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Sign on to the Physicians’ Proposal for a National Single Payer Program here.
Articles of interest. Quote of the day by Dr. Don McCanne.
Working to promote single payer health care in Kentucky.
Rep. John Conyers Hosts Press Conference to Announce 111 Cosponsors on HR 676, Improved Medicare for All
On May 24, 2017, eight current congresspersons participated in the Rep. John Conyers’ press conference to celebrate the 111 cosponsors and the growing public support for HR 676, improved Medicare for All. The 111th cosponsor is Rep. Joe Crowley, NY, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. There are 193 Democrats in Congress, so the vast majority of them are now supporting this single payer legislation. Before the day was over, Texas Rep. Marc Veasey also signed on, bringing the total to 112.
Congressman Conyers spoke with renewed confidence as he told of the wild popularity of Medicare for All in town hall meetings across the country. “For years people have said, including people who support single payer,that it’s not time yet, that Medicare for All will have to wait,” said Conyers. “Well, Dr. Martin Luther King said that ‘wait’ has almost always meant ‘never.’ We’re here to say that we’re done waiting. It’s time now, Medicare for All,” Conyers stated.
“We will never get universal care building on the foundation of private for-profit insurance. The only way we will get there is the way every other advanced country on the planet has, through a universal system like expanded Medicare for All,” Conyers concluded.
Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland told of his very positive experience with the French health care system.
Congressman Ro Khanna of California said that he represents Silicon Valley and that those high tech start ups suffer great pressures to outsource jobs because of the high cost of health care.
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey said that the 25 best paid hedge fund managers in the U. S. earn, as a collective, 11 billion dollars a year while at the same time over 20 million Americans do not have health care. “I refuse to believe that in this great nation we cannot provide health care for all,” she said.
After reporting massive cheering for Medicare for All in town halls across Wisconsin, Congressman Mark Pocan said, “I recently did a Town Hall in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in Paul Ryan’s district. If the Republicans aren’t going to do Town Halls, we’re going to do Town Halls. And again, in his district, the largest response of the Town Hall was when we get to the subject of Medicare for All. So let’s face it, the people are there, the people are leading.”
Congresspersons Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Peter Welch of Vermont, and Keith Ellison of Minnesota also spoke.
National Nurses United CoPresident Jeanne Ross, RN, said “Registered Nurses do not give up on our patients and we will not relent until we win Medicare for All.”
Phil Verhoef, MD, PhD, an ICU physician with Physicians for a National Health Program cited recent research that places the U. S. health system 80th out of 195 countries and by far the worst of the wealthy countries. He declared our system critically ill and said “But we have a solution, we have a therapy for this critically ill patient, our health care system, and that is HR 676, improved and expanded Medicare for All.”
All of the speakers had much more to say. They were passionate and upbeat, sometimes profound and on offense. There is a transcript of their remarks at this website.
Listen to Single Payer on Forward Radio, 106.5 FM in Louisville
Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care is pleased to announce that discussions of single payer, improved Medicare for All, can be heard on Forward Radio on each Wednesday at 5 pm and Thursday at 9 am at 106.5 FM. The transmitter is atop the Heyburn Building and the station can be heard throughout the city and even further on your car radio.
FORward Radio is a community-based, low power FM radio start-up and media project operating as an educational arm of the Louisville chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) in pursuit of peace and social justice.
https://louisvillefor.org/forward-radio/
We are grateful to the Fellowship of Reconciliation and to Mark McKinley, KSPH Steering Committee Member, who have struggled over many years to create this new instrument of communication.
If you are interested in telling your health care story on the radio, please contact Mark at markjmckinley@gmail.com.
Harriette Seiler, Tom Moffett, Dr. Barbara Casper, Charlie Casper, Jill Harmer, Dave MacCool, Kay Tillow, Dr. Garrett Adams, are among those who have already been featured on the Single Payer Program.
West Kentuckians speak up for single payer health care at Town Hall meeting in Marshall County
On May 10, 2017, at First District Congressman James Comer’s Town Hall meeting in Benton, Kentucky, Judy Tuggle of Mayfield spoke up for single payer health care.
