text:
Member Communications
HCJ-NC Update
April 15, 2019
Click here to view our e-newsletter in your browser. This edition includes:
- Medicaid Expansion action on April 16
- Sen. Sanders introduces Medicare for All bill in Senate
- Upcoming HCJ-NC committee meetings
- Fix It screenings on April 30 & May 1
- Recommended resources (incl. Tarbell.org)
- HCJ-NC speakers bureau
PNHP welcomes Sen. Bernie Sanders' Medicare-for-All bill
April 10, 2019
Note the new bill and the recommendations for improvement:
Updated flier for Wendell Potter events this Friday April 12
April 9, 2019
Map for 3:30 p.m. session at UNCC: link to the college map and Fretwell bldg; park in East Deck 1. Entrance is the main one off Hwy 49, University City Blvd.
HCJ-NC Update
April 8, 2019
Click here to view our e-newsletter in your browser. This edition includes:
- Wendell Potter events on April 12
- Fix It screenings on April 30 & May 1
- Medicaid Expansion action on April 16
- Upcoming HCJ-NC committee meetings
- HCJ-NC speakers bureau
- Recommended reading (incl. H.R. 1384 bill text)
HCJ-NC Update: Meetings, Programs, MFA Article; Medicare for All Act Text!; Need for people with communications skills
March 18, 2019
Recruiting for HCJ-NC Communications Committee!
Looking for people who enjoy social media and/or have writing, design, video, photography, web, or media skills to share! New members welcome! Contact: email@example.com.
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting
RESCHEDULED! Wednesday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Queens University in Charlotte
Levine Center for Wellness & Recreation, Suite 116 (look for signs)
New members welcome! Questions: email@example.com.
Map link here.
HCJ-NC Education Committee
Since only 46% of Americans know anything about Medicare for All, we need to work hard to boost that number. Please contact your place of worship and other organizations and encourage them to sponsor a Medicare for All presentation so that their members will understand all of the news and political information and be able to separate fact from fiction. Our Speakers Bureau is ready to go!
Contact George to set up a program or if you know: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Cornwell Health Care Justice Team
We are a think tank and come together to brainstorm how to get the word out to our Charlotte community. Next event is May 1 Fix It presentation (more info to come). Questions: email@example.com.
Wendell Potter Coming to Charlotte!
Friday, April 12. See previous HCJ-NC email for details. RSVP for any of the 3 events to: email@example.com.
An excellent article by Jeffrey Sachs, professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, explains why the Medicare for All Act of 2019 is a winner. Click here.
HR 1384 Medicare for All Act of 2019
For status in the U.S. House of Representatives click here. You can read the text of the bill (120 pages). There are 106 cosponsors to date.
Your Donations Support our Work!
Please consider a gift to Health Care Justice-NC. We are careful stewards of funds used for educational materials, banners, etc. You can make a tax-deductible donation at our website, pnhphcjnc.org, or by check to:
Health Care Justice—NC
P.O. Box 32848
Charlotte, NC 28232
We'd be happy to send an acknowledgment card to those you honor by your gift. Thank you!
P.S. Talk to family, friends, colleagues, doctors and everyone about Medicare for All. Watch Fix It: Healthcare at the Tipping Point for more information.
Join HCJ-NC and Wendell Potter on Friday, April 12 / Please RSVP as noted below
March 15, 2019
HCJ-NC Update: Medicare for All Bill Filed! Upcoming Events & Meetings; Social Media Messages Inbox
March 4, 2019
Medicare for All Act of 2019 (HR 1384) is introduced in the U.S. House! Click here to view video of announcement by HR 1384 Sponsor Pramila Jayapal and supporters.
Meck. Co. NC Legislative Delegation Listening Session
Saturday, March 9, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to Noon
South County Library, 5801 Rea Road, Charlotte, NC 28277
Let's show up in support of Medicare for All (and Medicaid Expansion for a short term fix). Our local NC Representatives and Senators need to hear from us! To speak: email@example.com. HCJ–NC contact: email@example.com.
Save the Date: Friday, April 12 -- Wendell Potter Coming to Charlotte!
Location to be announced. Watch for email updates.
RSVP for the 6:30 p.m. event to: email@example.com.
Cornwell Health Care Justice Team
Thursday, March 7 (meets bi weekly) 4:00 p.m. -5:15 p.m.
Location: Cornwell Center, 2001 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte
We are a think tank and come together to brainstorm how to get the word out to our Charlotte community. Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com.
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting
Thursday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Queens University in Charlotte
Levine Center for Wellness & Recreation, Suite 116 (look for signs)
New members welcome! Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Map link here.
HCJ-NC Membership Committee Meeting
Saturday, March 16 at 9:00 a.m.
Potluck breakfast meeting: 5220 Amherst Trail Drive, Charlotte
New members welcome! Questions: email@example.com.
Recruiting for HCJ-NC Communications Committee!
Looking for people who enjoy social media and/or have writing, design, video, photography, web, or media skills to share! Updated email format coming soon!
New members welcome! Contact: email@example.com.
HCJ-NC Education Committee
Since only 46% of Americans know anything about Medicare for All, we need to work hard to boost that number. Please contact your church and other organizations and encourage them to sponsor a Medicare for All presentation so that their members will understand all of the news and political information and be able to separate fact from fiction. Our Speakers Bureau is ready to go!
Contact George to set up a program: email@example.com.
HR 1384 Medicare for All Act of 2019
For status in the U.S. House of Representatives (and text to come) click here. There are 106 cosponsors to date. Download the attached png messages to educate/promote HR 1384 on your social media networks! Recommend posting 1 at a time between now and 2020 election!
Your Donations Support our Work!
Please consider a gift to Health Care Justice-NC. We are careful stewards of funds used for educational materials, banners, etc. You can make a tax-deductible donation at our website, pnhphcjnc.org, or by check to:
Health Care Justice—NC
P.O. Box 32848
Charlotte, NC 28232
We'd be happy to send an acknowledgment card to those you honor by your gift. Thank you!
Medicare for All Act of 2019 / See bullet points / Thank Rep. Adams for co-sponsonring
February 27, 2019
Hi. Exciting news today. Rep. Pramila Jayapal filed the Medicare for All Act of 2019 today. In this email, you can see bullet points that summarize its features.
Also, there is a link to the press conference. Reps. Jayapal and Debbie Dingell speak at the beginning. They are followed by several other speakers. I would draw your attention to Wendell Potter (probably early in the 2nd half) who will be speaking in Charlotte on April 12, also Adam Gaffney, Pres. of PNHP, who speaks toward the end. Also, at the end, there are a couple of questions about financing and you might want to hear how Reps. Dingell and Jayapal handle them.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Reminder: Power to Heal THIS Tues. Feb. 26/directions, etc.
February 25, 2019
Take any street north to E. 9th street -- Davidson, Caldwell, Brevard, College. Turn right on E. 9th Street. The school is at the dead-end of E. 9th -- the address is 750 E. 9th St., 28202. Park in front of the school to the left in the spacious parking lot. Denise will have a HCJ-NC banner out front. Walk either into the main entrance or immediately right of the entrance down a flight of stairs. School ushers will show you the way. The Knaebels will have small sandwiches, fruit and water for refreshments starting at 6:00 p.m.
Please join us and bring friends!
HCJ-NC Update: Events, Comm. Meetings, M4A Resolution, Video Links
February 2, 2019
Moral March on Raleigh & HKonJ People's Assembly
Saturday, February 9, 2019 in Raleigh, NC
Part of Medicare for All Action Week, Feb. 9 - 13
We will again muster a large contingent of health professionals and health professions students in our white coats and/or scrubs along with Medicare for All activists. Rally starts at 9:00 a.m.; March starts at 10:00 a.m. If you wish to carpool on Sat. contact: email@example.com and let us know if you can drive or need a ride.
Medicare for ALL Teach In
Sunday, February 10, 2019, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Queens University Belk Chapel, Radcliffe Ave.
Part of Medicare for All Action Week, Feb. 9 - 13
Health Care Justice-NC partners with Queens University students to present a Teach In featuring the documentary Fix It, Q&A, video Canadian Health Care Explained, a short participatory health care quiz, updates from local coalition organizations working for Medicare for ALL and an action plan. Bring a friend who needs to learn about Medicare for ALL.
Power to Heal
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. (film) 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. (discussion)
St. Paul Baptist Church 1401 Allen Street, Charlotte
A powerful history of the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on Medicare - part of Black History Month. Sponsored by St. Paul Baptist Church, Caldwell Presbyterian Church, and HCJ-NC. Film: Power to Heal, documents a little known feature of the 1960s civil rights movement — how Medicare forced the dramatic desegregation of every hospital in America practically overnight. Learn about the crucial role played by African American physicians to make Medicare possible for all Seniors. Discussion leaders: de'Angelo Día (moderator) with Jessica Schorr Saxe, MD, Chair, Health Care Justice-NC (panel member) and others.
Faith & Community Leaders Luncheon on Health Care
Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Cornwell Center - Myers Park Baptist Church, 2001 Selwyn Ave.
View the documentary Fix It - Health Care at the Tipping Point and become better informed about health care. RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Cornwell HCJ Think Tank Meeting
Thursday, February 7 at 4:00 p.m.
Location: Cornwell Center at Myers park Baptist Church
2001 Selwyn Ave, Charlotte, NC 28207
New members welcome! Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com.
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting
Thursday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Queens University in Charlotte,
Levine Center for Wellness & Recreation, Suite 116 (look for signs)
New members welcome! Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com. Map link here.
HCJ-NC Membership Committee Meeting
Thursday, March 16 at 9:00 a.m.
Potluck breakfast meeting: 5220 Amherst Trail Drive, Charlottte
New members welcome! Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Recruiting for HCJ-NC Communications Committee!
Next meeting TBA in March
Looking for people who enjoy social media and/or have writing, design, video, photography, web, or media skills to share! New members welcome! Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com.
HCJ-NC Education Committee
Since only 46% of Americans know anything about Medicare for All, we need to work hard to boost that number. Please contact your church and other organizations and encourage them to sponsor a Medicare for All presentation so that their members will understand all of the news and political information and be able to separate fact from fiction. Our Speakers Bureau is ready to go! Contact George to set up a program: email@example.com.
RESOLUTION for Precinct/County MEETINGS
Attached are resolutions (here and here). We encourage you to introduce at your annual Democratic Precinct Meeting (find Feb. dates and locations here) or Republican County Convention on March 16, 2019 at 6pm (info here).
Samantha Bee Clip on Medicare for All
Watch her nail the issues: https://youtu.be/yDDOEwty9Kw
HCJ-NC M4A Info Series
Your Donations Support our Work!
Please consider a gift to Health Care Justice-NC. We are careful stewards of funds used for educational materials, banners, etc. You can make a tax-deductible donation at our website, pnhphcjnc.org, or by check to:
Health Care Justice—NC
P.O. Box 32848
Charlotte, NC 28232
We'd be happy to send an acknowledgment card to those you honor by your gift. Thank you!
HCJ-NC Update: Happy MLK Day! Upcoming Actions, Meetings, Report
January 21, 2019
Women United March
Saturday, January 26, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
First Ward Park, 301 E. Seventh St., Charlotte, NC
March with HCJ-NC for Medicare for All! HCJ-NC Chair Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe will be a speaker. Join the Health Care Justice - NC contingent! Signs welcome! We will meet at 10:45 a.m. at the corner of Brevard and 8th St., in First Ward Park. Look for our Improved Medicare for All banner. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com or 704-591-4723.
Moral March on Raleigh & HKonJ People's Assembly
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Part of Medicare for All Action Week, Feb. 9 - 13
We will again muster a large contingent of health professionals and health professions students in our white coats and/or scrubs along with Medicare for All activists. We plan to leave Charlotte at 6:30 a.m. and return after the march (early afternoon). Rally starts at 9:00 a.m.; March starts at 10:00 a.m. If you wish to carpool contact RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com and let us know if you can drive or need a ride.
Medicare for ALL Teach In
Sunday, February 10, 2019, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Queens University Belk Chapel, Radcliffe Ave.
Part of Medicare for All Action Week, Feb. 9 - 13
Health Care Justice-NC partners with Queens University students to present a Teach In featuring the documentary Fix It, Q&A, video Canadian Health Care Explained, a short participatory health care quiz and updates from local coalition organizations working for Medicare for ALL. Bring a friend who needs to learn about Medicare for ALL!
Support Is Growing
Seventy percent of Americans support Medicare for All. In 2018, 70 congress members formed the first Medicare for All caucus to make universal health care a reality for all Americans.
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting
Thursday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Queens University in Charlotte
Levine Center for Wellness & Recreation, Suite 116 (look for signs)
New members welcome!
Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com
Map link here.
Health Care Justice Annual Meeting Report
Our annual member update dinner meeting was held on January 17, 2019 with about 80 members in attendance. Dr.Jessica Schorr Saxe introduced the Board.and reviewed the Committees' activities for 2018. She gave an update of America's healthcare status which demonstrated the growing need for a solution like Improved Medicare for All. She described the "gold standard" proposal, HR 676, which is being rewritten for the current Congress and may undergo some changes. We will closely monitor that and report to the membership when it's published. Jessica discussed several Medicare for All soundalike proposals that deliberately confuse the public, and pointed out essential features of an acceptable proposal.
Dr. George Bohmfalk then presented an updated talk on Communicating with Conservatives, discussing viewpoints from additional books and how we might better understand and have productive dialogue with those who are resistant to Medicare for All.
We then had a lively Q&A session, after which Grace Lally taught us how to use social media. Dr. Denise Finck-Rothman gave us our marching orders – to spread the word with friends, coworkers, media, healthcare providers, and Congress, and to support HCJNC by joining a Committee, attending our gatherings, and financially.
Your Donations Support our Work!
Please consider a gift to Health Care Justice-NC. We are careful stewards of funds used for educational materials, banners, etc. You can make a tax-deductible donation at our website, pnhphcjnc.org, or by check to:
Health Care Justice—NC
P.O. Box 32848
Charlotte, NC 28232
We'd be happy to send an acknowledgment card to those you honor by your gift. Thank you!
ML King Parade Jan. 19th: March with Health Care Justice - NC
January 11, 2019
Saturday, January 19, 2019
10:00 a.m. to noon
Uptown Charlotte
The parade starts at 9th Street and North Tryon and continues down Tryon to Stonewall. The larger the number of marchers, the greater our impact!
More details of meeting time and place coming the week before the march. Make signs, dress for the event? Let me know your ideas when you RSVP!
Important RSVP: email@example.com
Members Only Dinner Meeting Jan. 17; Upcoming Events & Marches
January 4, 2019
If you are interested in attending the members only Medicare for All update and dinner on January 17, please join us by going to healthcarejusticenc.org and signing the resolution supporting Medicare for All, and then replying to this email to let me know you've done so.
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting
Thursday, January 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Queens University in Charlotte
Levine Center for Wellness & Recreation, Suite 116 (Look for signs)
New members welcome!
Questions: email@example.com
Map link here.
Martin Luther King Jr. Parade:
March with HCJ-NC for Medicare for All!
Saturday, January 19, 2019
10:00 a.m. to noon
Uptown Charlotte
The parade starts at 9th Street and North Tryon and continues down Tryon to Stonewall. The larger the number of marchers; the greater our impact! More details of meeting time and place coming the week before the march. Make signs, dress for the event? Let me know your ideas when you RSVP!
Important RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com
Women United March:
March with HCJ-NC for Medicare for All!
Saturday, January 26, 2019
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
First Ward Park, 301 E. Seventh St., Charlotte, NC
HCJ-NC Chair Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe will be a speaker.
Join the Health Care Justice - NC contingent! Signs welcome! We will meet at 10:45 a.m. at the corner of Brevard and 8th St., in First Ward Park. Look for our Improved Medicare for All banner.
Contact: email@example.com or 704-591-4723
Moral March on Raleigh & HKonJ People's Assembly
Saturday, February 9, 2019
We will again muster a large contingent of health professionals and health professions students in our white coats and/or scrubs along with Medicare for All activists. Info on carpools to come.
RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com if you can drive or need a ride.
National Week of Action in Support of
Improved Medicare for ALL!
Saturday, February 9 - 13, 2019
Details to come! A week of constituent actions to encourage our newly elected Congress to move forward on Improved Medicare for ALL.
Support is growing -- Seventy percent of Americans support Medicare for All. In 2018, 70 congress members formed the first Medicare for All caucus to make universal health care a reality for all Americans.
House to hold hearings on Medicare for All!
Health Care Justice-NC greeting and request
December 19, 2018
Save the Dates
Thu., Jan. 17: HCJ-NC Membership Meeting
Join us for our membership meeting on Thursday, January 17 for updates on the current status of US healthcare, the Medicare for All movement, and the work of Health Care Justice-NC. Invitations with more info will go to members in January, so if you haven't already joined, please do so by signing the resolution at our website: healthcarejusticenc.org.
Sat., Jan. 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Parade
10 a.m. to noon. The route runs down Tryon Street from 9th Street to Stonewall Street. Health Care Justice-NC will be represented. Please plan to join us. More info coming in January.
Sat., Jan. 26: Charlotte Women's March
Health Care Justice-NC will be represented and Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe will be a speaker. Please plan to join us. More info coming in January.
