
Health Care is a Human Right General Meeting
June 9th
We heard from US Rep. Pramila Jayapal; Colin Goldfinch, Senior Health Policy Advisor to US Senator Patty Murray; and State Senator Joe Nguyen. They discussed the dual health care and economic crisis and the way forward for the US and Washington State.
You can watch the video here
Watch most PNHPWW Previous Monthly Meetings
PNHPWW YouTube Channel
Valuable New Resources!!!
PNHP Kitchen Table Campaign - https://pnhp.org/kitchen-table-campaign/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=46d56500-b445-424a-9bd8-1678887f3116 - During each of the first six months of 2020, PNHP will focus on a specific, concrete “kitchen table” issue that requires fundamental reform (like single payer), not minor tweaks (like a public option), and how Improved Medicare for All would fix them. Offered are toolkits with lots of resources: January - "Surprise Billling"; February - "Racial Health Inequities"; March - "Rural Health"; April/May - "Pandemics and Public Health Emergencies"; June - "The Opiod and Addiction Crisis."
Medicare for All Facts - https://medicareforallfacts.org - Collated by Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese of Health Over Profit - Most of what you need to know at your fingertips and continuously updated. Keep these links on your desktop.
For the latest news on health reform legislation - check PNHP articles of interest and opinion - or research a topic by clicking on the Google Custom Search image below:
For the latest news on health reform legislation - check PNHP articles of interest and opinion - or research a topic by clicking on the Google Custom Search image below:
Updated PNHP Slides for 2019
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Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein presented the annual update on their extremely valuable set of health care reform slides at the recent PNHP Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
You can view and/or download all the slides here (scroll down the page)
Recent Opinion on the Public Option:
Nation Magazine features an essay by Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein - "The "public option" on health care is a Poison Pill" - that lays out the facts and reasoning why the public option and the other "Medicare for some" plans that do not eliminate private insurance, as espoused by many of the presidential candidates, will delay us from getting where we need to be = health justice for all.
The "Pathway to Universal Health Care" resolution is funded. It directs the WA Health Care Authority to convene a work group on establishing a universal health care system in WA, funded with $500,000 from the general fund to contract with one or more consultants to do an actuarial and financial analysis of state universal system options. The work group must consist of a broad range of stakeholders with expertise in health care financing and delivery system - including consumers, patients and the general public, patient advocates and community health advocates.... Read Health Care for All - WA's commentary
NoHLA WA Legislative Wrap Up - There were many improvements made to health care this legislative session for Washingtonians. Please check out the Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA) Legislative Wrap Up to learn more about other important bills.
Medicaid Cuts in Washington State? One major setback - cuts may be coming to Washington state Medicaid patients. "The Legislature assumed Medicaid "program integrity" savings of over $350,000,000 starting in January 2020 that seem to be unachievable without making program cuts of some kind. NoHLA, HCFA-WA and many other stakeholders have expressed great concern about this highly unrealistic assumption."
How We Win - National Improved Medicare for All
Health over Profits for Everyone (HOPE) describes an in-depth strategy analysis on how the single payer movement can win National Improved Medicare for All (NIMA).
PDF; Word.docx
HOPE recently sent a letter to Rep. Jayapal regarding the need for transparency in updating HR 676 before it is introduced in February.
Some Important Recent Articles
Medicare for All legislation in the House - HR 676 ("updated" version to be introduced in the 2019 Congress), Senate - S 1804, and "Faux Single Payer legislation." and what would be essential for a state single payer plan::
1. HR 676 vs. S1804 - Analysis and Recommendations
2. Table of side-by-side Comparison
of Medicare for All Public Plan Proposals
3. Aligning House And Senate Single-Payer Bills - Removing Medicare's Profiteering Incentives Is Key
4. Essential Elements of State Single Payer
5. Section by Section draft of Updated Medicare for All - Jayapal bill
6. Saving Lives Campaign Letter
Dr. Geyman's books:
Common Sense: US Health Care at a Crossroads in the 2018 Congress (pamphlet_
Crisis in US Health Care: Corporate Power vs. Tho Common Good looks at how, over the last 60 years, our health care system got to be where it is now - how it changed from a system devoted to patient care to one devoted to maximizing revenues.
The Human Face of Obamacare - Promises vs. Reality and What Comes Next shows the human face of the ACA as the stories of real patients and their families best illustrate continuing problems of our health care system. It also shows how many of the promises made by the Obama administration have not been kept.
How Obamacare is Unsustainable - Why we need a Single-Payer Solution for All Americans documents where the ACA fails and the fix we need.
Health Care Wars - How Market Ideology and Corporate Power Are Killing Amercians examines how our market-based system benefits the 1% at the grave expense and suffering of the 99%.
"Breaking Point - How the Primary Care Crisis Endangers the Lives of Americans" documents the crisis in primary care in the US and what we must do about it.
John's Web Site
Other News:Still working to make our PNHPWW social media more useful. Please submit/share important info, articles, events to/on our Facebook site - https://www.facebook.com/pnhpww PNHPWW YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx_TkWg9tFnCKGnO9F-iEeQ - Single payer coalitions: 1) HOPE - Health Over Profit for Everyone – http://healthoverprofit.org; Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HealthOverProfit.org/; Twitter - https://twitter.com/H_O_P4E
Suggested Reading : “Health Reform in the Trump Era: A Big Step Back, But Possibilities for Bigger Steps Forward” – Woolhandler and Himmelstein , Nov 16, 2016. "Fix It: Healthcare at the Tipping Point" This powerful documentary that takes a look at how our health care system is damaging our economy, suffocating our businesses, discouraging physicians, and negatively impacting on the nation's health while remaining unaffordable for a third of US residents. Film producer Richard Master, founder and owner of MCS industries, produced the film. He faces relentless annual cost increases to provide health insurance for his employees. "Fix It" is a result of his journey to find a solution to the dysfunctional US healthcare system. You can watch the full movie for free here Recent Literature of Note
Physicians Proposal ReleasedThe updated Physicans Proposal was released May 5th via the American Journal of Public Health. Several PNHP leaders were involved in the writing. More than 2,200 physicians have endorsed it so far, including 111 in Washington State. You can download the PNHP press release here The full text is available here and PNHP has released a Summary and Fact Sheet.
For the latest news on health reform legislation - check PNHP articles of interest and opinion - or research a topic by clicking on the Google Custom Search image below:
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For invaluable daily current health care reform information and analysis read PNHP Senior Staff Policy Analyst Don McCanne's
Email: pnhp.westernwashington@comcast.net