Organizations advocating for single payer, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All in Western Washington
Health Care for All -WA
WA Single Payer Action
WA - Progressive Democrats of America
Wash State Progressive Caucus
Wa State Jobs with Justice
Island County Activists for Single Payer
Vancouver HealthCare Now
Socialist Alternative
Olympia Single Payer Action
Healthy Washington Coalition
Washington Community Action Network
Washington Health Security Coalition |
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 about the benefits of a single-payer system--including fewer administrative costs and affording health insurance for the 46 million Americans who have none.
| |
"Health Care as a Human Right and Single Payer Organizing"
Dr. Garrett Adams, PNHP President
 Our main focus will be "Health Care as a Human Right and Single Payer Organizing." This is a very timely topic for PNHP, given the success of this strategy in coalition building as seen in Vermont and Oregon. Our chapter Board is looking at this approach for use in our work. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Garrett Adams as our speaker and discussion leader, Skyped in from his home in Louisville Kentucky.
Dr. Adams is retired from the full-time faculty of the University of Louisville School of Medicine where he was Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Medical Director of Communicable Diseases at the Louisville Metro Health Department. For forty years he attended the health care needs of sick children and their young families. During his career he witnessed deterioration in health care access and health care delivery in the United States and now is working full time for health care reform. He asumed Presidency of PNHP in 2011.
As it will be 10PM in Louisville, we will begin the meeting will Dr. Adam's presentation, so please arrive by 7PM. We will also talk about the recent May Day marches and Jim McDermott's new Congressional bill "The State-Based Universal Health Care Act of 2012"
 
May 1st Immigrants' Rights March
  We had a very special presentation and discussion about the Health Care for All Oregon led my Mike Huntington, the coalition's new President. It focused on the strategy HCAO is developing around the theme of health care is a human right theme - that was key in the success of passing the reform legislation in Vermont and has been instrumental in having 44 Oregon organizations sign on with the coalition. It's something we may strongly consider for our advocacy in Washington State.
Coming up soon is a chance to get out on the streets for singe payer during the May 1st demonstration planned for downtown Seattle. We hope to have a PNHPWW contingent carrying our banner in support of the OneAmerica march for immigration rights, beginning in Judkins Park at 4:30 PM. Send a message to pnhp.westernwashington@comcast.net if you would like to join in.
Also, be sure to take a look at the new "Cost and Economic Impact Analysis of a Single-Payer Plan in Minnesota" - by the Lewin Group. It's economic analysis comparing SP and PPACA in 2014. They found that compared to PPACA, the SP plan would reduce HC spending by 8.8%, while covering everyone and eliminating deductibles and co-payments. Click here to download
Minnesota Single Payer Economic Study - The Lewin Group
Funding a National Single-Payer System - Gerald Friedman - Prof Economics, U. of Massachusetts-Amherst
"Occupy" and US Health Care - Dr. Mary Obrien
The Wyden-Ryan Plan: Deja-vu All Over Again - Uwe Reinhart
Sustaining the Movement for the 99% - Stering Committee of the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer
A Difficult Pill to Swallow - Margaret Flowers, MD
Privatize Medicare? No Thanks! - Dr. James Mitchner
Why won't Corporate America Support Single Payer Medicare for All - Mark Dudzic
Ryan turns Knife on Medicare, Medicaid - Dr. Margaret Flowers
Pay Much Attention to the Insurers Behind the Curtain - Wendell Potter
Medicare for All is the Solution - Robert Reich
Stop the Bipartisan Assault on Medicare - Support the People - Claudia Chaufan
What Happened to Social Justice in Health Care Reform? - Arthur Sutherland
GOP's Medicare Plan would be a Windfall for Insurers - Wendell Potter
For the latest news, articles of interest and opinion on health reform legislation, check the PNHP national web site at www.pnhp.org
Republicans want to privatize Medicare and slash Medicaid to reduce the nation's deficit. President Obama says he wants to preserve Medicare and Medicaid, but his budget proposal looks to those programs to find savings. We agree that healthcare costs are a serious problem, but cutting Medicare and Medicaid won't help. Instead, we need to take the corporate greed and waste out of our healthcare system, and make healthcare a human right by extending Medicare to everyone.
Join us in sending this message to President Obama and your Congresspeople: Medicare is the solution - not the problem. We need improved Medicare for all NOW! - Click here to send a message
PNHPWW Releases 2011 Strategic Plan
The PHPWWW Board revised our Strategic Plan. Chapter structure and activities of the working committees have been clarified and updated to guide our plans for 2011 and the upcoming national and state legislative sessions. Click here for the pdf file.
If you would like to volunter for one of the committies please send a message to pnhp.westernwashington@comcast.net
Bob Wickline's Medicare for All Media Campaign
Bob Wickline has produced a great 60 second musical media ads that he has placed on talk radio AM 1090. These ads can be varied to support publicity for local activities in the future. - click here
He has also made two YouTube videos of the ads that can be seen by following these links:
"Improved Medicare for All"
"Were being Scrooged!" aka "Now's the Time for Single Payer"
The information You Need to Remain Up-To-Date on Health Care Reform:
Quote of the Day
 For invaluable daily current health care reform information and analysis read PNHP Senior Staff Policy Analyst Don McCanne's Quote of the Day
Listserve free subscription http://two.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/quote-of-the-day
Ramon Bernal, Seattle's first student at the Latin American School of Medicine
 Cuba trains physicians from the Carribean, Central and South America, Africa, and the United States at the free Latin American School of Medicine in Havana (ELAM), the largest medical school in the world. Students make a commitment to return to their underserved communities after graduation. There are now 110 US student studying at ELAM.
Ramon Alejandro Bernal in now in Havana, the first student from Seattle to receive the opportunity for a free medical education at ELAM. PNHPWW has committed to support this outstanding individual as he persues his MD degree.
Ramon is in his fourth year at ELAM, now acquiring clinical skills and taking care of patients.
Click for info about Ramon and his monthly reports from Havana as he progresses (now 30 reports with photos)
Top of Page
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top of Page
|
|
|
Kathleen Randall is a facilitator for the Occupy Seattle Health Care Working Group. The group meets on a regularly scheduled basis, the first and third Sundays of the month on the 4th floor of the Washington State Convention Center. If you are interested in joining, please contact 
n, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has spent 25 years in academic family medicine. He is Past President of Physicians for National Health Program (PNHP) and a PNHPWW Board member. John has written several books that are indespensible for understanding the roots of our health care crisis, its current condition, and what must be done to achieve a just and sustainable replacement.