Recommended Reading
Take it from me, tweaks won't fix health care. Democrats should focus on Medicare for All.
A great short article by Wendell Potter from USA Today. (Wendell Potter is coming to Charlotte in April.)
What Do The Midterms Mean For Medicare For All?
This very important article from the Health Affairs blog discusses what the upcoming Congress can do to advance Medicare for All. Though it clearly won't become law in the next 2 years, there are many things that can happen now to move it forward.
We Wish You a Wonderful Holiday Season and a Healthy New Year!
As you plan your end-of-year tax-deductible donations, please consider Health Care Justice-NC. Donate at our website or by check to:
Health Care Justice-NC
P.O. Box 32848
Charlotte, NC 28232
We'd be happy to send a holiday card to those you honor by your gift. Thank you!
HCJ-NC Upcoming Meetings; important new Medicare for All study
December 7, 2018
Save the Date: Jan. 17 HCJ-NC Membership Meeting
Join us for our membership meeting on Thursday, January 17 for updates on the current status of U.S. healthcare, the Medicare for All movement, and the work of Health Care Justice-NC. Invitations with more info will go to members, so if you haven't already joined, please do so by signing the resolution at our website: healthcarejusticenc.org.
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting
Thursday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Queens University in Charlotte
Levine Center for Wellness & Recreation, Suite 116
Questions: email@example.com
Map link here. New members welcome!
Economic Analysis of Medicare for All
A recent Political Economy Research Institute study by Robert Pollin, James Heintz, Peter Arno, Jeannette Wicks-Lim, and Michael Ash provides a real economic analysis of Medicare for All. Its findings include:
- a reduction in total health spending in the US of 10% while providing health care for all;
- a decrease in healthcare spending of between 2.6 - 14% of income to middle-income households with a small increase for high-income households (which currently receive a subsidy for healthcare);
- a decrease of about 8% in health care costs to businesses that have been providing health care to their employees.
The most fundamental goals of Medicare for All are to significantly improve health care outcomes for everyone living in the United States while also establishing effective cost controls throughout the health care system. These two purposes are both achievable.
As of 2017, the U.S. was spending about $3.24 trillion on personal health care--about 17 percent of total U.S. GDP. Meanwhile, 9 percent of U.S. residents have no insurance and 26 percent are underinsured--they are unable to access needed care because of prohibitively high costs. Other high-income countries spend an average of about 40 percent less per person and produce better health outcomes. Medicare for All could reduce total health care spending in the U.S. by nearly 10 percent, to $2.93 trillion, while creating stable access to good care for all U.S. residents.
To access the full 198 page report:
(While you may not want to read all 198 pages, the first 3 pages present the Highlights and the next 13 pages are a summary.)
PERI press release:
Reviewer Assessments of Economic Analysis of Medicare for All:
Don McCanne notes: It provides critiques by several of the most authoritative policy experts in the nation. Although some of these experts express minor reservations about some of the technical aspects of the report, as should be expected with any study of this magnitude, their overall view confirms the very high credibility of this project. There can be no question about the conclusion. We can have affordable health care for all.
PNHP's assessment by Steffie Woolhandler, David Himmelstein, and Adam Gaffney:
We Wish You a Happy Holiday Season!
As you plan end-of-year donations, please consider Health Care Justice-NC. Donate at our website or by check to:
Health Care Justice-NC
P.O. Box 32848
Charlotte, NC 28232
We'd be happy to send a holiday card to those you honor by your gift. Thank you!
Health Care Justice-NC greeting and request
December 6, 2018
Wishing You a Happy Holiday Season!
We are "Thanksgiving" indeed for your 2018 support!
As you consider end-of-year donations, please consider Health Care Justice-NC. You can donate at our website or by check to:
Health Care Justice-NC
P.O. Box 32848
Charlotte, NC 28232
We'd be happy to send a holiday card to those you honor by your gift.
We are a chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. We recommend joining them to be supportive on a national level (non-profit research and education organizations).
Members are kept abreast of events and progress being made toward a more just health care system.
As volunteers, we contact elected officials and educate the public about Single Payer / Improved Medicare for All. You can volunteer, too. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Jessica Schorr Saxe and the HCJ-NC Board
Excellent brief Medicare for All podcast / New York Times article you should be aware of
November 19, 2018
Joe Sparks (brother of our own Harry Sparks) created a podcast, Medicare for All Explained. The first episode is Medicare for All Explained, An Overview, and his guest is Dr. Ed Weisbart.
It is excellent. It gives a brief overview and includes Ed's elevator speech about Medicare for All, why business should support it, and why the other proposed plans won't work. It is clear and concise.
The podcast is available on both Podbean and iTunes. To find it on Podbean, click here. To find it on iTunes, click here.
And that podcast should provide you with the information you need to counter the reasoning in this article from the New York Times Sunday Review by Harold Pollack which suggests that although single-payer would be the best plan, we should support incremental plans (again). It's an important article to be aware of because you will hear these arguments again.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Highlights from Physicians for a National Health Program annual meeting
November 17, 2018
Dear Energized Health Care Justice Friends,
George Bohmfalk, Denise Finck-Rothman, and I attended the annual Physicians for a National Health Program meeting in San Diego this weekend.
Some good news:
- We anticipate more support for Improved Medicare for All in the House of Representatives than previously.
- Support for Improved Medicare for All among the public continues to increase.
- The number of SNaHP (Students for a National Health Program) chapters has increased to 73 -- and medical students were well-represented and enthusiastic at the conference.
Some things to watch:
- Sound-alikes. Medicare for All has become such a popular term that it is now being used by other programs that sound similar but are substantially different ("Medicare Extra for All," "Medicare X," etc.) Most of these programs are variations on the public option. These would neither provide universal coverage nor have the administrative cost savings (because they would not decrease the bureaucracy of having multiple insurers) of the program we support. We need to be vigilant in promoting true single-payer Improved Medicare for All.
- H.R. 676, the single-payer bill that has been in the House for years, is being rewritten under the leadership of Pramila Jayapal (from Seattle). PNHP is recommending that the new bill continue to have some of the features that the Senate bill (Sanders' S 1804) does not—such as eliminating for-profits, establishing global hospital budgets (and separating capital from operating budgets), and including long-term care.
Some predictable bad news is that we continue to lag behind other countries in health statistics and (of course) the number of uninsured and underinsured.
We got an update and will pass some of this at a members-only meeting in January. (Meeting date TBD.) If you have not already joined us, please do, so you can attend. You can join by signing the resolution here.
A couple of intriguing points:
- Immigrants pay more into our healthcare system than they take out by using medical services.
- EPIC, one of the best electronic health records, is used by many other countries. Their notes are 1/4 of the length of those in the US, largely due to billing requirements.
- For-profit hospitals, dialysis centers, hospices and other groups have consistently higher costs and worse outcomes.
Stay tuned -- and ready to act!
Jessica Schorr Saxe
HCJ-NC Update: Election Results; Legislative Meeting
November 8, 2018
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting
Thursday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Queens University in Charlotte
Levine Center for Wellness & Recreation, Suite 116
Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com
Map link here
We will discuss recent meetings with legislators, election results and brainstorm for next steps. Bring your ideas! New members welcome!
The election results had some promising signs for Medicare for All and for healthcare issues. Please see the email below from Healthcare—NOW! about the new cosponsors for H.R. 676, the Medicare for all bill in the House, as well as governors' races, and some promising developments in Medicaid expansion.
Their email was from yesterday. The last I heard from them it looks like there are 7 net new cosponsors. (This number doesn't count people such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a new and well-known Medicare for All supporter, who is replacing someone who was a cosponsor of H.R. 676).
Healthcare-Now Reports 11 New Medicare for All Cosponsors!
Yesterday, single payer candidates ascended to all levels of state and national office. We've created a quick and dirty guide of all the new opportunities across the country to advance the movement:
Another exciting outcome of last night: at least 11 more districts are now represented by single payer reps!
- Katie Hill (CA-25)
- Harley Rouda (CA-48)
- Jahana Hayes (CT-5)
- Andy Levin (MI-9)
- Debra Haaland (NM-1)
- Madeleine Dean (PA-4)
- Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5)
- Susan Wild (PA-7)
- Matt Cartwright (PA-8)
- Michael Doyle (PA-18)
- Veronica Escobar (TX-16)
We lost 6 previous cosponsors (half of them due simply to redistricting), so overall we are netting 6 new cosponsors. That could end up at 7, depending on how Maine candidate Jared Golden's runoff turns out.
Colorado and California both elected governors who ran on single payer!
Jared Polis, a cosponsor of H.R. 676 during his time in the House, defeated his Republican opponent in Colorado by almost 7%.
As mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom signed into law a universal health care program that covered everyone, including non-citizens. He became governor of California by campaigning on Medicare for All and has a strong union and grassroots movement in the state with which to work.
New York voters ushered in a new era of state government by flipping at least five state Senate seats from red to blue in districts upstate, on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley. The state Senate now has a strong majority of Democrats, most of who champion the New York Health Act, the state single-payer legislation. Because the New York State Assembly has passed the bill several years in a row now, and Governor Cuomo has expressed support for single payer, this flip creates new opportunities for advancing legislation in the state.
Three states voted to expand Medicaid via the ballot. They are:
- Nebraska
- Utah
- Idaho
Two states elected governors who are likely to expand Medicaid. They are:
- Maine
- Kansas
Approximately 500,000 people could gain coverage just through these five states.
Aside from the immediate six pick-ups, the 30+ seats that Democrats won represent new lobbying opportunities for us. Last night's blue wave was a huge sigh of relief for the country, which will no longer live under imminent threat of ACA repeal. But it also means that "defending Obamacare" is no longer a valid excuse to punt on M4A!
Healthcare-NOW is a grassroots organization that fights to end the health insurance crisis by educating and advocating for improved Medicare-for-All legislation, such as H.R. 676.
HCJ-NC Meeting Mon. Oct. 29; Vote Early!
October 28, 2018
We look forward to seeing everyone at the Oct. 29 meeting! Bring a friend!
Early voting ends Saturday, Nov. 3 at 1pm. You can register to vote during early voting (but not on Tuesday, Nov. 6). Info on voting locations and hours at https://www.mecknc.gov.
Join us at The Power to Heal screening this Sunday
October 10, 2018
Visit aarp.cvent.com/PowerToHealCLT to register, or you can show up at 3:30pm and sign in at the door. See the flier below for details.
Save the Date: Oct 29th at Caldwell Presbyterian Church
September 26, 2018
Hi friends,
See flier below. Dr. George Bohmfalk will do a presentation on October 29 about why Medicare for All makes sense - and saves dollars.
HCJ-NC Update
September 18, 2018
Upcoming HCJ-NC Events
Health Care Justice - NC is a co-sponsor of three Candidate Forums along with the League of Women Voters and others. Please try to attend at least one forum. We will have Medicare for All signs available. Health Care Questions for candidates are posted at the end of this email. Ask questions and let candidates know what you want!
- Sep 20: Meck. County Commission and NC Senate Candidates
THU 6:00 PM -- First United Methodist Church
501 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
- Sep 25: NC House Candidates
TUE 6 PM -- First United Methodist Church
501 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
- Oct 4: US House, Soil & Water Conservation, and Judicial Candidates
THU 6 PM -- First United Methodist Church
501 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting
Thursday, October 11, 7 PM
Location: Queens University, Levine Building, Suite 116
Questions: email@example.com
HCJ-NC General Membership Meeting
Save the Date: Thursday, October 25th (more info to come)
Topic: Beware: Medicare for All Look-A-Likes
League of Women Voters offers class: Civics 101. $60, starts Sept. 24 (1) become an informed citizen who is in the know, (2) learn how local government works, (3) identify what government departments can help you when you need assistance in the Metro-Charlotte area, and (4) know where to direct your energy in order to inspire change. Registration here. Flyer here.
Former President Obama promotes Medicare for All as "a good new idea" in U of IL speech
https://www.youtube.com... (statement at 42 minutes)
Help Us Spread the Word about Improved Medicare for ALL at Fairs and Events
HCJ-NC's Membership Committee staffs info tables at public fairs and events about Improved Medicare for All. If your place of worship or other organization has an event where we can share info, please contact email@example.com. Thanks!
Health Care Questions for Candidates: Speak Up!
Questions for Congressional Candidates
1. A recent Gallup poll shows that Americans worry more about the availability and affordability of health care than any other concern including crime, gun violence and the deficit. Another poll revealed that 40% of Americans are very afraid of paying for a serious illness - greater than the number concerned about actually having a serious illness!
Other developed countries spend half per person on health care than the U.S. and achieve better health outcomes without putting their citizens at risk of financial devastation due to illness.
They do that through a national health financing system like Medicare into which everyone contributes through taxes instead of paying the higher costs of private health insurance premiums, deductibles and co-pays. This could save 500 billion dollars a year on healthcare administrative costs, which is more than enough to give every resident access to health care.
Would you support improving and expanding Medicare? If not, why not?
2. U.S residents could save $160 billion dollars annually if the government were allowed to negotiate drug prices, as do all other developed nations. Such negotiations were banned as a result of pharmaceutical lobbying in the passage of the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.
Would you support the U.S. negotiating drug prices?
Questions for NC House and Senate Candidates
1. By not expanding Medicaid, North Carolinians will forgo almost 40 billion dollars in federal assistance over the next decade that could cover 90 - 95% of health insurance costs for our low income citizens who don't qualify for Obamacare assistance.
Our federal tax dollars help pay for Medicaid expansion in other states. Do you support expanding Medicaid in NC for the hundreds of thousands of residents who lack access to health care?
(source: https://www.healthinsurance.org...)
2. Research shows that adding work requirements for Medicaid expansion enrollees would add bureaucracy and costs, increase the number of uninsured and hurt enrollees' ability to work, rather than promote work.
Do you support eliminating work requirements as a condition of Medicaid benefits?
(source: https://familiesusa.org...)
3. Our NC Treasurer recently warned, "North Carolina is just behind Illinois in unfunded healthcare liabilities." Non-salary benefits including health insurance average over 30 percent of many state employees' total compensation.
Companies who provide health insurance benefits for their employees also incur costs that make competition with companies in other developed nations increasingly challenging.
Adopting a national health insurance financing system like Medicare for All would save companies and states significant costs spent on employee health insurance and programs such as Medicaid and CHIP.
Would you advocate for a more cost-effective health financing system by improving Medicare and extending it to everyone?
Questions for County Commission Candidates
1. Non-salary benefits including health insurance make up a significant portion of many county employees' total compensation.
Adopting a national health insurance financing system like Medicare for All would save the county significant costs spent on employee health insurance and county health care programs.
Would you advocate for a more cost-effective health financing system by improving Medicare and extending it to everyone?
2. Access to housing, transportation and health care all contribute to health, education and employment outcomes. Do you support the $500 million dollar bond to improve affordable housing?
3. Both school nurses and counselors can improve educational outcomes by identifying children with physical or behavioral problems and treating or referring them as necessary. Access to healthcare for children living in poverty is critical to successful educational outcomes, and school nurses can facilitate this. Do you support increasing funding for school counselors and school nurses?
4. Do you support appropriate sentencing for mental health treatment in our criminal justice system? How can this be accomplished?
5. Do you support training and funding to improve police intervention teams to deal with domestic violence and persons with mental health disorders?
HCJ-NC Reminder: Events at UNCC this week / new poll shows increased M4All support / HCJ-NC YouTube videos
August 25, 2018
Upcoming HCJ-NC Events
In association with the UNCC exhibit For All the People that tells the lesser-known story of how movements of ordinary people helped shape the changing American health care system.
Film Screening: Fix It - Healthcare at the Tipping Point
Wednesday, August 29, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Halton Reading Room (1st Floor), Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion:
Moderator: Pressly Gilbert, MD - Dr. Gilbert is a retired orthopedic surgeon who practiced in Charlotte.
Panelists: Denise Finck-Rothman, MD - Dr. Finck-Rothman is a family practitioner who currently volunteers at the C.W. Williams Community Health Center.
Susan Rucker, PhD - Dr. Rucker, PhD, is Assistant Professor in Interprofessional Health Studies at Queens University.
Karen Garloch - Karen Garloch recently retired from the Charlotte Observer, where she was the health reporter.
Presentation by Dr. John Clarkson, Health Care Justice - NC member
Thursday, August 30, 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Location: Halton Reading Room (1st Floor), Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
Dr. John Clarkson will give a slide show presentation and answer questions. After retiring as chair of the ophthalmology department at University of Miami's Miller Medical School/Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Dr. Clarkson served as Dean of the Medical School, and later President of the American Board of Ophthalmology. He will be assisted by other members of Health Care Justice - North Carolina to answer questions.
Poll: Medicare for All Support Increases!
Reuters/Ipsos Poll - June and July 2018
Would you support or oppose the following?
A policy of Medicare for All (When it comes to the U.S. healthcare system)
84.5% Support
10.7% Oppose
4.8% Don't know
51.9% Support
37.4% Oppose
10.7% Don't know
70.1% Support
20.6% Oppose
9.3% Don't know
HCJ-NC YouTube Videos: View & Share!
Above is the link to our EIGHT videos by the HCJ team. Please view, SUBSCRIBE, copy the link and post it on FB or emails to your friends and family.
Spread the word to educate voters!
