April 18th - PNHPWW Monthly Meeting
Swedish Medical Center-Cherry Hill Campus
SE Conference Center, Room A, 7:30pm (directions)
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State Organizations
advocating for
Health Care
is a Human Right
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-Health Care is a Human Right - Washington
-Vermont Workers Center
-Health Care for All Oregon
-Health Care is a Human Right - Maryland
Maine People's Alliance
Organizations advocating for single payer, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All in Western Washington
-Health Care for All -WA
-United for Single Payer
-Progressive
-Health Care is a Human Right - WA
Democrats of America
-United for National HealthCare - Bellingham
-Socialist Alternative
-Washington Community Action Network
-Backbone Campaign
Health Care is a Human Right -
Washington
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2015 Legislation - HB1321 - 31 sponsors; SB5305 - 17 sponsors
"Intent to cover all Washington residents"
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Whole Washington
New Whole Washington flyer of Dr. Friedman's economic analysis of what a state single plan would affect our state
Right click to download Hi-Resolution copy
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.
| Latest News
PNHPWW April 18th Meeting - Monthly Report "Homelessness and Healthcare" Jacqueline Martin and George Sidwell Vendors, Real Change Newspaper
PNHPWW March 21st Meeting "The I-1600 Initiative Campaign" Georgia Davenport Interim Campaign Director, Whole Washington 
Georgia Davenport of the Whole Washington organization talked about their campaign to pass a ballot initiative Initiative I-1600 that would create the Whole Washington Health Care Trust that would run a new universal health care program, housed within the state Department of Health. Senate and House Testimony on State "Single Payer" bills  Jan 16th - PNHPWW President Sherry Weinberg testifies for Senate Hearing on SB5701 - The Apple Care Trust PNHPWW February 21st Meeting PNHPWW January 17th Meeting This documentary film explores the problem of extreme drug prices in the US and how drug costsimpacts on the public, on businesses and the overall US economy. It makes an effective business case for realizable change, digging deeply to answer key questions. You can watch the film by clicking here - https://fixithealthcare.com/big-pharma-movie/? "Big Pharma" was produced by Richard Master, the producer of "Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point." We were fortunate to have pharmacist Ronnie Shure with us to comment on the film and lead the discussion.
Considering the continuing bad news at the about the current state and future threats to our health care system, it was very nice to hear some good news about an influx of dedicated, socially conscious physicians who work for health care for all. PNHPWW November 15 Meeting Report on PNHP Annual Meeting in Atlanta
At this meeting PNHPWW and SNaHP-UW members who attended discussed their impressions of the weekend and gave reports on the high points of the workshops they attended. |
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We were privileged to hear from Jacqueline Martin and George Sidwell, formerly homeless Real Changevendors. They described their experiences about the real issues and obstacles facing people who are homeless, how difficult it is, even for very sympathetic people who want to help, to understand their day-to-day-day struggles - including maintaining health and getting care from consistent and caring providers.
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The PNHPWW APM weekend events got high marks from the attendees. If you were unable to be there for the Saturday evening meeting at Kane Hall, you will appreciate the energy and enthusiasm generated by watching video 
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 -
National 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
Launched Feb 1st. focused on organizing for national SP legislation HR676. Initiated by Margaret Flowers, Kevin Zeese and others. Website with valuable information about advocacy and events. Holds regular national conference calls at 9 pm Eastern/6 pm Pacific. These calls are open to everyone, but you must register to receive a number.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE CALL.
These calls will provide political updates, educate about National Improved Medicare for All, discuss strategy and plan actions to change the political culture in the United States so that NIMA is the only politically viable solution.
2) Campaign for Guaranteed Healthcare - launched on 1-26-17 by Healthcare-Now! – “a fight back coalition that will carry out a nationally-coordinated, large-scale and militant campaign to fight for single-payer healthcare”. https://campaignforguaranteedhealthcare.org
Whole Washington is new single-payer organization in WA. It is “a grassroots coalition of healthcare profe
ssionals, activists and organizers with a common belief that healthcare is a human right, and Washington should be doing more to provide the best level of care to all residents.” It is working on a ballot initiative to bring single-payer healthcare to Washington State. For info - https://wholewashington.org
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WholeWashington/
There are 15 Annual PNHP Meeting slideshows of the plenary presentations and workshops that you can review and use the information for local activities, presentations, LTE’s etc. You can see the list of slideshow topics with links to them by clicking here.
