General Board of Global Ministries
The United Methodist Church
In Support of HR 676

The National Healthcare Crisis: Americans are Dying for Health Care

TAKE ACTION:
Call or Write your Congressperson today!
Ask for support of H.R. 676
Sign the Petition to Congress to support H.R. 676
By going to http://www.cnhpnow.org/petition2.php.

THE PROBLEM:

70% of American small businesses have no health care
45% of individual bankruptcies are due to health care bills
75% of uninsured Americans have jobs but no health care
44 million Americans have NO health insurance
80 million have only partial health care benefits
40 million are only insured during part of each year
Thousands of businesses are cutting health benefits to employees
Women and children suffer particularly because of this crisis

THE SOLUTION:

H.R. 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act, a bill before Congress that will cover every American for every health care need, including affordable prescriptions, dental, optical, and all mental and physical health costs. H.R. 676 will cost taxpayers less than what we pay now. Health care will become a right and not just a privilege for those who can afford it.

The United States National Health Insurance Act (HR676) establishes a new American national health insurance program by creating a single payer health care system. The bill would create a publicly financed, privately delivered health care program that uses the already existing Medicare program by expanding and improving it to all U.S. residents, and all residents living in U.S. territories. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that all Americans, guaranteed by law, will have access to the highest quality and cost effective health care services regardless of one’s employment, income, or health care status.

Link to original

20. Resolution: Universal Healthcare

Adopted by Precincts: 01-14,15,23,27,48 02-03; 04-01;05-02;07-12;12-06 19-01,04,05,08 and 20-08

WHEREAS, Forty-five million Americans lack healthcare insurance or other access to proper medical treatment, and

WHEREAS, many of these Americans – and even many who have some form of health insurance – face financial ruin in the event of medical emergency; and

WHEREAS, A large portion of every dollar Americans spend on healthcare goes for paperwork, stock dividends, advertising and executive salaries; and

WHEREAS, many medical professionals struggle to maintain their practices because of actions of managed healthcare and the failure of the federal government to properly reimburse them for their services to Medicaid and Medicare patients; and

WHEREAS, The system of managed care that has developed over the past several decades has proven itself both detrimental to the health of the patients it serves in many cases, and damaging to the United States’ healthcare system; and

WHEREAS, The Declaration of Independence states that the right to life is an inalienable right, it follows that proper, timely and affordable healthcare is essential to securing that right; and

WHEREAS, The failure of the private, for profit healthcare system to secure this right for the American people is of such a scale as to require the intervention of the government to protect the right to life,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the Wake County Democratic Party calls on Congress to approve legislation now before it (H.R. 676) establishing a single payer universal healthcare system in the United States.

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RESOLUTIONS PASSED AT THE 2005
ASSEMBLY OF THE EPISCOPAL URBAN CAUCUS
Newark, New Jersey

4. U.S. National Health Insurance

RESOLVED, that the EUC endorses HR 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act (also called “Expanded and Improved Medicare for All”) which would create a simple payer health care program; and be it further,

RESOLVED, that the EUC work for endorsement of HR 676 by the Episcopal Church and encourage ecumenical and interfaith cooperation with the goal of obtaining passage of HR 676 by the Congress and its signing by the President; and be it further,

RESOLVED, that the EUC send a copy of this resolution to Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), to our members of Congress, and to the Government Relations Office of the Episcopal Church.

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NAACP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE 108TH CONGRESS

In accordance with our mandate to secure the enhancement and protection of civil rights for all Americans, the NAACP Washington Bureau has identified several legislative issues that are important to our membership and that we will be pursuing vigorously over the next two years. These issues are outlined below. For further information on any or all of the issues listed below, please feel free to contact the Washington Bureau at (202) 638-2269, or look for our “Action Alerts” on the web at www.naacp.org.

(31) UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE ACCESS: Our nation’s health care system is failing millions of Americans every year. It costs too much, covers too little and excludes too many. Currently, one seventh of all Americans, 42 million people, lack insurance and suffer unnecessary illness and premature death. In fact, despite being first in spending, the World Health Organization has ranked the United States 37 th among all nations in terms of meeting the health care needs of its people.

For ethnic minority Americans, the picture is even bleaker. Despite the numerous advances that have been made in health care over the decades, racial and ethnic minority Americans continue to suffer disproportionately from many severe health problems and have higher mortality rates than whites for many treatable health conditions. For example, diabetes strikes African Americans 70% more often than Caucasian Americans; Hispanic Americans twice as often as whites. The diabetes rate for Native Americans is even higher, striking members of this community 180% more often than Caucasian Americans. Furthermore, African Americans are 40% more likely to die from coronary heart disease and 35% more likely to die from cancer than whites.

In order to address the lack of adequate access to health care overall, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) has introduced H.R. 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act (USNHIA)?.