HCJ-NC Update: August 21/events/reading/cartoon
August 21, 2018
Upcoming HCJ-NC Events
The following events are in association with the UNCC exhibit For All the People, which tells the lesser-known story of how movements of ordinary people helped shape the changing American health care system.
Film Screening: Fix It - Healthcare at the Tipping Point
Wednesday, August 29, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Halton Reading Room (1st Floor), Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion.
Moderator: Pressly Gilbert, M.D. - Dr. Gilbert is a retired orthopedic surgeon who practiced in Charlotte.
Panelists: Denise Finck-Rothman, M.D. - Dr. Finck-Rothman is a family practitioner who currently volunteers at the C.W. Williams Community Health Center; Susan Rucker, Ph.D. - Dr. Rucker, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in Interprofessional Health Studies at Queens University; Karen Garloch - Karen Garloch recently retired from the Charlotte Observer, where she was the health reporter.
Presentation by Dr. John Clarkson, Health Care Justice - NC member
Thursday, August 30, 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Location: Halton Reading Room (1st Floor), Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
Dr. John Clarkson will give a slide show presentation and answer questions. After retiring as chair of the ophthalmology department at University of Miami's Miller Medical School/Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Dr. Clarkson served as Dean of the Medical School, and later President of the American Board of Ophthalmology. He will be assisted by other members of Health Care Justice - North Carolina to answer questions.
Recommended Reading
"Single Payer Is Actually a Huge Bargain," The Nation, August 10, 2018
"Why American Needs Medicare for All," The New York Times, August 10, 2018
Health Care Justice - NC Presence at Pride Charlotte
Thanks to Denise Finck-Rothman, M.D., Andrea Barkley, M.D. and all who represented HCJ-NC and Improved Medicare for All this weekend at Pride Charlotte!
HCJ-NC Legislative Meeting
Thursday, September 13 at 7 p.m. New Location: Queens University, Levine Building, Suite 116. Free parking in soccer lot, parking deck and on street.
All welcome. Chair: email@example.com.
Candidate Forums
Please attend Candidate Forums being coordinated by the Mecklenburg County League of Women Voters on Sept. 20, 25, and Oct. 4-8, 6 p.m. at First United Methodist Church Charlotte, N.C.
501 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, North Carolina 28202 More info to come. Health Care Justice - NC is a co-sponsor. Let candidates know you care about health care issues including Improved Medicare for All. Wear your single payer buttons and bring a sign.
And here's a cartoon that's unfortunately too true...The trouble with crowdfunding healthcare
Participate in the Pride Festival and Parade August 18-19, 2018. Promote and Support National Improved Medicare for All.
August 9, 2018
2018 Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade
August 18-19, 2018
FESTIVAL: Saturday, Aug. 18, Noon-10pm and Sunday, Aug. 19, Noon-6pm
PARADE: Sunday, Aug. 19, 1-3pm
Health Care Justice - NC will have a space at a table at the Festival and will participate in the Parade. Last year we grew by over 300 new members. Let's do that again!
Volunteers needed! Sign up for any of the listed hours. March in the parade!
RSVP: email@example.com
HCJ-NC Update: Medicare Anniversary Event on Monday and more...
July 29, 2018
Upcoming Events
1. Medicare/Medicaid Anniversary Rally: Monday, July 30 at 11am at the Meck. Co. Government Center (600 E. 4th St.)
Please join Action NC and other health care activists to celebrate the 53rd birthday of Medicaid and Medicare. As the nation marks the 53rd anniversary of the adoption of Medicare and Medicaid on July 30, seniors and patients will hold a birthday event to release a new report showing how vital health care services for millions of Americans, including nearly 3.5 million elderly, disabled and low-income people in North Carolina, are at risk because of federal budget proposals that would cut Medicaid and Medicare to pay for the new tax law that added nearly $2 trillion to the national debt.
Let's improve and expand Medicare for ALL!
2. Health Care Justice - NC Legislative Committee
Thursday, August 9 at 7pm at Margie's home - 519 Meadowbrook Rd., Charlotte (Cotswold area) All welcome! Info: firstname.lastname@example.com.
3. Save the Dates for Candidate Forums: Sponsored by The League of Women Voters, Health Care Justice - NC and others:
Sept. 20 @ 6pm: Candidates' Forum: A Woman's Perspective on Issues; First United Methodist Church, Charlotte, NC
Sept. 25 @ 6pm: Candidates' Forum: A Woman's Perspective on Issues; First United Methodist Church, Charlotte, NC
Oct. 4: Candidates' Forum: A Woman's Perspective on Issues; First United Methodist Church, Charlotte, NC
Recommended Reading
EXCELLENT op-ed by HCJ-NC member George Bohmfalk, M.D. in The Charlotte Observer this week on the benefits of Medicare for All.
"The Astonishingly High Administrative Costs of U.S. Health Care" in The New York Times notes the complexity of our convoluted health care system comes with costs that aren't obvious but that we all pay. The article reviews various studies of administrative costs and quotes the much-cited 1999 study (by PNHP founders) that showed that 30% of US costs were administrative, also studies that show 25% of hospital costs, 27% of doctor's office costs.
Donations Appreciated
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
HCJ-NC Update: Call NC Senate; Legis. Meeting 6.14; PPC Rally in DC on 6.23; Info on Fake Single-Payer Plans
June 11, 2018
Contact NC Senate Health Care Committee
Stop the NC Senate from gutting health care protections for people with pre-existing conditions! The Senate Health Care Committee is debating a rushed proposal to endanger critical protections for North Carolinians with pre-existing conditions.
The bill would allow new "health insurance" companies to skirt state oversight and bypass federal rules, allowing them to sell policies that allow discrimination based on health status. Click here to send emails.
Health Care Justice - NC members Jessica Schorr Saxe, Allen Saxe and Margie Storch were among those arrested in the NC General Assembly Building on Monday, June 4 for instructing NC legislators too loudly on the need for a healthy environment and health care for all. Thanks also to all who traveled from Charlotte pictured below to participate in the Poor People's Campaign Moral Action in Raleigh on 6.4.18.
Video of some of the civil disobedience/arrests here.
Upcoming Events
Thu., June 14 at 7:00pm
Health Care Justice - NC Legislative Committee at Margie's home - 519 Meadowbrook Road, Charlotte (Cotswold area) All welcome! Info: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Sat., June 23
HCJ-NC members will join Charlotte activists in the national Poor People's Campaign "A National Call for Moral Revival" rally in Washington, D.C. Bus from Charlotte is being organized by the Freedom Center for Social Justice. Click here for more info. Tickets are $50 ($25 for students and seniors). Join us!
Recommended Reading
Read HCJ-NC board chair Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe's editorial in the The Charlotte Observer about the link between poverty and health. Leave a comment!
This article by PNHP President-Elect Adam Gaffney (fairly long but worth reading) discusses how Canada adopted a single-payer system. It was not a foregone conclusion. At the time, there was a competing idea that was much more like the health system we have ended up with.
Beware of FAKE single-payer plans! How can you spot a fake single-payer plan? Use this checklist to determine if the latest proposal passes the test.
HCJ-NC Update: Join us for June Rallies; Calls Needed; View and Share Videos
May 29, 2018
Upcoming Events
On May 14, the Poor People's Campaign launched 40 days of Moral Action in over 30 states. Realizing the profound impact that poverty has on health, Health Care Justice - NC and other health organizations have endorsed the Poor People's Campaign which aims to finish the work of the first PPC started 50 years ago by Martin Luther King Jr. Please join HCJ-NC members for two key events...
1) HCJ-NC especially encourages your participation in the Mon., June 4 rally (focus on health and environment) in Raleigh at the Bicentennial Mall (1 E. Edenton St.) from 2:00-4:00pm.
We have a group planning to go from Charlotte (including our "White Coat Brigade" of medical providers). Rally starts at 2:00pm and wraps up about 4:00pm.
Please contact email@example.com if you wish to carpool. Specify if you are willing to drive or whether you prefer to ride and chip in gas $$. A few of us may participate in nonviolent civil disobedience (training at 11:00am before the rally is required) which may result in arrest and several hours - overnight in the county jail. NAACP attorneys are providing legal assistance.
2) HCJ-NC members will also participate in the national Poor People's Campaign "A National Call for Moral Revival" rally on Sat., June 23 action in Washington DC. Bus from Charlotte is being organized by the Freedom Center for Social Justice. Click here for more info. Tickets are $50 ($25 for students and seniors). Join us!
Thu., June 14 at 7:00pm
Health Care Justice - NC Legislative Committee at Margie's home - 519 Meadowbrook Road, Charlotte (Cotswold area) All welcome! Info: email@example.com.
Calls Requested to your NC Rep & Senator
The NC legislature is in its short session and considering legislation to require work requirements for Medicaid recipients which would will require unnecessary, burdensome and expensive red tape.
Please call your NC representative and NC senator to OPPOSE work requirements for Medicaid. Look up your Mecklenburg County legislators' names/phone numbers here by typing in your address (add your legislators' phone numbers to your cell phone for future calling).
This is an article about the value of expanding Medicaid in NC. This is from the DSA about the shortcomings of the Carolina Cares bill that would expand Medicaid - with work requirements.
Recommended Viewing
Thanks to HCJ-NC member JoAnn Sieburg-Baker who has created a series of short educational videos on Improved Medicare for ALL.
Please click here to view. Like, comment and share the link on your social media. Education is key to increasing support for Improved Medicare for ALL.
HCJ-NC Update: Upcoming Events; Beware Medicare 4 All Look-a-likes!
May 16, 2018
Upcoming Events
Mon., May 14 - Sat., June 23
The Poor People's Campaign has launched 40 days of Moral Action in over 30 states. A White Coat Brigade of health professionals staffed a first aid station and supported the campaign in Raleigh. Realizing the profound impact that poverty has on health - as the eradication of poverty would improve the health of our nation - Health Care Justice-NC, along with other health organizations, has endorsed the Poor People's Campaign which aims to finish the work of the first PPC started 50 years ago by Martin Luther King.
Upcoming Monday Nonviolent Actions in Raleigh are May 21 to June 18 from 2-4pm (except Memorial Day) while NC Legislature is in session. HCJ-NC especially encourages your participation in the MON, June 4th action (focus on health) in Raleigh and the national Sat., June 23 action in Washington DC. Full schedule of NC Moral Monday Actions here.
Please email firstname.lastname@example.com if you plan to attend so we can share info on carpools and bus to DC. Some of us plan to participate in civil disobedience (training required to prepare for possible arrest).
Thu., May 17, 2018, 9:30-10:30am
Join PNHP for the release of "Healing an Ailing Pharmaceutical System" as a group of physician leaders in the U.S. and Canada will release a sweeping proposal for reform. Here's how: Watch a livestream of the event by going to www.facebook.com/doctorsforsinglepayer. After 6:00am on May 17, visit www.pnhp.org to access the British Medical Journal article and supplementary materials, including a short video explainer and a one-page summary that you can share with friends and colleagues.
Thu., June 14, 7:00pm
Health Care Justice - NC Legislative Committee meeting at Margie's home - 519 Meadowbrook Road, Charlotte (Cotswold area). All welcome! Info: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Recommended Reading
Medicare for All look-alike proposals abound but fall short of cutting administrative health care costs and universal coverage.
You may have noted the proliferation of new proposals, many with "Medicare" in their names. Most are variations on ways to opt into Medicare but they maintain the private insurance system. Read this short article by PNHP co-founders about why "public plan options" that include private insurance plans won't work. Written in 2009, its points are still relevant. (updated fact: Medicare Advantage now includes 33% Medicare enrollees.)
For more about some of these plans, see:
"The Healthy America Program" full proposal by Urban Institute.
Senators introduce "Choose Medicare Act." Medicare Part E - for everyone - would be sold on ACA health care exchanges and made available to employers. It would give every individual who is not already eligible for Medicaid or Medicare the opportunity to enroll in Medicare as an individual or every employer to purchase Medicare for their employees.
The Center for American Progress (CAP) proposes "Medicare Extra" through which any American, regardless of age, could buy health insurance. Those covered through their jobs could either keep that plan or enroll in Medicare Extra.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Dr. Ed Weisbart, national speaker, Medicare for All: Monday 4/30 at 6:30; come & bring friend / activist training 5/10
April 29, 2018
Monday, April 30, 6:30-8pm
"Medicare for All: Simple, Prudent and Proudly American"
The US has one of the world's most successful health insurance systems - Medicare. The best way to protect this vital program is simple - improve it, and let every American in. This discussion will focus on the impact of Medicare for All on the the national economy, the business community, and every American.
Presented by Dr. Ed Weisbart, chair of Physicians for a National Health Program's Missouri chapter. Location: Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3115 Providence Rd., Charlotte, NC in Fellowship Hall.
Thursday, May 10, 6:30-8pm
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee presents Activist Training for Medicare for All
Presented by Kyra Moore and Dr. Marsha Fretwell, members of People for Healthcare for Everyone (Hendersonville, NC). Kyra and Marsha will share what they learned at Dr. Margaret Flowers' 4-day Single Payer Action Camp in Washington, DC sponsored by Health Over Profit for Everyone.
This info will apply to upcoming actions planned with the Poor People's Campaign in May and June and beyond. A short HCJ-NC Legislative Committee update will follow the training. An email will be sent this week with the location.
HCJ-NC Update
April 11, 2018
Recommended Reading
"Health Insurers Spend $158K to Make Sure 'Blue Wave' is Against Medicare for ALL" by Carl Gibson, co-publisher of Grit Post. "In the current cycle, big health insurers have quietly donated more than $150,000 to Democrats opposed to Medicare for All legislation..."
Upcoming Events
Please share info about local candidate forums for Congress or the NC Legislature with email@example.com so we can arrange a HCJ-NC presence there!
Thu., April 12, 7:00pm
Health Care Justice - NC Legislative Committee Meeting at Margie's home, 519 Meadowbrook Road, Charlotte (Cotswold area). Info: email@example.com.
Sat., April 14, 1:00-5:00pm
Civil Disobedience Training at Caldwell Presbyterian Church, 1609 E. 5th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. This is required for folks who are considering civil disobedience during the Poor People's Campaign events in May and June. If you attend the training you are not required to participate in the civil disobedience action. Click here to register. You will receive more detailed info.
Sat., April 19 - May 5
Early Voting for Primary Election at various locations. Click here for details and encourage friends and family to VOTE!
Sun., April 29, 3:00-8:00pm
Activist Workshop: Build and Present an effective "Improved Medicare for ALL" Presentation (dinner provided) at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3115 Providence Road, Charlotte. Presented by Dr. Ed Weisbart. RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Mon., April 30, 6:30-8pm
"Improved Medicare for ALL" Update at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3115 Providence Road, Charlotte. Presented by Dr. Ed Weisbart. Bring a friend! RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
HCJ-NC Direct Action Training for Poor People's Campaign
April 4, 2018
I understand no RSVP is required. Hope to see you there.
More info re: Health Care Justice - NC's decision to participate in actions with the Poor People's Campaign to raise awareness of the need for health care for all:
We look forward to the actions in Raleigh on Monday afternoons (May 14 - June 18) and ending with a national vigil in Washington, D.C. on Sat., June 23. The White Coat brigade is especially encouraged to attend the event on June 4 focused on Health and ecological devastation.
Many people have asked "What is next?" Poor People's Campaign is holding a Mass Training on Saturday, April 14th at the Caldwell Presbyterian Church and will be held from 1-5pm. Anyone interested in participating with the civil disobedience aspect of the 40 days of the Non-Violent Moral Fusion Direct Action is required to take the training. However, if you attend the training you are not required to participate in the civil disobedience action. In other words, the decision of whether you are willing to risk arrest is completely an individual's decision. There is no pressure because there are so many other roles that need to be filled other than civil disobedience. We will have songs, rallies, and other activities taken place.
The details for the training session are:
What: Non-Violent Moral Fusion Direct Action (Civil Disobedience and more) Training
When: Saturday, April 14, 2018, 1-5pm
Where: Caldwell Presbyterian Church; 1609 East 5th Street; Charlotte, NC 28204
Special Note: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Company will be serving ice cream!
Join us for Ed Weisbart's workshops April 29, speech April 30; please RSVP
April 3, 2018
Hi all,
Ed Weisbart is an excellent speaker who was here a couple of years ago and is coming back by popular demand. The April 30 event is open to the public. Be sure to let your friends know about it! Pass it on through social media, etc.
And all members are encouraged to attend the workshops. (If you're getting this on this email, you may not--yet--be a member. Join us at www.healthcarejusticenc.org.)
See the flier for details. Please RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com and specify which days/events you will be attending.
HCJ-NC Update: Ally with Poor People's Campaign; see below for details and dates
April 2, 2018
The board of Health Care Justice - NC voted to participate in actions with the Poor People's Campaign to raise awareness of the need for health care for all.
The white coat brigade (physicians, health care providers and activists including HCJ-NC members) are encouraged especially to participate in actions on Mon., June 4 in Raleigh, NC and Sat., June 23 in Wash. DC.
Click here to sign up for updates from the White Coat Brigade. HCJ-NC will keep our members informed about carpools to the actions.