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
10-Point Plan to Stop Trump and Make Gains in Justice and Equality (word - PDF) - George Lakey
Rand Study - "A Comprehensive Assessment of Four Options for Financing Health Care Delivery in Oregon" - PDF
Washington Post article by PNHP’s Himmelstein and Woolhandler - “Repealing the Affordable Care Act will kill more than 43,000 people annually - The impact of Republicans' war on Obamacare is likely to be worse than anyone expects”
The Public Option is Back - Don McCanne's Comments - Sept 16, 2016
Structural Racism and Supporting Black Lives — The Role of Health Professionals - NEJM, October 12, 2016
Affordable Care Act: imploding and beyond repair - John Geyman. MD - The Hill, Oct 21, 2016
Physicians Proposal Released
The 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.
Statement by Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H., on Physicians’ Proposal for Single-Payer Health Care, May 5, 2016
Long before Senator Sanders’ entered the presidential race, my colleagues and I – Dr. Gaffney, Dr. David Himmelstein, and Dr. Marcia Angell (the former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine) – convened a blue ribbon panel of doctors to develop a plan that would fix the glaring problems that our patients continue to face despite the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Twenty-seven million Americans are still uninsured and that number is not expected to fall. Tens of millions with insurance face sky-high copayments and deductibles that would bankrupt them if they were seriously ill. And many more have narrow network plans that won’t cover care at top cancer hospitals or academic medical centers – even when they offer the best option for life saving care.
Meanwhile, profit-driven insurers and hospital chains increasingly dominate health care. And insurers’ growing demands for documentation wastes doctors and nurses time, and saps their morale. While these trends predated the ACA, the law fueled merger- mania, and added bureaucratic complexity and cost.
The alternative we developed (which has been endorsed by more than 2,200 physician colleagues) calls for radical change; a single-payer national health program.
Our plan would cover everyone for all medically necessary care, without copayments or deductibles. And it would guarantee Americans the right to choose any doctor or hospital.
Our nation can readily afford this if we replace today’s wasteful patchwork of insurance plans with a streamlined single-payer system. My colleagues and I have documented the enormous bureaucratic costs of the current system in research published in the most respected medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, the JAMA, The American Journal of Public Health and Health Affairs.
Today, private insurers take 12.3 percent of total premiums for their overhead; only 88 cents of every premium dollar reaches a doctor, hospital or pharmacy. And insurers inflict massive paperwork on doctors and hospitals, forcing them to spend one- quarter of their total revenues on billing and administration.
In contrast, insurance overhead is only 1.8 percent in Canada’s single-payer system, about the same as overhead in Medicare. And Canadian hospitals have administrative costs less than half those of their U.S. counterparts. That’s because Canadian hospitals are paid annual global budgets, like fire departments, instead of billing separately for each Band-Aid and aspirin tablet. And billing is simple and inexpensive for Canadian physicians.
Overall, a single payer would save between $400 billion and $500 billion annually by trimming administrative spending to Canadian levels. Moreover, as in other nations, the single payer could use its purchasing power to lower drug prices, saving tens of billions more each year. These savings could fully cover the new costs of the coverage expansions we propose, a conclusion in keeping with past estimates by the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office, and private consulting groups (including one owned by UnitedHealthcare).
We have the resources needed to provide excellent care for all Americans; an abundance of hospitals and sophisticated equipment; superbly trained doctors and nurses; prodigious research output; and generous health care funding. Yet only thoroughgoing reform can realize the healing potential that is currently thwarted by our dysfunctional health care financing system.
Dr. Woolhandler is an internist in the Bronx, a professor of public health at the City University of New York at Hunter College, and a lecturer in medicine at Harvard Medical School, where she previously served as a professor of medicine. She co-founded Physicians for a National Health Program, a nonpartisan organization that advocates single-payer reform.
