"Of all forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Born January 15, 1929 - Assassinated April 4, 1968,
while leading a strike for union & human rights for Memphis sanitation workers.
The famous quote of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is worth keeping in mind on Thursday, January 15, as you call your congressperson and ask him or her to sign on as a co-sponsor of HR 676, Congressman John Conyers’(D-MI single payer legislation for Unviversal Comprehensive & Affordable healthcare.
HR 676 will shortly be reintroduced into the 111th Congress with the same number.
In the 110th Congress, HR 676 had 93 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers.
Now is the time to call them and urge them to sign on again as co-sponsors in the 111th Congress and to ask all the others, including the newly elected representatives, to do likewise.
A number organizations advocating HR 676 are asking supporters to call their congressperson today on Thursday, January 15th.
All of us acting on the same day will magnify the impact.
Please take a moment to call the US Capitol switchboard:
(202) 224 3121.
Then ask for your representative.
If you need to look up your or someone else’s Congressperson, you can go to http://votesmart.org and put in the zip code.
If you have two more minutes, please call one or both or your senators to urge them to introduce in the Senate a companion bill to HR 676.
You can use the same number: (202) 224 3121.
Unions for Single Payer would love to hear from you about the response you received.
Please write to them at email: nursenpo@aol.com.
Their Website is unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org
HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident.
HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care.
HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.
In the 110th Congress, HR 676 had 93 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers
HR 676 has been endorsed by 478 union organizations in 49 states including 118 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).
For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact:
Kay Tillow
All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676
c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
Louisville, KY 40217
Tel: 502-636 1551
Email: nursenpo@aol.com
Web: http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org
Update:
Wow, ya' never know what's going to make the Rec list; thanks.
For those interested in learning more about single payer & HR-676, I suggest:
- The resources & information page at Physicians for a National Health Program (full disclosure: I am a dues paying member of PNHP, and a member of the board of the NYC chapter).
- Find your state and local pro-single payer group here. Despite the name, PNHP is inclusive for everybody, we have lots of non-physician members and activists, and this seems to be the best site for finding all state and local organizations that support single payer.
- Nationally there is also Nurses for Single payer and everybody for single payer in addition to the all-unions organization cited above.
- And of course my prior dkos diaries on health care single payer.
- List of Senators who have supported single payer and might sponsor a Senate single payer bill: Bernie Sanders has said he will. Also, new senators Tom Udall of NM was a co-sponsor in the House and is now senator, Merkley ran on the issue in Oregon. Others who might co-sponsor include the usual bunch of liberals, progressive and/or economic populists (e.g., Boxer, Brown, Casey, Dorgan, Feingold, Harkin, Kloubacher, Stabenow, Whitehouse, etc.).
- For those who wish to study up on the subject, I suggest the following books: Do Not Resuscitate: Why the Health Insurance Industry is Dying, and How We Must Replace It, by Dr. John Geyman and/or 10 Excellent Reasons for National Health Care, by Dr. Mary O'Brien and Prof. Martha Livingston and/or Health Care Meltdown: Confronting The Myths and Fixing Our Failing System, by Drs. Robert LeBow and Rocky White.
Wishing everybody Peace & Health