White Coats for the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is uniting tens of thousands of people across the nation to challenge systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and the United States distorted moral narrative. We are organizing together to build a national moral movement, led by the poor, those most directly impacted and moral leaders, to transform our nation; Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, architect of the Moral Monday movement and president of Repairers of the Breach, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social justice, are national chairs for the campaign.
Structure of the campaign: Mothers Day May 13 thru Saturday, June 23. 40 days and nights of actions to call on the conscience of the nation to fulfill our deepest moral values of economic and social justice.
Monday afternoons. The main actions will occur on Mondays, similar to past Moral Monday actions.
- Many of you may be familiar with the Moral Monday protest movement in NC in 2013, led by Dr. Barber and spreading into some other states.
- These were weekly protests at the State legislative Building to draw attention to and criticize extremist policies being enacted.
- We chose Mondays because this is when the legislators came back to the capital for the week's work, and we could find them at the legislative buildings
- Organized as rally/speakers/music for about an hour, followed by direct action/civil disobedience by a few, with others there to support them.
- There is a very clear line between those there for support and those who are willing to face arrest.
State Level Actions: For the Poor People's Campaign there will be State level actions We are creating organizing committees in 41 states and the District of Columbia
Simultaneous actions - amplifies what each state is doing
Tuesday teach-ins.
Rest of week back in communities/churches, etc.
Final week there will be 24 hour vigils in DC.
Weekly themes:
- Week One (May 13-19): Child Poverty, Women and the Disabled
- Week Two (May 20-26): Systemic Racism, Voter Suppression and Immigration
- Week Three (May 27-June 2): The War Economy, Veterans and Education
- Week Four (June 3-9; Action on Mon. June 4): Ecological Devastation and Health
- Week Five (June 10-16): Systemic Poverty, Jobs, Income and Housing
- Week 6 (June 17-22): Challenging the Nation's Distorted Moral Narrative
- Sat., June 23rd: Mass rally and 24 hour vigil in Washington, D.C. and Global Day of Solidarity
Role of the White Coats in the Poor People's Campaign:
- A group of doctors, nurses, physician assistants and other health professionals in their white coats are noticed, draw press, surprise people, and carry moral authority.
- We want to mobilize a white coat brigade in every state and DC for the PPC and also in DC for the culminating events on June 23.
- State white coat brigades should communicate with their state PPC so that they are sure that any actions they plan contribute to (and do not detract from) other planned activities.
- Those who are willing to face arrest for their beliefs can do so (if they attend a training) - others will witness.
- White coats should plug in every week, in your white coats
- White Coats can help staff health tents to provide emergency/triage care for protesters who become ill, especially during the final week in DC
- 4th week - put more energy here June 4th (Could do specific actions, in concert with state PPC organization)
Civil Disobedience: Civil disobedience is not a requirement to participate. if you have folks who are interested in civil disobedience, they will need to attend a training. There is one in every state on April 14, but there will also be later trainings.
Contact information:
- For more information, you can also contact Charles van der Horst or Perri Morgan. You can reach your state coordinator at northcarolina@poorpeoplescampaign.
- Facebook page
- Google docs link to add your name to the White Coats Brigade
A toolkit will be forthcoming, with action ideas and other useful info, courtesy of Health Over Profit for Everyone. Consider attending their spring single payer action camp April 7-10 in Washington, DC, to learn cool stuff and help make the toolkit.
HCJ-NC Update: Reading and Events / Note Canvassing Opportunity Tomorrow
March 16, 2018
Recommended Reading
The role of the civil rights movement has been instrumental in the struggle for health care. We need to learn this important history and also understand the connections between racism and our healthcare system. Read and learn!
Link to article (written in June 2017) summarizing role of the civil rights movement in the struggle for universal health care.
Here is an article by David Barton Smith (who has written a book) on how Medicare legislation integrated hospitals and the methods that civil rights leaders used to do it.
Upcoming Events
Sat., March 17, 11:30am
Canvassing for Improved Medicare for ALL with Democratic Socialists of America. Meet at NoDa Brewery Company, 2921 N Tryon St., Charlotte, NC.
Sun., March 18, 3:00pm
Improved Medicare for ALL presentation at Indivisible NC District 9, CHC aka Atrium Community Room (west side of building, can park on that side), 2700 Providence Rd. S, Waxhaw. Please rsvp: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Thur., March 22, 7:00pm
Health Care Justice Legislative Committee Meeting at Margie's home, 519 Meadowbrook Road, Charlotte (Cotswold area). Info: email@example.com.
Fri., March 23
Health Care Rally to Protect Health Care (anniversary of the Affordable Care Act). Time and location in CLT TBA with Action NC, Trumpzilla and others. Please join us! Details will be posted next week here.
Mon., April 2, 6:00pm
Book signing for An American Sickness : How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD. HealthCare for All WNC (chapter of PNHP) is co-sponsoring at Malaprop's Bookstore, 55 Haywood St., Asheville.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Health Care Justice - NC Update
February 24, 2018
The Low-Down on New Health Care Proposals
Amidst rising health care costs and increasing support for improved Medicare for All, several health care initiatives have surfaced:
- "Medicare Extra for ALL" proposal from Center for American Progress *
- United States of Care *
- Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan development of not-for-profit health care coverage for their employees (may cut costs for their employees in the short run but doesn't address the big picture)
* These appear to be more worthless compromise ideas, trying to accommodate the crowd who nervously (and uninformed) want to keep their present policies, along with appeasing the insurance industry, which would remain in place along with all of its overhead. Why a "public plan option" won't work.
Don McCanne, M.D. comments: What is this "Medicare Extra for All" proposal by the Center for American Progress (CAP), and where does it or should it stand in the movement for health care for all? First of all, it is not a single payer proposal...What this proposal really is is a glorified version of the public option...If you carefully review the CAP proposal you will see that it adds both costs and administrative complexity to our existing health care financing system. It forgoes much of the cost containment and administrative simplicity of a bona fide single payer system...We just have to be sure that the public is not lured by this siren song. They want the real thing.
For more commentary about the CAP plan, read this.
Upcoming Events
Thur., March 22, 7:00pm
Health Care Justice Legislative Committee Meeting at Margie's home, 519 Meadowbrook Road, Charlotte (Cotswold area). Info: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Tues., Feb. 27, 7:00pm
Health Care for All: Good for Busine$$ at A-B Tech Ferguson Auditorium, 340 Victoria Rd. in Asheville. Keynote speaker is a former PA legislator who was in the FixIt movie. Info: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Health Care Justice - NC Update (with Resolution for Feb. Precinct Meetings!) / Thanks / Upcoming Events
February 9, 2018
Attend Feb. Precinct Meetings; Introduce Improved Medicare for All Resolution
Democratic Party precinct meetings are happening now through Feb. 19. Look up your precinct meeting here.
Republican Party precinct meetings will be held Monday, Feb. 12th at 6:00pm. Details here.
Please introduce the attached resolution at your precinct meeting (also included at the end of this email). A Quick Facts About Improved Medicare for All flier (also attached) would be helpful to share at your precinct meeting.
Thank You for Calls for Health Care Funding!
Congress approved a 10 year funding plan for CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) and a 2 year funding plan for Community Health Centers. Progress!
Upcoming Events
Sat., Feb. 10, 7:00am
Moral March in Raleigh - Meet at the Unitarian Universalist Church parking lot, 234 N. Sharon Amity Rd., if you want to carpool. Email email@example.com if questions.
Sat., Feb. 17, 11:00am - 2:00pm
Health Care is a Human Right at Little Rock AME Zion Church, 401 N. McDowell St., Charlotte sponsored by NAACP of Mecklenburg Co. HCJ–NC will be participating in the program.
Tues., Feb. 27, 7:00pm
Health Care for All: Good for Busine$$ at A-B Tech Ferguson Auditorium, 340 Victoria Rd. in Asheville. Keynote speaker is a former PA legislator who was in the FixIt movie. Info: email@example.com.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
A Resolution in Support of Improved Medicare for All Universal Health Care
Whereas, the United Nations resolved that universal health coverage is essential for sustainable development;
Whereas, the United Nations resolved to urge governments to move towards providing all people with access to affordable, quality health care services on 12 December 2012;
Whereas, the United States spends the most per capita on health care of any industrialized nation and yet is number 38 in positive health outcomes;
Whereas, the United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have some form of universal health care (defined as a basic guarantee of health care to all of its citizens);
Whereas, there are substantial disparities in the U.S. with regard to health care access based on factors such as income, education, housing, race, gender, and geography; and the system weighs most heavily on the most vulnerable of our citizenry, legal residents, the poor, the unemployed and minorities;
Whereas, the US Institute of Medicine compiled an extensive report on the hidden costs of the uninsureds' fewer years of participation in the workforce, weakened local economies, developmental losses to children, and adverse effects on public health including poor health outcomes and lower life expectancies;
Whereas, despite the undeniable benefits of the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans are still without health care coverage; and
Whereas, the savings inherent in a single payer plan will more than pay for extending coverage to those currently uninsured or underinsured;
Whereas, a universal health care system would help people pursue the American dream of providing for themselves and their families;
NOW therefore be it resolved that Precinct #____ (the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party / the _____Congressional District of the NCDP / the North Carolina Democratic Party) recognizes access to quality health care as a basic human right and supports efforts to reduce health inequality and disparities.
Be it further resolved that Precinct #____ (the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party / the ____ Congressional District of the NCDP / the North Carolina Democratic Party) urges Congress to do what is morally right and economically advantageous and pass Improved Medicare for ALL legislation and
Be it further resolved that NC Democrats will work at the precinct, county, district state levels of the Democratic Party to have this resolution in support of universal health care become part of the state platform of the Democratic Party; and
Be it further resolved that our NCDP Democratic National Committee representatives support the inclusion of a call for universal Improved Medicare for All health care in the National Democratic Party Platform;
And that we, as Democrats, commit to electing Democrats up and down the ballot who will continue to push for health care for all.
If you are participating in Republican precinct meetings, substitute Republican for Democratic.
Health Care Justice - NC Update: Calls needed for CHCs / Upcoming events
February 2, 2018
Calls still needed to legislators re: funding for Community Health Centers!
While Congress approved a 6 year funding plan for CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) along with the budget continuing resolution, Community Health Centers were NOT funded. A health care provider shared:
"It's...self defeating to fund CHIP but not health centers since most kids with CHIP receive their care at community health centers. So they may have CHIP but they won't be able to access services because their Health Center is closed."
Call your U.S. Senators and Representatives NOW and tell them many children can't access health care without sustained, predictable funding for community health centers. Funding should not come at the expense of other desperately needed health programs (such as raiding the Prevention and Public Health Fund or making changes in Medicare).
Senator Thom Tillis: (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr: (202) 224-3154
Rep. Alma Adams, Dist. 12: (202) 225-1510
Rep. Robert Pittenger, Dist. 9: (202) 225-1976
Upcoming Events
Thu., Feb. 8, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Medicaid in NC: Expansion or Reformation? at Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte. Click here to register. Panel discussion includes:
- Phyllis Wingate, President, Carolina Healthcare System Northern Division
- David Richards, Deputy Secretary for Medical Assistance, NC Department of Health and Human Services
- Carla Cunningham, NC State Representative
- Arif J. Jones, Director, Aetna Business Development
Sat., Feb. 10
Moral March in Raleigh. Let firstname.lastname@example.com know if you'd like to go and looking to carpool from Charlotte. Details for Feb. 10:
- 7:45 - 9:15 am: Breakfast at Death and Taxes (free for trainees, others contribute as able). Please RSVP to Charlie van der Horst if you plan to attend breakfast.
- 9:00 am: Opening rally at the corner of Wilmington and South Streets in Raleigh.
- 10:00 am: Begin march! Health care providers: wear your white coat or uniform and join the "white coat block!"
- 11:00 am - noon: Post-march rally
Sat., Feb 17, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Health Care is a Human Right at Little Rock AME Zion Church, 401 N. McDowell St., Charlotte; sponsored by NAACP of Mecklenburg Co. HCJ-NC will be participating in the program.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Moral March in Raleigh Feb. 10, 2018 / Consider becoming a member / Let me know if you want to unsubscribe
January 30, 2018
1) If you would like to go to Raleigh representing Health Care Justice - NC (click here for details), contact contact Denise Finck-Rothman at firstname.lastname@example.com to RSVP and arrange a carpool.
And don't worry if you don't have a white coat or aren't a medical professional, you're still welcome!
I'm linking to the rest of the email to let you know about other health care events.
2) You are getting this email because you are a "friend" of Health Care Justice - NC. If you support Improved Medicare for All, I encourage you to join us by going to our website, http://pnhphcjnc.org, clicking on "chapter resolution," and signing (no charge). Then you'll be invited to our Feb. 13 membership meeting, which includes dinner (and lots of nice people).
3) If you want to unsubscribe to this list, please reply to me and let me know.
Health Care Justice - NC Update: Call Congress ASAP re: CHIP and Community Health Centers; Events
January 11, 2018
Fund CHIP and Health Centers without ACA Sabotage
Call your U.S. Senators and Representatives NOW and tell them to provide sustained, predictable funding for CHIP and community health centers that does not come at the expense of other desperately needed health programs (such as raiding the Prevention and Public Health Fund or making changes in Medicare).
On January 19, Congress is expected to vote on a spending bill and it must include long-term funding for CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program)! Read more here.
Senator Thom Tillis: (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr: (202) 224-3154
Rep. Alma Adams, Dist. 12: (202) 225-1510
Rep. Robert Pittenger, Dist. 9: (202) 225-1976
Upcoming Events
Saturday, Jan. 13 from 10:00 am - 12 noon
HCJ-NC marches in ML King Jr. parade. Meet @ N. Tryon St. and Phifer Ave. near Hal Marshall Center. Contact email@example.com for details.
Fix It documentary makes the business and economic case for single payer health care. It will be presented by HCJ-NC members at the Cornwell Center, 2001 Selwyn Avenue by Myers Park Baptist Church, on the following dates:
- Wed., Jan. 17: 10:30 am - 12 noon
- Tues., Jan. 23: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
- Thu., Feb. 1: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Registration required: (704) 927-0774. You can also see the documentary online at https://fixithealthcare.com.
Thursday, Jan. 18 @ 7:00 pm
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee will meet at 2229 Chatham Ave., Charlotte, NC at Julia Westendorf's home in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. Please RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com if you have not already done so and bring a snack to share.
Saturday, Jan. 20 from 10:00 am - 12 noon
HCJ-NC participates in Women's March on Meet at First Ward Park in uptown Charlotte. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com for details.
Educate and Activate for Improved Medicare for All
Talk to family and friends about Medicare for All and encourage them to join Health Care Justice - NC at our website healthcarejusticenc.org.
Encourage family and friends to watch Fix It: Health Care at the TippingPoint (on Youtube). Host a Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point watch party.
Arrange for a speaker from HCJ-NC to speak to organizations and groups where you are a member. Distribute fliers (with permission) on National Improved Medicare for All at your hair salon, dentist, doctor, place of employment. Contact email@example.com.
March in the Women's march Jan. 20, 2018 / Reminder: MLK March Jan. 13 / RSVP at link below
January 10, 2018
Health Care Justice - NC Members, Family and Friends:
Time for More Marching!
Reminder: Martin Luther King March on Saturday, January 13, 2018.
Women's March: Saturday, January 20, 2018.
Join in the Women's March on Saturday, January 20, 2018 in support of women and Single Payer/ Improved and Expanded Medicare for All!
Saturday, January 20, 2018, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
First Ward Park, Charlotte, NC, 301 E. Seventh Street
- March Starting Location: First Ward Park
- March Ending Location: Romare Bearden Park
- Speakers Forum: 10:00 a.m. - 12 noon
- March begins: 12 noon
RSVP: email@example.com
See "FIX IT: Health Care at the Tipping Point" - 3 choices of dates and times
December 29, 2017
We are educated, but MOST of us don't know that U.S. health care has the highest administrative costs in the world, yet we rank near the bottom among high-income countries in nearly all health indicators, including infant mortality, maternal mortality, and life expectancy.
FIX IT is a powerful documentary that reaches across the political and ideological divide. It takes an in-depth look at how our dysfunctional health care system is damaging our economy, suffocating our businesses, discouraging physicians and negatively impacting the nation's health, while remaining unaffordable for a third of our citizens.
When: Wed., Jan. 17, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Tue., Jan. 23, 7:00-8:30pm
Thu., Feb. 1, 7:00-8:30pm
Where: Cornwell Center, 2001 Selwyn Ave., Charlotte, NC 28207
- Come and learn about SINGLE PAYER / Improved MEDICARE for All
- Privately delivered, publicly funded health care for all. Everybody in! Nobody out!
- Physician panel; question and answer to follow.
Registration required: email firstname.lastname@example.com or call (704) 927-0774.
March in the MLK parade January 13, 10am to noon; Show support for expanded, improved Medicare for all!
December 27, 2017
Health Care Justice members, family (all ages), and friends:
All are invited to march in the Martin Luther King parade in Uptown Charlotte on Saturday, January 13, 2018 from 10am to noon.
The larger the number of marchers, the greater our impact!
The parade starts at 9th Street and North Tryon and continues down Tryon to Stonewall.
More details of meeting time and place to follow.
Please RSVP your interest in participating in the march to email@example.com.
Health Care Justice - NC Update: Keep Up Calls on Tax & Health Bills!