Judy Tuggle said, “I watched President Trump when the Australian Prime Minister was visiting last week, and I lived in Australia for over a decade. They have cradle to grave, single payer, medicare for all.” (Applause)
“President Trump touched the Australian prime minister on his knee and said “I know you have better health care than we do,” said Tuggle. (Applause)
“When are you and the rest of the 435 people not supporting what works in the rest of the industrialized world… You say you’re pro-business. It handicaps American employers to have to pay for healthcare for the employees. The German employers don’t have to. The English don’t have to. The Australians don’t have to. It handicaps our business people. Single payer works,” said Tuggle.
(Applause)
Rep. James Comer said he was for free enterprise, but if something is not done that is the direction we are headed in. (Loud cheers and applause.)
_________________________________
Jennifer Smith’s speech at Rep. James Comer’s May 10, 2017, Town Hall:
“On March 24, I introduced myself to you, on April 12, I told you about my experience with single payer health care, and why I believe we need HR 676, which would guarantee health care for every American. I had hoped you were listening. You stated your commitment to protecting those of us with pre-existing conditions our access to insurance and health care, but instead, on May 4, you reneged on that promise, and voted for the horrendous bill, the AHCA.
“In response to the outrage from your constituents, you stated on your Facebook page that the bill protected pre-existing conditions, and that those protesting and distorting the truth were far left liberals like the DNC, and Planned Parenthood. You either lied, or in trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, you are naive and have been grossly misled by your friends in Washington.
“I am a two time breast cancer survivor. I am a mother, and a grandmother. I am not being paid by any organization to be here. I am a pre-existing condition that disagrees with your vote, as the AHCA will probably be the death of me.
“The radical left wing organizations that you say are against you include the American Cancer Society, Komen, the National Patient Advocate Foundation, and over 25 other cancer and health advocacy groups. The American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Hospital Association, and AARP have also come out strongly against the bill. All of the organizations have cited the catastrophic impact this will have on those of us with pre-existing conditions, and every other consumer of health care.
“You attempt to distort the impact of the bill, by saying that the high risk pools will protect us. That would have some truth, if the funding in the bill was anywhere near what would be required to have the high risk pools be functional. The funding would only cover approximately 110,000 individuals with pre-existing conditions. However, there are an estimated 2.1 million people in this country with pre-existing conditions, so what happens to us?
“You also neglect to mention that with the states right to opt out, that it is almost a certainty that Kentucky’s governor Bevin would take that option, just as Wisconsin’s Governor Walker has already stated his intent.
“The reality is that this bill with drive up costs for the poor and those with health issues to the point that there is no access, because we will not be able to afford to pay the premiums or out of pocket expenses. This is a simple grammar lesson, just because we may buy health insurance doesn’t mean we can.
“The AHCA repeals the protections of the ACA. Insurance no longer is required to cover:
Ambulatory care or outpatient care.
Hospitalization
Mental health or substance abuse
prescriptions
rehab for injuries, disabilities, chronic mental or physical deficits.
Preventative screenings like mammograms or colonoscopies.
Maternity and newborn care,
Laboratory
Emergency.
“It also reduces payments for medicaid patient’s home health attendants.
“Many of these costs currently covered by insurance will now be out of pocket, and will certainly result in more bankruptcies, and in some cases, death, as people will skip getting their preventative screenings and care.
“The CBO has stated that with this bill, 14 million people will become uninsured, and that by 2026, 52 million people will be uninsured.
“All of this so that the wealthy can get tax cuts, when history proves that these tax cuts balloon the deficit. The estimate attached to the tax cuts in this bill are that the deficit will be 111 % of the GDP by 2027.
“At the meeting in Cadiz, you stated that perhaps we had to consider that we could not as a country provide what was needed for our citizens, and turn to churches and charities to provide these services. When I was diagnosed for second time in 2015, my bill at Vanderbilt was almost $600,000 by the end of my chemotherapy and surgeries. I had a Go Fund Me page, but what was interesting to me is that it was not people of wealth donating, but my friends who had also had cancer and were almost as financially challenged as we were. I can assure you, Go Fund Me is not a health care provider!”
