KSPH is planning an event to celebrate Medicare’s 50th Birthday on Thursday. July 30, 2015.
Come to the KSPH meetings and be a part of making it happen! The next meetings are Thursdays, June 4th and June 18th, 5:30 pm, Board Rm on the Mezzanine, Louisville Free Public Library, 301 York St.
At a single payer meeting are (L to R) Jill Harmer, Antonio Wilson, and Harriette Seiler.
On March 5, 2015, Peter Esch, MD, a Louisville PNHP activist, presented Single Payer 101 to University of Louisville Medical Students. Students participated in a lively exchange following the program, and several announced that they were organizing a chapter of Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP).
On March 12, 2015, Ewell Scott, MD, of Morehead, Kentucky, debated single payer health care before an audience of 70 University of Louisville Medical Students.
Dr. Ewell Scott at U of L Debate Dr. Garrett Adams with med student Brandi Jones
You can listen to the debate here.
On February 3, 2015, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan, pictured below, introduced HR 676, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All, into the 114th Congress. He was joined by 44 initial cosponsors including Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky. Since then four additional representatives have signed on, Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania, Zoe Lofgren of California, Joyce Beatty of Ohio, and Ted Lieu of California bringing the number up to 48.
You can see all the cosponsors of HR 676 here.
You can read HR 676 here.
On January 19, 2015, Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care participated in the caravan celebrating the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Photo by Ron Hargrove.
Also on the King Holiday, members of KSPH took part in a celebration at Shawnee Presbyterian Church, 101 South 44th Street, Louisville, KY. The Rev. Ron Robinson, Shawnee’s pastor, serves on the steering committee of KSPH. Sponsored jointly by the church and the group Sowers of Justice, the service and workshops commemorated Dr. King’s call for non-violence, equality, and economic equity.
Garrett Adams, MD, led a health care workshop, stressing the need for a single payer system that would cover all medically necessary care for everyone in our country. There is a bill in Congress, HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, that would provide such coverage–cutting costs, reducing disparities and saving lives.
Workshop attendees shared insights and personal health care stories, agreeing that the current system remains inadequate. They indicated a wish to know more about single payer and suggested we continue our efforts to educate the public. In 1966, Dr. King referred to injustice in health care as “shocking and inhuman.” In 2015, he would undoubtedly remind us that there is still much work to be done.
On Monday, January 12, 2015, Jill Harmer presented the Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care power point show to Parents for Social Justice. Photo shows Natasha Pitcock and her daughter Olivia. KSPH offers the program free to any interested group–call (502) 636-1551.
The Louisville Student protest was one of 70 across the nation.
Photo of medical students at UC Davis
The nationwide protest was initiated by medical students in Philadelphia and San Francisco, and Physicians for a National Health Program assisted them with the publicity.
The story was covered by the Guardian, Huffington Post, and Rachel Maddow.
The action was endorsed by Students for a National Health Program, the student affiliate of PNHP.
Christy Duan wrote about why she participated in the protest.
Here’s one panorama of the actions on more than 70 medical school campuses.
Medical Students at UC Irvine
Louisville Single Payer Activists Volunteer for RAM Free Clinic in Morehead, Oct. 25-26, 2014
The line snaked through the pre-dawn darkness of a church parking lot. Hundreds, many wrapped in blankets against the chill, awaited the opportunity to see a dentist or doctor or to get a pair of glasses, all without any cost or questions. Their presence, in spite of Kentucky’s successful sign up of more than 500,000 in the exchanges, bore witness to the continuing unmet health care needs and the necessity to move the nation forward to single payer.
This was the October 25-26, 2014, Free Clinic, one of many that Remote Area Medical regularly sponsors in Appalachia and across the country.
“Wow, it looks like 3D,” exclaimed a young woman who peered through her new glasses for the first time. Check out RAM on The Daily Show.
Volunteers L to R: Kay Tillow, Louisville; Afeni Henderson, RN, Knoxville; Kathryn Hunt, Physical Therapist, Lexington; Lane Adams, Louisville; Garrett Adams, MD, Louisville; Harriette Seiler, Louisville. The Louisville participants are activists in Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care.
On October 15, 2014, Dr. Garrett Adams, Medical Director of the Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic and immediate past president of Physicians for a National Health Program, gave a lecture at Sewanee: The University of the South.
Dr. Adams’ lecture addresses the plight of America’s medically under-served, especially in Appalachia, how America’s wealth inequality affects the nation’s health and society, and the positive effects a publicly funded national health program could have on our society as well as our national health. Video.
On Saturday, October 11, 2014, Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care participated in the first annual Kentucky Hemophilia Walk in Middletown’s Wetherby Park.
KSPH activists Jamie Beard and Harriette Seiler at the Hemophilia Walk
Braving the chilly weather, KSPH distributed over 200 flyers with information about single payer healthcare, noting that with the ACA, many individuals with bleeding disorders and other chronic conditions still find essential treatments too costly or not on their insurers’ formulary – a situation fully understood by hemophiliacs and their families. The flyer provided information on HR 676 and ways to join the movement locally.
Walkers were appreciative of KSPH’s presence, and over $30,000 was raised for the Kentucky Hemophilia Foundation. All in all, it was a very successful event!
Jamie Beard at the start/finish line. Jamie won the award for raising the most money for the Kentucky Hemophilia Foundation.
On Sunday, September 21, 2014, Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care joined a spirited crowd and their pets for the Louisville AIDS Walk, Fleur de Life.
KSPH distributed 400 flyers with a message noting that while health care reform helped some, many with AIDS and other conditions still find essential drugs too costly or not on their insurers’ formulary.
“Last July, 300 patient advocacy groups protested to Health & Human Services that those with chronic illnesses are still facing barriers to care,” the flyer continued.
On the Belvedere for the Louisville AIDS Walk
The flyer concluded by pointing the way forward:
“A bill in Congress, HR 676, Expanded & Improved Medicare for All, will provide care for everyone under a single payer, publicly funded system. All medically necessary care including dental & drugs will be covered–and you choose your doctor.
“No co-pays, no deductibles, no limited networks. No worry about medical bills! Monies now going to corporate profits will be available for care.
“We invite you to join this movement. Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care meets 1st & 3rd Thursdays each month, 5:30 pm, Board Rm, Mezzanine, Louisville Free Public Library, 301 W. York.
“Learn more: www.kyhealthcare.org, www.pnhp.org. KSPH offers free presentations on single payer,(502)636-1551, nursenpo@aol.com.”
The walkers thanked us for being there and many expressed their agreement with single payer.