December 11, 2017
Contact Your U.S Senators & Rep. to Oppose Tax Bill
URGENT: Senate Republicans passed a "tax reform" bill that is now in a Congressional reconciliation committee to meld the House and Senate bills before the final vote by House and Senate. CALL U.S. Senators and your House Rep. to oppose this bill that is being rushed forward without citizen hearings. The vote is expected before Christmas break.
Senator Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr (202) 224-3154
Rep. Alma Adams Dist. 12 (202) 225-1510
Rep. Robert Pittenger Dist. 9 (202) 225-1976
The tax reform bill includes a repeal of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate - cutting healthcare for 13 million Americans - and significantly increases deficits that will likely mean cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. Click here for a Washington Post article with details. This Vox article by Sarah Kliff explains how the tax bill would affect every aspect of federal health care.
Fund CHIP and Health Centers without ACA Sabotage
The House passed a bill that extends the Children's Health Insurance Program for five years, and continues funding community health centers for two years. It also includes $1 billion for Medicaid programs in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, hard hit by recent hurricanes.
The bill became controversial after House Republicans added provisions that slashes funding from the Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health Fund (which among other things helps fight the opioid epidemic, and makes it easier to kick people off ACA plans for non-payment of premiums). Now the Senate must act.
Ask for funding at previous levels without sabotaging the Affordable Care Act!
Senator Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr (202) 224-3154
Upcoming Events
Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 pm
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee dinner meeting at The Original Pancake House at Sharon Corners Shopping Center, 4736 Sharon Road (SouthPark area). Please RSVP to email@example.com if you have not already done so.
Jan. 17, Jan. 23 & Feb. 1
Fix It documentary makes the business and economic case for single payer health care. It will be presented by HCJ-NC members at the Cornwell Center, 2001 Selwyn Avenue behind Myers Park Baptist Church. Times to be announced. You can also see it online at https://fixithealthcare.com. Read more here.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Holiday Gift Donations to Health Care Justice - NC
December 9, 2017
Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season!
Many thanks to all of you for your support in 2017!
As you know, Health Care Justice is a volunteer organization without dues. As you consider your end-of-year contributions, please make a donation to assist us in continuing our work in advocating for and educating the public about a Single Payer/Improved Medicare for all health care system.
You may donate at our website: http://pnhphcjnc.org. Or mail a check to: Health Care Justice - NC, P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28232.
Consider sending a donation gift to honor a loved one at this holiday season. We would be happy to send a holiday card acknowledging your donation.
We encourage you to become a member of the national organization, Physicians for a National Health Program. This will further the cause on a national level. You may access their website at: http://www.pnhp.org.
Please consider volunteering your time and talents to Health Care Justice - NC. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
Jessica Schorr Saxe and the HCJ-NC Board
Health Care Justice - NC ALERT on Tax Reform Vote
November 29, 2017
Contact Your U.S Senators to Oppose Tax Bill
URGENT: Senate Vote is expected any time on the "tax reform" bill that increases health and wealth disparities. CALL U.S. Senators NOW to oppose this bill that is being rushed forward without citizen hearings.
Senator Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr (202) 224-3154
The tax reform bill includes a repeal of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate - cutting healthcare for 13 million Americans - and significantly increases deficits that will likely mean cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. This is not the responsible way to do tax reform! Click here for a NY Times editorial with details.
Fund CHIP and Health Centers without ACA Sabotage
The House passed a bill that extends the Children's Health Insurance Program for five years, and continues funding community health centers for two years. It also includes $1 billion for Medicaid programs in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, hard hit by recent hurricanes.
The bill became controversial after House Republicans added provisions that slashes funding from the Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health Fund (which among other things helps fight the opioid epidemic, and makes it easier to kick people off ACA plans for non-payment of premiums). Now the Senate must act.
Ask for funding at previous levels without sabotaging the Affordable Care Act!
Senator Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr (202) 224-3154
Educate and Activate for Improved Medicare for All
Talk to family and friends about Medicare for All and encourage them to join Health Care Justice-NC at our website healthcarejusticenc.org.
Encourage family and friends to watch Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point (on YouTube). Host a Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point watch party.
Arrange for a speaker from HCJ-NC to speak to organizations and groups where you are a member. Distribute fliers (with permission) on National Improved Medicare for All at your hair salon, dentist, doctor, place of employment. Contact George at firstname.lastname@example.com.
HCJ-NC Urgent Update: House Vote on Tax "Reform" and Cuts to Health Care
November 16, 2017
URGENT: House expected to vote THURSDAY, Nov. 16 on bill to slash taxes for the wealthy and corporations and raise taxes on millions of working and middle class families. CALL your U.S. Representative (Alma Adams or Robert Pittenger) at 202-224-3121 NOW.
The House bill is bad. The Senate bill might end up being worse.
Not only are Republican Senators trying to raise even more taxes on the middle class, they are planning to include a repeal of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate - cutting healthcare for 13 million Americans - and cutting funds from Medicaid and Medicare. This is not the responsible way to do tax reform!
Call your Senators to oppose this:
Senator Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr (202) 224-3154
Addendum to last email / article about why racism is a health issue
November 12, 2017
Good morning.
We try to limit emails, but I just read this article in today's New York Times that talks about why racism is a health issue. That should help explain the relevance of the workshop below that we included in the last email:
Sat., Nov 18 from 9am-3pm
Panel on Structural and Institutional Racism: its impact on women of color at Midwood International and Cultural Center, 1817 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC
Different types of structural and institutional policies have helped create racial and gender injustice and continue racism today. Hear about work being done by our powerful panelists and their organizations to dismantle racial and gender discrimination, and ways we can all work together to promote diversity, inclusion and equity for women of color.
Racism has a strong effect on health care and health outcomes. HCJ-NC will have an info table. Register here.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
HCJNC update: call your Senators / upcoming events / article / other things you can do support the cause
November 12, 2017
Contact Your U.S Senators: Fund CHIP and Health Centers Without ACA Sabotage
The House passed a bill that extends the Children's Health Insurance Program for five years, and continues funding community health centers for two years. It also includes $1 billion for Medicaid programs in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, hard hit by recent hurricanes. The bill became controversial after House Republicans added provisions that slashes funding from the Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health Fund (which among other things helps fight the opioid epidemic, and makes it easier to kick people off Obamacare plans for non-payment of premiums). Now the Senate must act.
Ask for funding at previous levels without sabotaging the Affordable Care Act!
Senator Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr (202) 224-3154
Upcoming Meetings
Thu., Nov 16 at 6:30 pm
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee meets at Terry Soffer's home: 5124 Tedorill Lane in Carson Pond neighborhood off Rea Road. Pot luck dinner and meeting. Contact email@example.com if you need the gate code. All welcome!
Sat., Nov 18 from 9am-3pm
Panel on Structural and Institutional Racism: its impact on women of color at Midwood International and Cultural Center, 1817 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC
Different types of structural and institutional policies have helped create racial and gender injustice and continue racism today. Hear about work being done by our powerful panelists and their organizations to dismantle racial and gender discrimination, and ways we can all work together to promote diversity, inclusion and equity for women of color.
Racism has a strong effect on health care and health outcomes. HCJ-NC will have an info table. Register here.
Recommended Reading
This is a provocative article about the role that health care concerns played in the election. It doesn't mention single-payer, but certainly the increasing importance of health care issues should give Improved Medicare for All an opening.
Educate and Activate for Improved Medicare for All
Talk to family and friends about Medicare for All and encourage them to join Health Care Justice - NC at our website healthcarejusticenc.org.
Encourage family and friends to watch Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point (on YouTube). Host a Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point watch party.
Arrange for a speaker from HCJ-NC to speak to organizations and groups where you are a member. Distribute fliers (with permission) on National Improved Medicare for All at your hair salon, dentist, doctor, place of employment. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
Health Care Justice - NC Update: legislative news / 2 articles of interest
November 2, 2017
Contact Your Members of Congress: Act Immediately to Fix CHIP and the Health Center Funding Cliff
Federal funding has already expired for both CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program which funds insurance for low-income children, and for community health centers (talking points here). Health care for 9 million children and millions of low-income persons hangs in the balance.
Ask for funding at previous levels without sabotaging the Affordable Care Act!
Senator Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr (202) 224-3154
Rep. Robert Pittenger (202) 225-1976
Rep. Alma Adams (202) 225-1510
Upcoming HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting:
Thu., Nov 16 at 6:30 pm
Pot luck dinner and meeting at Terry Soffer's home: 5124 Tedorill Lane in Carson Pond neighborhood off Rea Road. RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com and she will email you a reminder that week with the gate code. All welcome!
Recommended Reading:
Interesting New York Times article on why choosing a health insurance plan isn't "shopping." Take a look--there are some ideas you might not have thought of and some information about how Americans feel about choosing a plan.
And here is a Vox article about why a diehard Republican might be willing to listen to single-payer. As they note, it's only 1 person--but see what they conclude from listening to her.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Important article from the New England Journal of Medicine on Medicare for All
October 26, 2017
Good morning.
This article addresses the politics of Medicare for All, its historical context, and its role in addressing the rising inequities in the US.
Thanks, Jessica
Single payer health care event with national PNHP speaker: Thu., Oct. 26
October 22, 2017
Solving America's Healthcare Crisis
Thu., October 26 at 7pm
Park Road Baptist Church, 3900 Park Road, Charlotte
Presented by the Alliance of Moral Progressive Democrats, Health Care Justice - NC, and others.
Featuring Dr. Walter Tsou of Physicians for a National Health Program; Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe, Chair of Health Care Justice - NC; and Joel Segal (co-author of HR 676 "Medicare for All Act").
October 19th - National Health Care Plans Around the World - RSVP if possible
October 2, 2017
Thursday, October 19th
Auditorium of Midwood International and Cultural Center
1817 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
Light refreshments will be served
RSVP: email@example.com
Health Care Justice - NC Update: calls needed/note upcoming events
October 2, 2017
THANKS to all who took action to stop the
Graham-Cassidy Bill!
The Republicans failed to get enough votes for their Repeal & Replace "health care" bill. There were many letters to the editor and Op Ed articles opposing the Republican bill and supporting universal health care and Medicare for ALL. Also many calls, emails and citizen actions made an impact. Good work!
While the imminent threat of Graham-Cassidy may be over, we must remain vigilant! Some Republican Senators have already indicated they may try to use the upcoming 2018 budget negotiations to enable another run later this year at dismantling Medicaid and the ACA.
Funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was pushed aside during the mobilization to stop the Graham-Cassidy bill. Congress must move swiftly now to pass the bipartisan Keeping Kids' Insurance Dependable and Secure Act (S.1827) which includes a strong extension of funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for five years. Health coverage for nine million children hangs in the balance. Contact your Senators and Representatives NOW and urge them to help get CHIP over the finish line.
Senator Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr (202) 224-3154
Rep. Robert Pittenger (202) 225-1976
Rep. Alma Adams (202) 225-1510
Upcoming Events:
Thu., October 19 at 6:30 pm
Health Care Justice-NC meeting: Panel discussion on single payer health systems around the world at Midwood International & Cultural Center, 1817 Central Ave., Charlotte.
Thu., October 26 at 7 pm
Health Care Justice-NC Legislative Committee meeting will be rescheduled due to event below:
Thu., October 26 at 7 pm
Single Payer Health Care Forum featuring Dr. Walter Tsou of Physicians for a National Health Program at Park Road Baptist Church presented by the Alliance of Moral Progressive Democrats.
And, for those in or near Asheville on October 12 (sponsored by our sister chapter Health Care for All WNC): 12 Oct flyer--color with border.pdf (486K)
Recommended Reading:
This New Yorker article "Is Health Care A Right?" by Atul Gawande looks at whether Americans view health care as a right, some reasons they might or might not and what he thinks might be a bridge between those who do and those who don't.
"Why I'm the last happy doctor" is a great column in the Sept. 27 Charlotte Observer by Dr. Marsha Fretwell. She worked mainly with Medicare patients talking about how good an experience it was.
Donations Appreciated!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
UPDATE: Calls Needed to Oppose Graham-Cassidy Health Bill NOW!
September 21, 2017
Call Senators to Oppose Graham-Cassidy Bill and Spread the word on Social Media!
Republicans push their last ditch "health care" bill before the September 30th deadline to pass a bill with only 50 Senate votes through the budget reconciliation process. A vote is expected next week, possibly on Wed.
The Graham-Cassidy bill, like the earlier Senate and House bills, ends the ACA's coverage expansions in 2020; repeals individual and employer mandates immediately; creates a waiver program for states that would allow insurers to undermine consumer protections; and places per capita spending limits on funding for the traditional Medicaid program. Like prior bills, the Medicaid cap would threaten the health care of an additional 65 million people who depend on the program, including the elderly, disabled, children, pregnant women, and very poor adults.
Latest Studies on Potential Impact of Graham-Cassidy
Avalere found that the bill would massively slash federal funding to states for health care ($215 billion through 2026 and >$4 Trillion through 2036).
- By 2026, NC loses $1 billion
- By 2036, NC loses $96 billion
AARP estimated how much a 60 year old making $25,000 would have to pay under the law by 2020 in each state. They estimate increase in premiums and out-of-pocket costs:
- Total cost increase in NC: $20,716
The Commonwealth Fund estimates that 32 million Americans could lose coverage after 2026.
The Center for American Progress estimates that 1,148,000 North Carolinians would lose coverage under Graham-Cassidy by 2027.
Call Senators Thom Tillis (202) 224-6342 and Richard Burr (202) 224-3154 to Oppose this bill!
We need at least 3 Republican Senators to vote AGAINST the Graham-Cassidy bill!
- Sen. Capito 202-224-6472
- Sen. Murkowski 202-224-6665
- Sen. Collins 202-224-2523
- Sen. Gardner 202-224-5941
- Sen. Flake 202-224-4521
Upcoming Events:
Tue., September 26 at noon
Protest of Graham-Cassidy Bill and funding cuts to Community Health Centers at Senator Thom Tillis Charlotte Office, 9300 Harris Corners Pkwy., Charlotte, NC 28269 (verify on Indivisible Charlotte Facebook).
Thu., October 19 at 6:30 pm
Health Care Justice - NC meeting: Panel discussion on single payer health systems around the world at Midwood International & Cultural Center, 1817 Central Ave., Charlotte.
Donations Needed!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Health Care Justice - NC Update
September 16, 2017
Senate Medicare for All Bill introduced!
On Sept. 13, 2017, Senate Bill 1804 was introduced by Bernie Sanders with 16 co-sponsors. Congratulations to all of you who advocated to make this happen! Please see this page from Physicians for a National Health Program (our parent organization) to better understand what is - and isn't - in the bill.
Call Senators to Oppose Graham-Cassidy Bill:
Republicans push their last ditch "health care" bill before the September 30th deadline to pass a bill with only 50 Senate votes through the budget reconciliation process.
The Graham Cassidy bill cuts funding to the Affordable Care Act; repeals tax credits, cost-sharing subsidies and scheduled Medicare expansion; and eliminates individual and employer mandates. Insurance companies can charge more for pre-existing conditions. Funding would be capped via block grants to states. Bad bill!
Call Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr to Oppose this bill at the capital switchboard (202) 224-3121.
Upcoming Events:
Tue., September 19 at 8:30 am
Improved Medicare for ALL featuring Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe at Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum at Belmont Regional Center, 700 Parkwood Ave., Charlotte 28205, just north of uptown.
Tue., September 19 at 7 pm
Everybody In and Nobody Out: Improved Medicare for All featuring Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe at Charlotte Women's March meeting: First United Methodist Church, 501 N. Tryon St. Park in garage on 9th St. between Tryon St. and Church St. Bring parking ticket inside to validate.
Thu., October 19 at 6:30 pm
Health Care Justice - NC meeting: Panel discussion on single payer health systems around the world at Midwood International & Cultural Center, 1817 Central Ave., Charlotte.
Donations Needed!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website click here or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Important (and short) article in USA Today about need to advocate for comprehensive health reform
September 3, 2017
Hi, Health Care Justice - NC members and friends,
I encourage you to read this excellent article by PNHP President Dr. Carol Paris in USA Today. She explains clearly why we need to resist incremental solutions and advocate for a true single-payer plan. Please note links about subjects you may have questions about.
A couple of points:
- Some recent authors have claimed that single-payer has never been clearly outlined.
- Note link toward the end of the article to the Physicians Proposal for Single-Payer Health Care Reform which describes what a single-payer plan would look like.
- There is also a link to the bill in the House, HR 676, in the paragraph prior.
Some people have also written articles recently advocating for incremental reform. Dr. Paris discusses why tweaks won't work.
I hope you're all enjoying your Labor Day weekend.
Jessica Schorr Saxe, M.D.
Health Care Justice - NC Update
August 24, 2017
Take Action for Universal Health Care:
Sat., Aug. 26 & Sun., Aug. 27, 2017
Pride Festival and Parade (Parade is Sun. noon to 2pm). Help staff Health Care Justice - NC info table and/or walk with us with our banner in the Parade on Sunday! Bring signs and sign up here.
Join us at Rep. Robert Pittenger Town Halls:
Mon., August 28, 6pm
Team Church (2301 Stevens Mill Rd., Matthews)
Thurs., August 31, 6pm
Providence High School (1800 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Charlotte)
An RSVP is helpful to Pittenger but not required via http://bit.ly/2uFC9w8. Email email@example.com if you can attend so we can plan questions!