The crowd applauded Jennifer.
Others spoke as well, many concerned about health care. The public radio report is here.
There is a full audio of the town hall here.
Article on this Town Hall by Berry Craig, Kentucky congressman wants Trumpcare, but town hall crowd cheered for single-payer
Video of April 8, 2017, Town Hall for Single Payer
The first part of the Town Hall outside the office of Senator Mitch McConnell is at the google link below. Video by Stephon Barbour:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B876zW8CC0VFOVVtYTVNZkpicjg/view
The last part of the event, shown live on WDRB, is below this:
Sidewalk Town Hall Champions Single Payer
A short video from the Courier-Journal about Louisville’s April 8, 2017, Town Hall for HR 676, Improved Medicare for All. http://cjky.it/2nWvU1i
Town hall champions single-payer health care
Darla Carter , @PrimeDarla April 8, 2017, Courier-Journal
Exorbitant prescription costs, high deductibles and having to jump through hoops to get procedures covered.
Those were among the realities of today’s insurance landscape highlighted Saturday at a sidewalk town hall in downtown Louisville.
Dozens of people gathered outside U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office to show their support for single-payer national health insurance, which is sometimes referred to as “Medicare for all.”
A new system is needed because “we’re fed up. Enough is enough,” said Dr. Garrett Adams, a former Louisville pediatrician who served as president of Physicians for a National Health Program. “We’re sick and tired of our lives being run by greedy profiteers,” such as “the health insurance industry, for-profit hospitals, Big Pharma and medical device companies. It doesn’t have to be that way.”
About a dozen speakers, including U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, state Rep. Jim Wayne and Louisville physician Barbara Casper, spoke as a crowd held up signs emblazoned with statements like “Patients not profits” and “Hey, Mitch. Healthcare for all is a right!”
“It is shame to live in a country where people are expendable like pawns on a chessboard, a chessboard built for profiteers,” the Rev. Ron Robinson told the crowd. “It is a shame to live in a country where people have to use the emergency rooms as their primary care doctor. …Somehow, we need to raise our consciousness to a higher level and take back what is taken away from us.”
Similar events were held around the country to focus attention on U.S. Rep. John Conyers’ HR 676 Medicare for All bill, which the Michigan Democrat has introduced in Congress since 2003.
“This is an historic day,” Adams said. “All across the country we are demanding a health-care system that works for all of us.”
The national day of action was organized by Physicians for a National Health Program and several other organizations.
Support for single payer “is really growing,” said Kay Tillow, chairperson of Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare, a co-sponsor of the sidewalk town hall. Conyers’ plan “really would work to cover everyone, to rein in the costs” and , cover “everything medically necessary,” from eyeglasses and hearing aids to long-term care.
While some strides have been made due to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, the nation needs a plan that would cover everyone and stop profit-making entities from siphoning funds that are needed for care, Tillow said.
► Letter | Support single-payer health plan
“We are not doing a good job…so we are appealing to everyone to rise up and make this politically possible by seeing your Congress persons and contacting and talking to them,” she said. “ … We are seeking to appeal to McConnell and the entire Congress.”
The national day of action is being organized by Physicians for a National Health Program and several other organizations.
In a recent piece in the Detroit Free Press, Conyers argued that the time is ripe to support single payer now that a major effort to replace and repeal the Affordable Care Act has failed.
Conyers wrote, “Time and time again I’ve heard Democrats dodge questions about their support for universal healthcare by saying they’re focused right now on defending the ACA. Now that we have repelled Paul Ryan’s attack and Donald Trump has signaled that Republications will move on, the time for those excuses has passed.”
He went on to say, “I want my colleagues to join me in supporting single-payer not to save money or to win elections, but because it is the moral and just thing to do, if, like me, you believe health care is a right to everyone and not a privilege to those who can afford it.”