New Students for a National Health Program at University of Washington |
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Students for a National Health Program at the University of Washington (SNaHP-UW) brings the movement for universal healthcare through a national single-payer system to campus. SNaHP-UW seeks to educate and organize undergraduate and graduate students from health science, law, economics, political science, and beyond to add their voices to the growing chorus of healthcare professionals and students calling for healthcare for all. |
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Video on Single Payer for Washington State
PNHPWW member Mark Hickling has produced a 12 minute video describing the US health care system and those of other developed nations in a down-to-earth way that we can use in our advocacy with friends and family. This video is great for opening a meeting or houseparty.
You can watch this on YouTube by clicking here or on the photo. If you'd like a DVD copy ($5 for materials and postage), send a request here.
Click to watch new short single payer video for Washington State
John Geyma |
  The book can be ordered from Copernicus Healthcare via Amazon here |
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 now written 12 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.
John's previous books:
The Human Face of Obamacare - Promises vs. Reality and What Comes Next
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
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:
The information You Need to Remain Up-To-Date on Health Care Reform:
Sign up for Don McCanne's 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
Opinion and Information
"Fixing Obamacare: Move to Single Payer" - Joe Martin - Seattle Times LTE - 4-2-15
“What Happened in Vermont: Implications of the Pullback from Single Payer” - Steffie Woolhandler, MD, and David Himmelstein, MD, -Jan, 2015
“Lesson On The Struggle For Health Care As A Human Right: What happened in Vermont where a so-called single payer proposal died?”- Margaret Flowers, MD, in Populare Resistance, Jan 2015
Backgrounder on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Healthcare - Margaret Flowers, MD
Stephen Kemble, MD - The Business Case for Single Payer - March, 2014 Powerpoint
Dr. Arnold Relman, Outspoken Medical Editor, dies at 91" - New York Times obituary
Health Care for All Oregon Speakers Resources - Powerpoints, Tips, References, Logistics, Friedman & other videos
Why Oncologists Should Support Singe-Payer National Healthy Insurance - Ray E. Dragon, MD and Lawrence H. Einhorn, MD
10 Things Unions Need to Look Out for When Bargaining Under Obamacare - Labor Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare
A Perspective on the Relationship between State and National Single Payer Work.doc - Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein- PDF
Obstacles to State Based Reform: Vermont - slideshow - Dr. Marvin Malek
Immigrants and the Human Right to Health Care - National Economics and Social Rights Initiative
People of Color and the Human Right to Health Care - National Economics and Social Rights Initiative
Women and the Human Right to Health Care - National Economics and Social Rights Initiative
Obamacare and the New Deal - Michael Lind, Comment Don McCanne
What Kind of a Problem is the ACA Rollout for Liberalism - Michael Konczal
Strategy and Creativity for Grassroots Power (video) - Bill Moyer, Backbone Campaign
A close look at ACA Exchanges-Paul Criag Roberts
Funding HR 676: The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act - How we can afford a national single-payer plan - Gerald Friedman, Phd
Peter Bohmer's notes on Social Movements - Word.doc - PDF
Roadmap to State Single Payer - Public Citizen
ACA vs Single Payer - Accessibility, Affordability, Cost Control - PNHPWW
Real Danger of Obamacare: Insurance Company Takeover of Medicine - Nomi Prins
Some thoughts on What's Ahead - Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein
It's Time for Single Payer - Dr. James C. Mitchiner
Will Pay for Performance Backfire?; Insights from Behavioral Economics - Woolhandler and Ariely
Medicare Overpayments to Private Plans, 1985 - 2012 - Hellander. Woolhandler, Himmelstein
The Nuts and Bolts of Medicare Premium Support Proposals - Kaiser Foundation
Committee Responsibilities - Health Care for All Oregon
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% - Steering 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
What You Can Do To Help:
*Join the Campaign to Pass HR 676 and HR 1200
by sending an email to pnhp.westernwashington@comcast.net. We'll keep you posted with important updates and actions
*Lobby your members of Congress
Tell your representatives that you support HR 676 and HR 1200 and they should too. You can use this email form or - better yet - call their office
*Write an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor
You can find tips, templates and examples by clicking here
*Speak out about the single-payer solution
Educate yourself about single-payer using the resources & materials -here and here. Bring materials and talk to your church, labor, community or other group about the singlepayer solution.
Email: pnhp.westernwashington@comcast.net