Bernie Sanders is asking for feedback on his Single Payer Senate Bill. Click here and emphasize a human and rational health care system as outlined in HR 676:
- Everyone is covered. Benefits are comprehensive.
- NO Cost Sharing (which creates barriers to needed care). KEEP IT SIMPLE!
- Decisions about coverage are evidence-based using comparative effectiveness research.
- The system is governed by a publicly accountable board that includes professionals and representatives of the public.
- NO for-profit insurance companies.
- Insurance (by nonprofits) is permitted only for services not covered by the national system.
- Negotiate prices of drugs and devices to lower costs.
Recommended Reads:
Survey finds a majority of physicians are moving to support Single Payer Health Care. Read more here.
Read the conservative argument for single payer.
Donations Needed!
Health Care Justice - NC needs your financial support for meeting space, fliers, etc. Please donate via our website (click here) or mail a check to "Health Care Justice - NC," P.O. Box 32384, Charlotte, NC 28233. Donations are tax deductible!
Grow Our Movement for Improved Medicare for All:
Encourage family and friends to watch Fix It! Health Care at the Tipping Point. Click here to access the documentary.
Health Care Justice - NC can present a free educational program on Single Payer/Improved Medicare for ALL to your organization, church group, club.
Ask your employer, hair stylist, dentist, doctor to allow you to leave brochures on Improved Medicare for All. Help spread our message! Contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
Health Care Justice - NC Update
August 16, 2017
Thanks to ALL for your calls and actions to stop the bad health care legislation in Congress!
Unfortunately, the Republican "health care" bills are like zombies that never seem to entirely die. Read here for one scary scenario...
Take Action for Health Care:
Sat., Aug. 26 & Sun., Aug. 27, 2017:
Pride Festival and Parade (Parade is Sun. noon to 2 pm) Help staff Health Care Justice - NC info table and/or walk with us with our banner in the Parade! Bring signs and sign up here.
Congressional August Recess Actions - Rep. Robert Pittenger Town Halls:
Mon., August 28, 6pm
Team Church (2301 Stevens Mill Rd., Matthews)
Thurs., August 31, 6pm
Providence High School (1800 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Charlotte). An RSVP is helpful to Pittenger but not required.
Email firstname.lastname@example.com if you can attend so we can plan questions!
VIEW, LIKE & SHARE our "American Health Care for All" video. Thanks to Zach Thomas for writing this song and for Brian Kasher and all our volunteer musicians and singers for producing this video. Now, onward to health care for all!
Read a great article on the conservative argument for single payer.
Join Health Care Justice - NC at the Charlotte Pride Exhibit and parade August 26-27
August 15, 2017
You have been invited by Shami Hariharan to sign up for "Health Care Justice, Charlotte Pride Exhibit ." Please click here to view the online sign up sheet.
New video supporting health care for all
August 11, 2017
Thanks to member Zach Thomas for writing the song "Make American Healthcare for All" and to Brian Kasher for producing it.
Feel free to enjoy and share.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
HEALTH CARE JUSTICE - NC: Participate in the Pride Festival and Parade August 26-27, 2017. Promote and Support National Improved Medicare for All.
August 4, 2017
2017 Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade
August 26 - August 27, 2017
FESTIVAL: Saturday, Aug. 26, Noon - 10:00pm and Sunday, Aug. 27, Noon - 6:00pm
PARADE: Sunday, Aug. 27, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Health Care Justice - NC will have a table at the festival and will participate in the parade. Last year we grew by over 200 new members. Let's do that again!
Volunteers needed! Sign up for any of the listed hours. March in the parade!
RSVP to email@example.com.
Medicare for All column in today's Charlotte Observer
August 2, 2017
Congratulations to John Clark for having his op-ed published.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Senate defeats "skinny" repeal 51 to 49 / More about the Daines amendment / Medicare birthday celebration
July 28, 2017
Read here in the New York Times how the Senate defeated the "skinny" repeal of the Affordable Care Act last night. John McCain voted "no" as did Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, leaving the Republicans one vote short. It was apparently quite dramatic. Brendan Riley of the NC Justice Center, who stayed up to watch the vote on C-Span, reports that "McConnell gave a speech at the end suggesting that this might be the end of the Republicans' effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act."
The Daines amendment to replace the ACA with single-payer was apparently a political trick: see below.
Now we can celebrate this repudiation of a bill that would result in millions losing health insurance. And, in just 2 days, we can also celebrate the 52nd birthday of Medicare:
Medicare 52nd Birthday Bash!
(Celebrate with Cake, Conversation, and Citizen Calls)
Sunday, July 30, 4:00pm
First Ward Park, 301 E. 7th St. Charlotte, NC
(Bring cupcakes to share if you can.)
And then onward to achieving REAL universal health care by Improving Medicare and expanding it to all!
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Senate defeats single payer amendment
By Don McCanne, M.D.
United States Senate, July 27, 2017
In the Senate an amendment to the Republican repeal and replace legislation was introduced by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) that would establish a single payer system in the United States - an expanded and improved Medicare for all - using the exact same language as in HR 676 introduced in the House by Rep. John Conyers.
The vote:
0 - Yes
57 - No
43 - Present
All Republicans, including Sen. Daines, voted against it. Democratic Senators Donnelley, Manchin, Tester, Heitkamp, and Nelson, along with Independent Senator King voted against it. All other Democrats voted Present.
Sen. Bernie Sanders had said before the vote that failure of Sen. Daines and other Republicans to vote for their amendment would demonstrate that this was a sham to be used to campaign against moderate Senators in the next election. When no Republican voted for it, most Democrats plus Independent Sen. Sanders voted Present.
It is a sad commentary that the most important health policy legislation ever introduced in Congress - legislation that would have brought health care justice to all - was used by the Republicans as a tool for political chicanery.
Do they think this was some kind of a joke? They just rejected legislation that would have prevented hundreds of thousands of people over the years from facing physical suffering due to lack of medical care, financial hardship, and even death. Death!
We could forgive them for a bad joke, but this?
Mobilize the forces. This is war! Not the guns and bombs type of war but a war against man's inhumanity to man.
Man was made to mourn: A Dirge
Many and sharp the num'rous ills
Inwoven with our frame!
More pointed still we make ourselves
Regret, remorse, and shame!
And man, whose heav'n-erected face
The smiles of love adorn, -
Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn!
- Robert Burns, 1784
Health Over Profit ACTION ALERT - Single Payer vote TODAY, Call Now!
July 27, 2017
Click here to read an urgent message from Dr. Margaret Flowers and the HOPE campaign.
Celebrate Medicare's 52nd Birthday: Sunday, July 30 at 4:00pm
July 26, 2017
Medicare 52nd Birthday Bash!
(Celebrate with Cake, Conversation, and Citizen Calls)
Sunday, July 30: 4:00pm
First Ward Park, 301 E. 7th St., Charlotte, NC
Protect, Improve, and Expand Medicare!
* Protect it, because many in Congress would like to place our best-yet health care program on the chopping block and privatize it.
* Improve it, because despite its valuable contributions, Medicare falls short on dental and drugs and leaves some people still unable to afford care.
* Expand it - to the entire population - allowing us to end the waste of $400 billion annually that is currently spent on the needless bureaucracy and paperwork associated with the private health insurance industry.
By applying the savings to assuring universal care, Rep. Conyers' single-payer legislation would make health care a human right. H.R. 676 currently has 115 co-sponsors.
Feel free to bring cupcakes to share!!!!
Health Care Justice - NC Update: Do or Die Time!
July 26, 2017
URGENT: More Senate Votes Happening Today!
* Calls to Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087) needed NOW. Keep up the pressure!
Though a vote on the BCRA failed last night, other votes are coming. See below for a summary from Brendan Riley*
Keep your calls/tweets/FB posts to all your Senators decrying the process as well as the substance (the bills are fundamentally flawed and can't be fixed).
Take Action for Health Care:
Sat, July 29, 2017:
Health Care Rally in Washington D.C.
Sun, July 30, 2017:
Medicare's 52nd Birthday Bash!
4:00pm at First Ward Park in Charlotte. Share cake, conversation, and calls to Protect, Improve, and Expand Medicare for ALL!
Order a Medicare for ALL sign for your home and/or car by emailing email@example.com. There is no charge, but donations of $10 would be welcome to cover the costs of printing and shipping. Click here to donate.
Read a really good article in USA Today by someone who has lived in 3 other countries and says that universal health care is what real freedom looks like!
* As you may have seen, the BCRA failed tonight. Because it had provisions that are not germane to the budget (either because the Senate Parliamentarian ruled as such or because CBO hadn't yet scored the provisions), the BCRA 3.0 (which was just released tonight) was defeated 57-43 as nine Republican Senators (neither Tillis nor Burr included) joined Democrats to oppose it. This is great news, but this was as-expected. The Senate reconvenes tomorrow morning, scheduled for now to begin at 9:30am.
From our national partner at NHeLP, here is a more detailed update of what happened today and what we can expect tomorrow/moving forward. Pay particular attention to the paragraph about the so-called "skinny bill" (which I've bolded below):
Here's where we stand. The MTP passed with VP Pence as the tie-breaking vote. Sen. McCain came back to vote for the MTP but pretty much blasted the process and supported a bi-partisan process for legislation. Take a look at his speech. Sens. Collins and Murkowski opposed the MTP so please make sure you are thanking them! Just because the MTP passed doesn't mean the final bill will pass and we must do EVERYTHING we can to prevent the Senate from passing a bill!
The Senate just finished voting on a Point of Order (POO) brought by Sen. Murray opposing BCRA. The jist of it is that inclusion of the Portman $100 billion Medicaid wrap-around (to allegedly defray costs of Medicaid expansion enrollees who lose Medicaid and go to the marketplace) and the Cruz amendment (allowing issuers to provide non-ACA compliant plans as long as they offer 1 ACA-compliant plan on the marketplace) violate Byrd rules because there isn't a CBO score. Plus we had other Republicans opposing the earlier versions of BCRA for not going far enough. The Point of Order was sustained by a vote of 57-43 so debate on BCRA stops because it would need 60 votes to proceed.
The Senate then adjourned till 9:30am tomorrow. The debate will then continue on the straight repeal without replace (ORRA, the updated version of the 2015 reconciliation bill that passed the House and Senate and was vetoed by Obama). This was the deal Sen. Paul got – to support the MTP, he got a vote on the straight repeal. The vote on that is expected sometime around noon Wednesday and also is expected to fail.
Then on to whatever comes next. We expect a "motion to commit" from the Democrats - -basically to send the bill back to Committees of jurisdiction to develop a bill.
Then also the "skinny" bill which, as Sen. Tester called it, is more like a bait-and-switch. Because if it passes the Senate, it would allow the Senate to go to a conference committee with the House. At that point, Ryan and McConnell would craft a bill that would then have to be voted on by both Senate and House. We believe the "conference committee" bill would have to have a CBO fiscal score before it could be voted on in the Senate but not necessarily a score of the coverage losses. But you can imagine the bill won't get any better if it goes to conference.
And if this isn't weedy enough, here's an amendment tracker. Not all amendments will ultimately get voted on but we expect vote-a-rama to start sometime Thu and could go thru the night and into Friday (depending on everyone's staying power).
So keep your calls/tweets/FB posts to all your Senators decrying the process as well as the substance (the bills are fundamentally flawed and can't be fixed). If you're in the DC area, join us at a a rally at the Capitol at 5:00pm.
We must keep up the pressure so that we can defeat whatever bill the Senate tries to pass to let them get to the next step. More tomorrow!
Brendan Riley
Policy Analyst, Health Advocacy Project
Health Care Justice update / Call your senators today! / Note events and article
July 24, 2017
URGENT: Vote expected in Senate on Health Care on Tuesday!
* Keep up the calls to Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087).
* Shared attached graphic and message on social media.
Message: The Bill isn't Fixed!
The new Republican health care plan is more of the same hogwash:
* Tens of millions of Americans losing health insurance
* Enormous cuts to Medicaid
* Ridiculous tax cuts for the rich
Take Action for Health Care:
Spread the word on social media and join us!
Tue, July 25, 2017:
Rally Against Health Care Hogwash. Join us for a rally against the Republican "health" plan on Tuesday, July 25th at 11am at the corner of Trade & Tryon Sts. Tell Senators Tillis & Burr that the "new" Senate plan is nothing more than lipstick on a pig. Click here.
Sat, July 29, 2017:
Health Care Rally in Washington D.C.
Sun afternoon, July 30, 2017:
Medicare's 52nd birthday event in Charlotte.
Info to come this week!
Recommend Reading:
An article from the Harvard Business Review about whether the U.S. is ready for single-payer.
We need your help finding business groups or people to hear about single-payer health care!
July 19, 2017
Richard Master who produced the Documentary Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point will be coming to Charlotte in October. He also started the organization Business Leaders Transforming Health care. Their website is worth looking at.
We would like to find a business meeting or convention during October in Charlotte where he can present to a large business audience. We need to help the business community understand that it is in their best interest to support Single payer, National Improved Medicare for All.
Do any of you know of a business meeting or convention that will be in Charlotte during October and if so do you have any connections to help get Richard Master on the agenda of that meeting? If so, please contact me at email@example.com.
Denise Finck-Rothman, M.D.
Membership co-chair
Health Care Justice - NC
Health Care Justice - NC Update / Action ALERT!/Events/Reading
July 14, 2017
URGENT: Your calls, letters to editors, emails needed NOW!
CBO score on the revised Senate "healthcare" bill expected July 15-18.
Senate Motion to Proceed vote expected July 18-19.
Floor vote after 20 hrs. or less of debate expected July 19-20.
* Keep up the calls to Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087).
* Send letters to editor c/o firstname.lastname@example.com (130 words or less)
* Shared attached graphic and message on social media.
Message: The Bill isn't Fixed!
Vote NO on the flawed bill that ends Medicaid expansion, cuts and caps Medicaid, raises premiums and deductibles on essential health coverage, and guts consumer protections!
In the short term, stabilize the health insurance marketplace and address affordability for all. Long term solution to cut costs and cover everyone is Improved Medicare for All (HR 676).
The new version of Trumpcare includes changes that would make the health insurance market more perilous and more expensive for many consumers. It allows insurers to sell stripped-down plans and it uses tax incentives to encourage people to buy bare-bones policies -- even though they won't provide the coverage they need when it counts.
Take Action for Health Care:
Spread the word on social media. #protectourcare
Rallies for Health Care for ALL outside Sen. Tillis' Charlotte Office
Check dates at www.facebook.com/CharlotteIndivisible.
11:30am - 1:00pm at 9300 Harris Corners Parkway, Charlotte.
Thu, July 20, 2017:
Health Care Justice - NC Legislative Comittee Meeting
7:00pm at Terry Soffer's home, 5124 Teodrill Ln. in Carson's Pond neighborhood off Rea Road. Email email@example.com for gate code if not received by Sunday.
Mon, July 24, 2017:
Medicare for All March
Sat, July 29, 2017:
Rally for Health Care in Washington, D.C.
July 30, 2017:
Medicare's 52nd birthday
Event info to come - https://townhallproject.com
Call or text "resist" to 50409 and follow the prompts to have a letter with your comments faxed free of charge to your senators.
Recommend Reading:
See another George Lakoff (Prof. of Cognitive Science and Linguist) article on framing progressive issues.
Read here about the support Medicare for all is gaining among southern conservative Democrats.
And this New York Times article about why single-payer health care saves money.
Rep. Alma Adams town hall Monday at 6pm / Two articles refuting criticisms of single-payer health system
July 9, 2017
Dear Health Care Justice friends,
Please see the new location for Rep. Alma Adams' July 10 town hall here. Please let me know if you're planning to go: firstname.lastname@example.com.
And please note these two articles, which refute some of the articles against single-payer.
This one from the Washington Post accurately titled "The dumbest criticism of single payer health care" which addresses, among other things, the claim that it will cost $32 trillion.
And, from Bloomberg View, "The world doesn't mooch off U.S. health care research."
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Latest update for HCJ-NC membership
June 25, 2017
Take Action NOW! Senate BCRA vote expected THIS week!
A U.S. Senate vote on the Republican "Better Care Reconciliation Act" is expected without hearings as early as THIS week. Keep up the calls to Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087).
Tell Senators to slow down the process. Wait to vote until a CBO score is provided on the final bill including amendments. Hold hearings before a vote, and come back to their districts to explain and discuss the bill with constituents before voting.
If the bill comes to a vote this week, tell Senators to vote NO on the "Better Care" Reconciliation Act.
Show Up for Health Care Events!
Spread the word on social media. All hands needed on deck!
TUE, June 27 at noon:
Rally Against Trump Care outside Senator Thom Tillis Charlotte office, 9300 Harris Corners Pkwy, Charlotte, NC, coordinated by Indivisible Charlotte.
TUE, June 27 at 6 pm:
Citizens Hearing on the "Better Care Reconciliation Act" (since Republican Senators won't hold one!) at Little Rock AME Zion Church, 401 N McDowell St, Charlotte, NC.
Info: www.facebook.com...