Reporter Darla Carter can be reached at (502) 582-7068 or dcarter@courier-journal.com.
Sidewalk Town Hall for Single Payer, Sat. April 8, 2017, 10:30 AM, 6th & Broadway
Sidewalk Town Hall
In front of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office, 601 W. Broadway, Louisville, KY
Saturday, April 8, 2017, 10:30 -11:30 am
Please join us to talk about the real solution to our nation’s health care problems.
The Senator has been invited.
Forward to Single Payer, Improved Medicare-for-All, HR 676
Speakers:
Barbara Casper, MD, Professor of Medicine
Ann Hagan-Grigsby, MBA, CEO, Park DuValle Community Health Center
Congressman John Yarmuth, 3rd CD, Kentucky
Devin McBride, Medical Student, Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP)
Jim Wayne, Kentucky State Representative, 35th District
Barbara Boyd, Chair, Kentucky Alliance against Racist and Political Repression
Professor Tom Lambert, Chair, Business Dept., Simmons College & Economics Dept., Univ. of Louisville
Garrett Adams, MD, Past President, Physicians for a National Health Program
The Rev. Ron Robinson
Tim Morris, Political Director, Greater Louisville Central Labor Council
James Moore, Small Business Owner
Carol Paris, MD, President, Physicians for a National Health Program
This is a part of nationwide events on this date designed to place the solution to the healthcare crisis, national single payer legislation, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All, HR 676, on the nation’s agenda. The bill, introduced by Congressman John Conyers currently has 84 cosponsors. The bill and the cosponsors are here.
Sponsors:
Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care kyhealthcare.org
Kentucky Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program pnhp.org
U of L Chapter, Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP)
Single Payer a hit in Louisville’s St. Pat’s Parade
L to R. Mark McKinley, Harriette Seiler, Charlie Casper, Karl Wisman, and Kay Tillow waited for the parade to begin. Others who marched or distributed flyers were Peg Box, Jill Harmer, Patrice Rickard, Lane Adams, Antonio Wilson, and Garrett Adams. Thousands lining Bardstown Road cheered their approval.
Beersheba Clinic featured in Louisville Magazine
We started Beersheba Clinic, not because of the lack of available health care, but because of the lack of affordable health care. My friends and neighbors were suffering. I knew this intuitively, but since opening the clinic, I have witnessed their pain firsthand; it has been a profound experience.
Garrett Adams, MD, past president of Physicians for a National Health Program, and founder of the Beersheba Clinic.
To read the story, go to the link below, then scroll down to “Publications.” Click on the one with the purple on the cover, then go to page 12.
Guest Speaker, Ann Hagan, Thur. March 16, 2017
Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care is pleased to announce that E. Ann Hagan-Grigsby, CEO of the Park DuValle Community Health Center, will speak at our March 16th meeting:
Thursday, March 16, 5:30 PM
Board Rm. on the Mezzanine, Louisville Free Public Library, 301 York
Topic: What Are Community Health Centers and What Impact Do They Have on US HealthCare?
Everyone is invited to join us!
Elizabeth Ann Hagan-Grigsby grew up in Washington D.C. and graduated from George Washington University with a B.S. in Biology, prior to attending the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Ms. Hagan-Grigsby also earned an MBA from University of Phoenix, and in 2004 she was included in a select group of health care executive applicants chosen to participate in the Johnson and Johnson/UCLA Health Care Executive Program at the UCLA John E. Anderson School of Management.
Ms. Hagan-Grigsby has worked as an Editorial Assistant for the Library of Congress Science Policy Research Division; Medical Research Technologist for the U of L Kidney Disease Program; Assistant Director/Allied Health Coordinator for the West Louisville Area Health Education Center, and Chief Administrative Officer at Park DuValle Community Health Center.
Ms. Hagan-Grigsby is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Park DuValle Community Health Center, Inc. in Louisville, where she also serves on the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Health Center Network, West Jefferson County Community Task Force and AIR Louisville. She is also a member of the Louisville Primary Care Association and the Kentucky Primary Care Association.