H.R. 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act creates a single-payer national health care system in all America; a federally financed but privately delivered health care system. Under the USNHIA, all residents in America and the US territories would receive health care coverage, and have their choice of physicians and providers. Health care in America would no longer be an employer based health insurance system, i.e., you would receive health insurance and health care services regardless of your ability to pay, your employment status, or your health status. Under USNHIA all Americans would be guaranteed, by law, access to affordable and accessible high quality health care services.

EIGHTH DAY
FOURTH COUNCILMANIC YEAR – SESSION OF 1999-2004
J O U R N A L
CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE
March 17, 2003

In Support of Federal Legislation – (HR 676) The United States National Health Insurance Act (“Expanded and Improved Medicare For All”)

FOR the purpose of expressing support for Representative John Conyers, Jr.’s legislation that seeks to ensure that all Americans, guaranteed by law, will have access to the highest quality, cost effective, health care regardless of an individual’s employment, income, or health care status; and urging the Maryland State Delegation to the 108 th Congress to secure final passage of the legislation.

Recitals

The United States National Insurance Act establishes a national health insurance program by creating a single payer health care system. The bill creates a publicly financed, privately delivered health care program that expands and improves upon the existing Medicare program and makes it available to all residents of the United States and the U.S. territories. Persons enrolled in the program would not be subject to co-pays or deductibles.

The legislation addresses the needs of the over 42 million uninsured and over 40 million under-insured Americans who do not benefit from the current inefficient, costly, and fragmented health care delivery system. It is expected that the United States National Health Insurance Act will reduce overall annual health care spending by $109 billion – the average cost to an employer for an employee earning $35,000 per year will be reduced to less than $100 a month and a family who pays $5-7,000 a year in health insurance will pay less than $50 a month. Total household expenditures would drop from $326.7 billion to $65.9 billion annually.

National Health Insurance will cover all medically necessary services, including primary care, in-patient care, out-patient care, emergency room care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, long term care, mental health services, dentistry, eye care, chiropractic, and substance abuse treatment. Patients will have their choice of physicians, health care providers, hospitals, clinics, and group practices.

To ensure conversion to a non-profit health care system, private health insurers will be prohibited from selling coverage that duplicates the benefits of the National Health Insurance program. They will not, however, be prohibited from selling coverage for any additional benefits not covered by the Act such as cosmetic surgery and other elective and medically unnecessary surgery and treatments.

The National Health Insurance Act will set annual reimbursement rates and provide an annual lump sum allotment to each existing Medicare region that will then administer the program. Payments to health care providers will include fee for service and global budgets. The conversion to this not-for-profit health care system is expected to take place over a 15 year period and will be financed through the sale of U.S. Treasury bonds.

The United States Congress will establish annual funding appropriations for basic operating costs of the program that will operate under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services and be administered by the former Medicare offices. All current expenditures for public health insurance programs will be enveloped by the National Health Insurance program. Other funding for the program will come from modest payroll taxes on employers and employees and a higher health income tax on the wealthiest 5% of Americans.

There is no reason for anyone in this country to go without the basic health care coverage that sustains life when the industry has evolved to the point that vanity-driven, elective, medical procedures have become the lunchtime indulgence of middle-class America.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That this Body supports Representative John Conyers, Jr.’s legislation that seeks to ensure that all Americans, guaranteed by law, will have access to the highest quality, cost effective, health care regardless of an individual’s employment, income, or health care status; and urges the Maryland State Delegation to the 108 th United States Congress to secure final passage of HR 676.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the members of the Maryland State Delegation to the 108 th United States Congress, the members of the Baltimore City Delegation to the 2003 Maryland General Assembly, the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.

Councilmember Holton made a motion, which was duly seconded, that the Rules be suspended.

The roll was called on the motion, resulting as follows:
Yeas – President and Councilmembers Cain, Garey, Branch, Carter, Young, Curran, Harris,
Mitchell, Pugh, Welch, Holton, Rawlings Blake, Spector, Abayomi, Reisinger, Stukes – Total 17.
Nays – Councilmember Stancil – Total 1.
Out of Chambers – Councilmember D’Adamo – Total 1.

The President declared the Rules “Suspended”.
Then Councilmember Holton made a motion, which was duly seconded, that the Resolution
be adopted.
The roll was called on the motion, resulting as follows:
Yeas – President and Councilmembers Cain, Garey, Branch, Carter, Young, Curran, Harris,
Mitchell, Pugh, Welch, Holton, Rawlings Blake, Spector, Abayomi, Reisinger, Stukes – Total 17.
Nays – Councilmember Stancil – Total 1.
Out of Chambers – Copuncilmember D’Adamo – Total 1.

The President declared the Resolution “Adopted”.

Link to PDF of resolution.