If you know anyone in ASHEVILLE, forward this event to them:
TUE, June 27 at 7 pm:
Asheville: Healthcare for ALL - A Workable Solution by Indivisible Asheville WND with speakers from Physicians for a National Health Program at Ferguson Auditorium, A-B Tech campus, 340 Victoria Rd, Asheville, NC.
Info: https://indivisibleavl.org...
WED, June 28 at 7 pm:
Phonebanking and Letterwriting sponsored by NC AIDS Action Network and Legal Services of Southern Piedmont. Location at Children and Family's Services Center, 601 E 5th St #450, Charlotte, NC 28202. Dinner provided!
RSVP: www.facebook.com...
WED, July 4, meet at 9:30 am:
Fourth of July Parade in Hickory Grove area. March with Health Care Justice - NC members and banner for Medicare for ALL. Bring signs! Meet at HG Rec. Center, 6709 Pence Rd. RSVP: email@example.com
SUN, July 29, 2017:
Rally for Health Care in Washington D.C.
National info: www.facebook.com...
Interested in joining a bus or carpool to DC? Contact: email@example.com
July 30, 2017:
Medicare's 52nd birthday event. Info to come.
Recommended Reading:
The most comprehensive comparison of ACA, AHCA and BCRA health care bills I've seen.
Here is a good (short) article from FiveThirtyEight about what's in the Senate bill.
Here's a great article from The New York Times: "Get Cancer Now, Before Congress Cuts Your Insurance." If you ever had thought that the insurance industry was working in your interest, read this article. While Ordonez argues that we shouldn't repeal the Affordable Care Act, this is really an argument for providing improved Medicare for All - and providing health care in a rational way instead of the lottery he describes.
Statewide day of action Thursday 6/15: Please take 2 minutes to make calls
June 14, 2017
Take Action Now (NC Call-In Day: Thursday, June 15):
1) A vote in the US Senate on the Republican "American Health Care Act" is expected without hearings or opportunities for amendments before July 4. Call Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087). Tell them to oppose the AHCA and Medicaid cuts.
Here is a suggested script for your call:
Senate Republicans are drafting a secret bill to slash Medicaid and repeal the Affordable Care Act, and they will not share it with the public before they vote. As your constituent, I find this lack of transparency unacceptable. Share your secret bill with your constituents so we can evaluate it.
While we do not know details of your hidden bill, we ask you to do the following:
- Oppose any bill that caps or cuts Medicaid funding - over one million children and many seniors and people with disabilities in our state rely on it.
- Oppose any bill that would increase the number of uninsured in our state.
2) You could also call these "moderate" Republican Senators:
Sen Lamar Alexander, (202) 224-4944
Sen Shelley Moore Capito, (202) 224-6472
Sen Bill Cassidy, (202) 224-5824
Sen Susan Collins, (202) 224-2523
Sen Dean Heller, (202) 224-6244
Sen Lisa Murkowski, (202) 224-6665
Sen Rob Portman, (202) 224-3353
Health Care Events:
A Rally Against the Senate's ACHA is being considered with coalition groups.
Want to help? Email email@example.com.
Thursday, July 20th at 7pm
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting. Info to come.
Recommended Reading:
This unnerving article in the New York Times says that the opposition to the devastating AHCA is lukewarm. Time to activate the troops!
This article talks about the implications of Medicaid cuts for all of us.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
P.S. My current email address is: email@example.com. Do not use my earthlink address.
Health Care Justice - NC members, family and friends. March in the July 4th Hickory Grove Parade in support of expanded, improved Medicare for all!
June 10, 2017
We will be carrying our banner and marching in the July 4th Hickory Grove Parade. Dress in red, white, and blue. Wear silly hats. Carry a Medicare for All sign. All age children are welcome to march with us!
Tuesday, July 4th, 2017
9:30am - Parade Staging at the Hickory Grove Recreation Center
10:30am - Parade Begins with a march down E. WT Harris that ends at the Grove Church
11:30am - 2:30pm - Feel free to join the July 4th celebration with music, food, games and contests.
Important!!!!! RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Health Care Justice - NC Update: Actions/Events/Recommended Reading
June 4, 2017
Take Action Now (Please Call Again!):
* The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) score on the impacts of the Republican's AHCA (American Health Care Act) estimates 23 million will lose health insurance, premiums will rise and essential health benefits will not be guaranteed at affordable rates.
Call Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087). Tell them to oppose the AHCA and to maintain essential health benefit requirements. Support Medicare for All as the most cost effective health care.
You could also call these "moderate" Republican Senators:
Sen Lamar Alexander, (202) 224-4944
Sen Shelley Moore Capito, (202) 224-6472
Sen Bill Cassidy, (202) 224-5824
Sen Susan Collins, (202) 224-2523
Sen Dean Heller, (202) 224-6244
Sen Lisa Murkowski, (202) 224-6665
Sen Rob Portman, (202) 224-3353
* Send a letter to Senator Sanders. Bernie Sanders is putting a Medicare for All bill together, and we appreciate that. We also understand that it falls short of HR 676: The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act in important ways such as not being comprehensive, including co-pays, allowing people to buy out of the system and keeping investor-owned facilities.
HR 676 was carefully crafted to include policies that will create a comprehensive high quality universal healthcare system in the United States. We are already spending enough money in our country to pay for it. We shouldn't ask for anything less! CLICK HERE TO SEND IT.
Health Care Events:
* Monday, June 5 at 9 pm
Join the next HOPE (Health Over Profit for Everyone) National Call. Dr. Don McCanne will speak about the successful efforts in California to convince legislators to support single payer. The California health bill passed out of the Senate and is headed to the Assembly. We will also discuss what's happening in Congress and upcoming actions.
* Thursday, June 8 at 7 pm
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting at Julia Westendorf's home: 2229 Chatham Ave., off of Belvedere in the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood. RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com if you have not previously attended a Legislative Comm. meeting.
Recommended Reading:
This article about the CA single-payer bill becoming a litmus test for CA Democratic legislators is interesting.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Take action now re: AHCA / Events / Reading
May 25, 2017
Take Action Now:
The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) score on the impacts of the Republican's AHCA estimates 23 million will lose health insurance, premiums will rise and essential health benefits will not be guaranteed at affordable rates.
Call Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087). Tell them to oppose the AHCA and to protect Medicaid from per capita caps/block grants and to stand up for other consumer protections.
You could also call these "moderate" Republican Senators: Lamar Alexander, Shelley Moore Capito, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Dean Heller, Lisa Murkowski and Rob Portman. (google for phone numbers).
FYI, these organizations oppose the ACHA:
American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American Hospital Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, March of Dimes and AARP
Health Care Events:
* Sunday June 4 from 2-4 pm
Ben Salem Presbyterian Church, 6801 Monroe Rd., Charlotte (across from East Meck. HS).
KIDS' and Young Adults' Town Hall 1st grade through college age youth get to ask questions about topics our politicians can impact. Youth will lead this event.
Please RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com
* Thursday, June 8 at 7 pm
HCJ-NC Legislative Committee Meeting at Julia Westendorf's home: 2229 Chatham Ave., off of Belvedere in the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood. RSVP to email@example.com if you have not previously attended a Legislative Comm. meeting.
Recommended Reading (good background for your calls):
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Actions/Events/Recommended Reading
May 21, 2017
Take Action Now:
* The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) score on the impacts of the Republican's AHCA is expected to be released Wed., May 24th. Respond with calls to Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087). Tell them to oppose the AHCA and to protect Medicaid from per capita caps/block grants and to stand up for other consumer protections.
* Advocates can pressure Congress (especially the Senate) during the upcoming Memorial Day recess (May 29-June 2). Find the full toolkit here.
Priority activities over Memorial Day recess include:
* Drive calls, hand-written letters and emails to Senators
* Attend Town Hall meetings, Faith vigils, or tours of health centers and hospitals
* Share consumer stories through LTEs (letters to editors) and social media
Health Care Events:
* Monday, May 22 at 6:30pm at Midwood Int'l. & Cultural Center
HCJ-NC program "Our Path to a National Improved Medicare for All" featuring Dr. Margaret Flowers, founder of HOPE (Health Over Profit for Everyone)
RSVP: email@example.com
* Sunday June 4 from 2-4pm
Ben Salem Presbyterian Church, 6801 Monroe Rd., Charlotte
KIDS' and Young Adults' Town Hall 1st grade through college age youth get to ask questions about topics our politicians can impact. Our youth will lead this event.
Please RSVP: email@example.com
Recommended Reading:
Billionaires make the case for single payer health care to help business competitiveness:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Update from Health Care Justice - NC: Actions, events, and link
May 12, 2017
Take Action Now:
Contact Senator Burr (202-224-3154 or 800-685-8916) and Senator Tillis (202-224-6342 or 704-509-9087) to keep healthcare protections in the Affordable Care Act. Save costs by adopting an improved Medicare for All plan with lower administrative costs, less bureaucracy and more freedom of choice of medical providers.
Health Care Events:
Monday, May 15 at 12:30pm at Byrons South End
German Healthcare System (by a dual US / German citizen that lives in each country 6 months of year). Lunch Included. RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com
Tuesday, May 16 at noon - 1:00pm
Protest against Trumpcare at Rep. Pittenger's Monroe office at 100 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 1A, Monroe, NC (organized by Indivisible Dist. 9).
Saturday, May 20 at 10:00am
Democratic party Congressional District Conventions (12th Dist. in Charlotte; 9th Dist. in Hamlet). Delegates will vote on Single Payer Resolutions.
Monday, May 22 at 6:30 PM at Midwood Int'l. & Cultural Center
HCJ-NC meeting "Our Path to a National Improved Medicare for All" featuring Dr. Margaret Flowers, founder of HOPE (Health Over Profit for Everyone). RSVP: email@example.com
Recommended Reading:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Two important articles from New York Times about health care costs and business - and the benefits of single payer
May 10, 2017
Thanks to Stephen Phillips for sending this article about Warren Buffet who notes that the real problem for American businesses is the cost of health care. At the end of the short video he mentions single payer.
- About 1960, corporate taxes were about 4% of GDP. Now they are about 2%.
- By contrast, 50 years ago health care was 5% of GDP. Now it's about 17%.
- "Medical costs are the tapeworm of American economic competitiveness."
Buffett is a Democrat, but his partner Charlie Munger is a Republican and has spoken in favor of single-payer health care.
And this article in the Sunday Times explains how the AHCA is really about tax cuts, not health care.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Important educational meeting with Dr. Margaret Flowers
May 4, 2017
Dr. Margaret Flowers, director of H.O.P.E., Health Over Profit for Everyone, will present Our Path to National Improved Medicare for All:
Monday, May 22, 2017 at 6:30pm
Midwood International and Cultural Center auditorium
1817 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
All are welcome. Encourage neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends to attend! Especially invite those who fear "socialized medicine" or fear that single payer will lead to a government takeover!
RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Action Alert: U.S. representatives to VOTE TODAY on the latest health care amendment
May 4, 2017
I am forwarding this action alert from the League of Women Voters and urge you to call your representatives - and the others suggested here - today to oppose this bill.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Correction re: public hearings on Medicaid reform: Please do comment on Medicaid expansions
May 1, 2017
Dear members and friends,
I hope that you will take the time to comment (in person or by email) on Medicaid reform.
This IS an opportunity to promote the need for Medicaid expansion. In particular, you might want to address the question about access to care for substance abuse by talking about the need for expansion.
See my edited original email below:
Dear Health Care Justice - NC members and friends,
See email below from the NC Justice Center about an opportunity for public comment on Medicaid Reform. There are 4 in-person hearings--the nearest is in Greensboro this Monday evening. You may also submit comments in writing.
For those of you who may have experienced working with CCNC (Community Care of NC - the local branch is CCPGM, Community Care Partners of Greater Mecklenburg), you might want to advocate for their role in the transition. If you want more detail about this, let me know.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Here is what the DHHS press release says regarding written comments:
Written comments can be sent by email to firstname.lastname@example.com; by U.S. mail to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Benefits, 1950 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC 27699-1950; or delivered in person at the Department of Health and Human Services, Dorothea Dix Campus, Adams Building, 101 Blair Drive, Raleigh.
On Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 11:37 AM, Brendan Riley <email@example.com> wrote:
Good morning Health Action NC,
You all may have seen that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced a new process of collecting public input on Medicaid Reform. Specifically, they've noted that they want feedback on how NC Medicaid and Health Choice can:
- Care for the whole person to improve physical and mental health,
- Help doctors and other health care providers transition to managed care,
- Manage care to improve overall health, not only to treat injury or illness,
- Consider the impact of income, housing, lifestyle and other social circumstances on health and health care services,
- Improve quality of care,
- Pay for value, and
- Increase access to care and treat substance use disorder.
While we all are very interested and concerned about many facets of the transition to Medicaid Managed Care in our state, we're most concerned with the major change's lack of effort to close the coverage gap in Medicaid. As was true during the last round of public comments, this will be a critical opportunity for advocates and consumers to elevate the need for North Carolina to close the coverage gap, and it looks like NC DHHS is interested in hearing about this (see last bullet about "increas[ing] access to care and treat[ing] substance use disorder").
They'll be accepting public comments in writing and at four public hearings in May starting next week:
- May 1, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Greensboro - Guilford County DHHS Building, 1203 Maple St., Rooms 122 and 123
- May 10, 3-5 p.m., Greenville - Greenville Convention Center, 303 Greenville Blvd. SW, Emerald Ballroom
- May 12, 2-4: p.m., Asheville - Asheville-Buncombe Technical College, 340 Victoria Road, Ferguson Auditorium
- May 16, 6-8 p.m., Raleigh - McKimmon Conference & Training Center, 1101 Gorman St.
Just as many of you did during last year's Medicaid Reform public hearings throughout the state, we as the advocacy community ought to mobilize advocates, providers, consumers in the coverage gap, and others to attend these hearings and speak up for the need to close the coverage gap.
If you're located in/near Greensboro, Greenville, or Asheville, please let us and coalition know if you'd like to be the point-person (using a similar term and system that we employed during last year's hearings) to mobilize consumers and advocates to these hearings. We'll be glad to take the lead and work in partnership with our Triangle-based allies for the Raleigh hearing.
More to come on this in future communications, but we need to start planning soon, as the first hearing in Greensboro takes place this coming Monday, May 1st. For more information, check out this release from NC DHHS.
Brendan Riley
Policy Analyst, Health Advocacy Project
NC Justice Center
Health Care Justice NC has a team for the Charlotte AIDS Walk on May 6. Please join us!
April 28, 2017
Health Care Justice NC is recruiting walkers for our Charlotte AIDS Walk team. Last year, the event drew 1,200 walkers and we hope to have a large presence to carry our banner and give us community exposure.
The date is Saturday, May 6. Registration/check-in opens at 8:00 a.m. in the Gateway Village Promenade, 800 Trade Street in uptown Charlotte. We will have an information table in the registration area.
The walk takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. It is only two miles around the uptown area.
Register online at aidswalkcharlotte.org and tell them you are a member of the Health Care Justice NC team. Also, please RSVP to: email@example.com so that we will know how many walkers we have.
The event benefits RAIN, a local non-profit that provides services and support for people living with HIV as well as prevention education.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please make calls: It took me <10 minutes to make 4 calls
April 27, 2017
See message here from League of Women Voters.
I called Reps. Pittenger as well as Ted Budd and Walter Jones (as they suggested). I also called Rep. Adams, though I am sure she will vote against the bill. If you are a constituent, say so, but they will take your calls even if you aren't.
It took me less than 10 minutes to make all 4 calls. Someone answered the phone immediately.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
FIX IT! HEALTH CARE AT THE TIPPING POINT. Thur., April 27, 2017 at 6:30pm: RSVP if you haven't.
April 23, 2017
ALL ARE WELCOME for the showing of: FIX IT! HEALTH CARE AT THE TIPPING POINT, a documentary about single-payer health care from the business viewpoint.
"Our businesses are under relentless pressure from increasing health care costs. The devastating impact ripples through our economy..."
Richard Master
Owner, MCS Industries
Executive Producer
Bring family and friends. Invite those with a business connection!!! Everyone is welcome!
April 27, 2017 at 6:30pm
Midwood International and Cultural Center
1817 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
League of Women Voters office, Rm. 210
Important, please RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com
April recess talking points and April 19 Day of Action
April 18, 2017
Hi, friends who support access to health care,
See here for points to make to legislators during the April recess. April 19 is a Day of Action. See actions and simple points below.
1. April recess talking points from Community Catalyst.
2. Simple messaging from NHeLP for tomorrow's National Day of Action.
Let your legislators hear from you!
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Interesting article about increasing support for Medicare for all in Congress
April 16, 2017
Hi, single payer supporters,
This article notes that single-payer has higher support for ever in Congress - with more co-sponsors of H.R. 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All bill, than ever before. And it discusses the reasons.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Join Medicare for ALL Rally this Sat., April 8: 5:00pm
April 7, 2017
Please join us this Saturday at 5:00pm for the rally (info below). Check the Health Care Justice - NC Facebook page tomorrow for parking suggestions (or see below). After organization speakers, we will invite persons to share a short personal experience with lack of health care or problem with insurance companies.
WHAT: Health Care Solution: Medicare for ALL Rally
WHO: Charlotte-area providers, patients and community groups
WHEN: Saturday, April 8 at 5:00 pm
WHERE: Medical Center Drive, Charlotte, NC 28203 (on sidewalk across from Carolinas Medical Center).
