PNHPWW Wednesday, May 20th Monthly Meeting
7pm, via Zoom
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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
-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
Health Care is a Human Right -
Washington
Get Activist's Toolkit
Washington Against Nuclear Weapons
Information
Dr. Gerald Friedman's economic analysis of how a state single plan would affect our state
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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 May 20th Meeting Report
Health Reform in the November Elections
With the retirement of Rep. Denny Heck, the WA 10th Congressional District will have an open seat. We invited candidates running for this seat to tell us what they think about our current health care system and, if elected, what Congressional legislation they would support to improve it, as we have an opportunity to build a "new normal" as the pandemic subsides in 2021.
We were privileged to have six candidates - Beth Doglio, Phil Gardner, Rian Ingrim, Marilyn Strickland, Joshua Collins, and Ryan Tate - participate. Each candidate made a presentation followed by discussion and Q&A.
The meeting was recorded via Zoom and you can watch it on our YouTube channel here - https://youtu.be/rXWpqcLx5ms
Our next meeting will be on June 17th, 7:00pm, presumably via Zoom. Program to be determined.
Meanwhile, you can call your representatives to support the "Healthcare Emergency Guarantee Act" (Pramila Jayapal - HR 6906 and Bernie Sanders - same bill but not yet introduced into the Senate). You can find info about the bill, how to call your reps, and a sample script here.
Visit the PNHP COVID-19 page for latest info and resources
Past Events
April 28th - PNHP New York Metro Chapter Forum - "Role of Racism & For-Profit Healthcare in Pandemic Response Failures" - watch video here
May 19th - 4pm PNHP New York Metro Chapter Forum - "Combatting COVID & Building Resilience: Health, Jobs, and Homes" - watch video here
Future Events
June 17th, 7pm via Zoom - PNHPWW Monthly Meeting - program to be determined
A committee of the PNHPWW Board has been reaching out to PNHP members who are current in their dues (173 folks in Western Washington) to see if they might like to be more active in our chapter during these critical times that offer a great opportunity to move toward improved Medicare for All that intersects with most of the social justices issues unmasked for all to see during this pandemic.
PNHP Web Site - Link for latest Coronavirus information
PNHP has a comprehensive web page about the pandemic. Click here to see the latest info.
PNHPWW April 28th Meeting
Roles of Racism and For-Profit Healthcare in Pandemic Response Failures - watch watch video here
Send Message to Joe Biden to Support Improved Medicare for All
On March 30th, Joe Biden said that Medicare for All has nothing to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. What about the millions who avoid heatlh care due to unaffordable costs (the bail out does not cover costs individuals may have to pay for treatment)? What about the millions losing their employment and employer-sponsored insurance? Not an issue if we all had M4A. You can send a message to Sen. Biden to urge him to reconsider and support improved Medicare for All here - https://go.joebiden.com/page/s/contact-us
PNHPWW April 28th Meeting
"Big Money Agenda: Democracy on the Brink" details why Americans are sicker than they should be, poorer than they ought to be, and less safe than they deserve to be. You can watch it online here - https://vimeo.com/265697192 After the screening, Cindy Black, Executive Director of "Fix Democracy First," discussed current legislation in the state legislature that will help counteract the effects of money's pollution of politics.
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.
"Power to Heal" screenings. PNHPWW has a license to show the powerful documentary about how Medicare was critical in integrating thousands of hospitals in 1966, the hero's who put their lives on the line, and how such dedication to justice has implications for us today. Watch preview here. Read an extended revue of the film here. To request a free screening anywhere in Washington, send an email request with description of venue (the license requires that a PNHP member must be present to sponsor/co-sponsor).
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:
PNHPWW December 18th Meeting - Monthly Report
Updated PNHP Slides for 2019
General Discussion
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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. In our December 18th meeting we took a close look at some of these slides - the ones relating to 1) "Racial Disparities and Immigrant Health" presented by John Kearney, 2) "Un-Insurance and Under- Insurance" by Charles Heaney, and 3) "Traditional Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage" plans by Sherry Weinberg. We all need to have a good understanding of these issues in the coming election year - a time of tremendous opportunity to move forward to Expanded and Improved Medicare for All as championed unwaveringly by Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
You can view and/or download all the slides here (scroll down the page)
You can watch the meeting on YouTube here - https://youtu.be/HNeBjuBSd78
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.
Past Meetings:
PNHPWW November 20th Meeting
Meetings Attendees
e
PNHPWW September 18th Meeting
Screening "Power to Heal"
PNHPWW August 21st Meeting
Union Organizing in Community Clinics - Valentina Warner, MD
PNHPWW June19th Meeting
Health Care in Cuba Today
Brinda Sivramakrishnan
PNHPWW May 15th Monthly Meeting
Organizing and Cultivating Grassroots
North Seattle Progressives
You can watch most PNHPWW Previous monthly Meetings on our PNHPWW YouTube Channel
News: -- John Geyman, MD’s new book "Long-Term Care in America: The Crisis All of US will Face in Our Lifetimes" in now available. You can order it - and also “Common Sense: The Case For and Against Medicare for All” and “Struggling and Dying Under Trumpcare" (Pinnacle Book Award 2019 - Best Book in category of Health Care Reform).They deal extensively with Pramila Jayapal's HR 1384 Improved Medicare for All and are invaluable in the coming election season. Lots of info on advocating for M4A and refuting the lies and myths thrown out there by those profiting from our dysfunctional status quo. Avail at PNHPW meetings and through Copernicus HealthCare
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. Proposed Top Five Policy Improvements in Updated Medicare for All - Jayapal bill - Chart
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
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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
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 1384 and that 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