CHARLOTTE -- Republicans in Congress, in an effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, have not been able to produce a plan that covers everyone and improves upon the status quo as promised by President Donald Trump.
On Saturday afternoon in Charlotte, area patients, health care providers and advocates will tell their stories and urge Congress to support H.R. 676 - proposed legislation for a universal privately delivered, publicly funded health care plan with over 80 co-sponsors.
"The Republicans' health care proposals eliminate essential health benefits (allowing lower-cost junk plans) and do not provide affordable coverage for all," says Jessica Schorr Saxe, MD, a member of Physicians for a National Health Program. "Polls show a majority of Americans, including physicians, support an improved Medicare for All health care system. It is time to join the modern world and treat health care as a priority and national security issue."
How would an Improved Medicare for ALL Plan benefit Americans? It is:
- Simple - Everyone living in the U.S. is covered regardless of age, economic status or pre-existing conditions. No need for separate Medicaid, CHIP program or health insurance policies.
- Cost Effective - Eliminates profit-seeking health insurance that increases costs through burdensome administrative bureaucracy, deductibles, co-pays, and rising insurance premiums. 95% of Americans (all but the most wealthy) would pay less through a single publicly funded system.
- Competitive - Consumers are free to choose doctors without limited insurance networks; government will be able to negotiate lower pharmaceutical prices and other medical costs.
Speakers include representatives of Health Care Justice - NC, Physicians for a National Health Program, League of Women Voters Charlotte Mecklenburg, NAACP Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Charlotte NOW, Action NC, Charlotte Women's March Health Committee and individuals fed up with rising health insurance costs.
Details for Saturday's Medicare for All Rally (April 8 at 5 PM): Meet at the big Carolinas Healthcare System Sign (with red Emergency Sign arrow) at corner of Medical Center Drive and Blythe Ave. on sidewalk just across from Carolinas Medical Center in Dilworth. Stay on sidewalk and do not block traffic. We may need to stand in a single line along the sidewalks.
Parking suggestions: 1426 E. Morehead Street (building not currently being used - former ABC store I believe). There is an entrance to the Sugar Creek Walkway behind the building. Walk to Carolinas Medical Center (turn left or east onto walkway). It is about a block to the rising sidewalk up to Carolinas Medical Center.
Also: 1010 Edgehill Road is about 2 blocks from our meet up point. It is the CHS Neurosciences Institutes Neurology Center parking lot - building will not be open for patients at that time. Walk down Edgehill to Brunswick and cross Kings Drive onto Medical Center Drive.
A conservative argument for single-payer health care
April 3, 2017
Hi - many people ask how to appeal to conservatives with a single-payer system. This is an article by F. H. Buckley, the law professor who helped organize "Scholars and Writers for Trump" during the election. It is worth noting that we are hearing more and more people talk about single-payer - from different political vantage points.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
New York Times article about the high cost of "those undecipherable medical bills"
April 2, 2017
Dear single-payer supporters,
This article about the high cost of our complicated medical bills is worth reading. It is at once shocking and not surprising. A few things to note: how our complicated bills contribute to our high cost of health care, how patients with serious illness suffer not only from their illness but from their bills; the industry that has emerged teaching providers how to upcode (i.e., maximize payments for their services) and the complicity of the AMA.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Republicans for Single-Payer Health Care - The New York Times
March 28, 2017
Good morning, single-payer friends:
This is a fascinating article about how the Republicans may be bringing us close to a single-payer system. Or, in the words of the friends who forwarded it to me, "Imagine ultimately having Trump to thank for single-payer health care."
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Excellent New York Times article about what true freedom in health care would look like
March 19, 2017
This article "The Face Freedom of American Health Care" is an excellent summary of why what is called freedom in health care really isn't--and what would look more like freedom.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Workshop for members on Sunday, April 2 with Dr. Carol Paris, president of PNHP
March 14, 2017
Hi, friends,
You are receiving this email because you are on my list of Health Care Justice - NC friends. I am writing to tell you of an upcoming workshop for members. If you are interested, I hope that you will join us by signing our resolution here. (If you got another email from me on this topic, let me know, because it means you have joined.)
On the afternoon of Sunday, April 2, we will have a leadership/speaker training for members of Health Care Justice - NC led by Dr. Carol Paris, current president of Physicians for a National Health Program. It will probably start at 1 and run till about 5.
This workshop is for anyone who wants to learn more about Improved Medicare for All, how it would work, what benefits it would have, how it would be funded, etc. It will help you know how to answer challenging questions about it.
Anyone would would like to be a speaker on this topic should come. And we can use more speakers!
I encourage you to join us and attend.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Karen Garloch's interview with Dr. Robert Zarr in today's Charlotte Observer
March 8, 2017
"As Republicans prepare to gut Obamacare, visiting doctor says he has a better idea"
Jessica Schorr Saxe
What's in the repeal and replace legislation
March 7, 2017
Hi - this is one of the most thorough descriptions I've seen of what's actually in the bill to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act.
If you don't read all of this, I suggest you look at:
- the description at the beginning about the difference in this process from the passage of the ACA.
- changes in Medicaid: Jost notes that the bill is more about changing Medicaid than repealing and replacing the ACA.
- the brief "Summing Up" at the end. It's not too much of a spoiler to tell you that it begins: "In summary, the legislation's tax cuts will be very attractive to wealthy Americans and health insurers and providers, who would get a trillion dollars in tax breaks. It could cause consternation for Medicaid recipients and state Medicaid programs, which would see federal funding for Medicaid steadily diminish, potentially thinning out coverage."
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Very nice interview in Charlotte Post with Robert Zarr, our March 9 speaker
March 6, 2017
"Doctor's prescription for health insurance: Remove the profit motive"
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please open, download and circulate this concise (1 1/2 page) important single-payer article
February 24, 2017
Dear Health Care Justice members and friends,
PNHP co-founders Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein wrote the article at the link below in a recent Annals of Internal Medicine. This concise article is important for several reasons:
1) It explains how single-payer would fulfill the President's promise to increase coverage and benefits while lowering costs.
2) It responds directly to some some of the current plans being discussed. (And please note that it emphasizes not only the economic benefits but the--actually more important--health benefits of single payer.)
3) It is thought to be the first full-length article calling for single-payer health care in the 90-year history of AIM (a major medical journal).
AIM has made this article open access (also a major decision). If you click on the PDF option, you will be able to see the table clearly.
Please do read - and circulate.
Thanks very much,
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Powerful article by a young woman about how her Christian beliefs lead her to support single-payer
February 16, 2017
Thanks to Lou Lesesne for forwarding this article by a teacher about how her Christian faith leads her to support single-payer. I heard the clip of her asking a question of her Congresswoman at a town hall meeting in Tennessee and was impressed with how articulate she is. This article is worth reading by everyone. And, for those of you who are active in churches, I would encourage you to pass on to others.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Comments by Margie Storch at "Have Heart - Don't Gut Health Care" rally
February 15, 2017
Thanks to Margie Storch for representing us on Valentine's Day. Read her remarks below.
My heart is breaking today... how about you? My name is Margie Storch and I work 2 part time jobs. My family relies on health care insurance purchased through healthcare.gov and the Affordable Care Act.
Several members in my family have pre-existing medical conditions. Repealing the ACA would allow insurance companies to deny my family health insurance. Thanks to protections mandated by the ACA, my 22 year old son is able to stay on my family policy.
Affordable health care is a matter of national security. Healthcare can mean the difference between life and death. Health affects not only individuals, but families, schools and the workplace. A healthy citizenry means a healthy, productive nation. Republicans must not put Americans at risk by repealing the Affordable Care Act without a plan that is better.
My brother-in-law worked as a cook for a nursing home in Cabarrus County. He made too much money to qualify for Medicaid health care and too little to afford health insurance. He was caught in the medicaid gap that our Republican state legislature has refused to close to help low-income workers. Meanwhile, North Carolinians' federal taxes are being accepted by other states to help their citizens. Does this make sense?
My brother-in-law, a hefty guy, began losing weight but was not concerned until he started having pain. He was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer at an Emergency Room visit. Regular preventive doctor visits could have caught his cancer early enough to be treated. Instead, Jeff is now under Hospice care. People are dying because Republicans have failed to act. This is NOT acceptable. We can do better if elected representatives put the welfare of Americans before the interests of profit-seeking health insurance companies. If politicians don't serve us, we must repeal and replace them!
Congress can improve the Affordable Health Care Act, extend health care to all Americans, reduce costs and greatly simplify our health care system through an improved Medicare for All system. It is a popular healthcare system that works for our seniors and can work for everybody else.
A privately delivered, publicly financed system will reduce health care costs for 95% of Americans - the very rich can afford to pay a bit more in taxes.
Consumers will be able to choose any doctor and not be limited by insurance company networks of doctors or limited prescription formularies.
A universal single-payer health plan will return competition back to healthcare providers. Our massive health insurance bureaucracy adds no value to healthcare, it only adds complexity and unnecessary administrative costs.
Of the 33 highest income countries, the U.S. is the only country that does not have a universal single-payer health system. The U.S. has the highest healthcare costs per person and the lowest heath indicators. It is time we look at the evidence and join the modern world.
I am a member of Health Care Justice - North Carolina. Find us on Facebook. Join our effort to improve ACA protections through improved Medicare for all!
Important educational meeting, March 9 with Dr. Robert Zarr, immediate past president, PNHP
February 15, 2017
Thursday, March 9, 2017, 6:30pm
Midwood International and Cultural Center
1817 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
Dr. Robert Zarr, immediate past president of Physicians for a National Health Program, will speak on: Truth, Clarity, and Demand: A physician's proposal to bring equity and sanity to our healthcare nightmare.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Brief summary of single-payer vs. other plans
February 12, 2017
Hi - this is worth reading, and looking at the spreadsheet with the comparison of single-payer to ACA and Republican plans.
And the video with clips from the debate between Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz is also worth watching.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Important article on proposed changes to Medicare and Medicaid
February 10, 2017
Most of the current debate we hear about health policy is about whether and how and when the Affordable Care Act will be repealed and replaced.
But Drew Altman, CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, points out that the Republican plans for Medicare and Medicaid are just as important to pay attention to--and that they would change the fundamental structures and commitments of those important programs.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Improvements under the ACA - and why we need single-payer
February 2, 2017
This is an interesting survey report and commentary.
Much of the information of changes under the ACA is presented to show how far we've come. But, if you review the actual numbers as Don McCanne does in his commentary, it should be obvious that we are not doing as well as we should and could - resulting in many who suffer from lack of needed care and many who have serious difficulty with medical expenses.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
I recommend signing this
January 31, 2017
See below. I signed.
Note that you don't have to be a health professional to sign: when you sign, you can just note that you're a community member.
Statement from CIR - Committee of Interns and Residents: We won't let Trump immigration actions stop us from caring for all patients
CIR has prepared an Open Letter to the President informing him of "severe adverse effects and interruptions of care for many of our most vulnerable patients, particularly the underserved in health professional shortage areas." The letter requests him to rescind this order. Health care students, professionals and others concerned are invited to sign the Open Letter at the following link:
Advocacy alert and message from legislative committee
January 31, 2017
Hi - Our legislative committee recommends that you make the calls suggested here today or tomorrow. (Call 866-426-2631 and tell your member of Congress not to repeal the ACA, and not to restructure or cut Medicaid.)
Margie Storch, the new legislative chair, will be convening the committee soon. She would welcome new members. This is certainly where the action will be in this new era of assaults on health care. If you are interested or have questions, contact her at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Health Care Justice - N.C.: Save the date. Dr. Robert Zarr will be our speaker on Thursday, March 9. All are welcome!
January 30, 2017
Health Care Justice - NC,
Bring family and friends to our next meeting:
Thursday, March 9, 2017, 6:30 PM
Midwood International and Cultural Center
1817 Central Ave. Charlotte, NC 28205
Dr. Robert Zarr, past president of Physicians for a National Health Program, will speak on:
Truth, Clarity, and Demand: A physician's proposal to bring equity and sanity to our healthcare nightmare.
Moral March on Raleigh 2/11/17: It is time to march again in support of Health Care for All!
January 28, 2017
Note that you can start with any of the events. If you want to go to the breakfast, be sure to let Denise know, as they are getting a count for food.
We have been invited to participate in the Moral March on Raleigh, February 11, 2017. We will be joining members of Health Care for All - NC and other health care advocates.
Those of you in medical fields wear your white lab coats!!!!
Breakfast: Upstairs at Mecca Restaurant, 13 East Martin St. 8-9 AM. Free for trainees. Professionals may contribute as able.
Meet at pre-march rally at 9 AM at the corner of Wilmington and South Streets on the steps of Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh.
March at 10 AM to the capitol.
The people's assembly will be held near the State Capitol, 1 E. Edenton Street, and last until 12:30 PM.
PLEASE RSVP; email@example.com to let me know who will be marching. Let me know if you would like to ride share!
Women's March in Charlotte (for all genders): RSVP; details here
January 19, 2017
Health Care Justice will be marching as a group in the Women's March on Charlotte.
Please join us (all genders welcome)!
We are going to meet between 9 AM to 9:30 AM on Saturday 1/21 at the First Ward Park corner of N. Brevard and 8th street. Then we will move to position ourselves for the 10 AM parade which moves down College St., up Tryon St., and then down Church St. to end at Romare Bearden Park. The march is going to be on sidewalks, there are no street closings (that I am aware of at this time). Weather is cloudy and high of 66.
I will bring Health Care Justice Signs. Please feel free to make your own sign.
RSVP: firstname.lastname@example.com to let me know that you are marching
Denise Finck-Rothman
Membership co-chair, Health Care Justice - NC
See website for more information: womensmarchoncharlotte.com
Update: The Women's March was a great success. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
Another chance to march: Join us for women's march on Sat. 1/21 (all genders welcome); also, link to news story about healthcare rally yesterday
January 16, 2017
Health Care Justice will be marching as a group in the Women's March on Charlotte.
Please let all of us (all genders welcome) come together behind our Health Care Justice banner and stand in solidarity with this noble cause; to move past our fear and take action. See below.
Please RSVP firstname.lastname@example.com to let me know you will be marching, and for instructions on meeting site and route of march.
We stand together in solidarity for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families - recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.
The Women's March on Charlotte is being held in alignment with the Women's March on Washington, on January 21, 2017. Charlotte is only one of multiple cities across the nation holding local Women's Marches, sending a clear message to our government that women's rights are human rights.
The Women's March on Charlotte welcomes people of all faiths, genders, ethnicities and sexual orientation; we want our voices and our message to be heard in Washington and around the world.
Mission and Vision: The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us - immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault - and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.
See website for more information: womensmarchoncharlotte.com
Also, Health Care Justice - NC participated in the MLK March on Saturday, as well as the "Save Our Health Care" rally (organized by Margie Storch) on Sunday. Click here for news of the rally.
Health Care Justice - NC: See Below For Important Information for Marching in the MLK parade
January 12, 2017
Health Care Justice Members who have already signed up to march and those that are newly interested, PLEASE EMAIL to me your name and cell phone number.
IMPORTANT! Please click here for information about accessing the parade meeting location at 8:45 AM (roads will be closed at 9 AM) and for parking. I will contact you by cell phone with our location number between 8:45 and 9 AM so that you can find us. Also, parade volunteers at the gathering site will have our location number and can direct you.
Denise Finck-Rothman
Update: The MLK Parade was a great success. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
Medicaid Expansion: You can contribute to moving this forward; deadline Jan. 15
January 11, 2017
Dear Health Care Justice members and friends,
You are probably aware that Gov. Roy Cooper has announced his intention to move forward with Medicaid expansion. This request is on a fast track at the Department of HHS Division of Medical Assistance.
Please see the NC Justice Center Action Alert below and TAKE SOME ACTION to show your support for Medicaid expansion in our state - which would save lives and decrease suffering (and provide an economic benefit to our state).
I strongly recommend that you submit comments at email@example.com. If you do not want to write a long letter, even a short one would be helpful to show how important this issue is.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
It is not too late. Sign up to march in the MLK parade January 14th!
January 11, 2017
Health Care Justice members and friends:
March in the Martin Luther King Parade in Uptown Charlotte on January 14th from 10 AM to noon on N. and S. Tryon starting at 9th and ending at Stonewall St.
Please RSVP your interest in participating in the march to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Note that this march is different from the rally on Sunday. You are welcome to participate in both!
Denise Finck-Rothman
Membership co-chair
Join us for Health Care Rally on Sun., Jan. 15th; Note this is different from MLK parade on Sat.
January 10, 2017
We still plan to march in the parade on Saturday. I will send details of that when we know them. You are also invited to join us at the rally Sunday.
Charlotte Speaks: Save Health Care Rally!
Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4:00pm
Marshall Park, Charlotte, NC
at S. McDowell and E. Third Street
Congressional leaders want to rush through a budget bill that will severely undermine the health care of the American people.
Speak out! Bring yourself, friends, drums, signs, and health care stories.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Update: Margie Storch gave a stirring speech at the "Save Our Health Care" rally. Thank you to everyone who attended, and let's keep speaking out in 2017.
Please call today: TAKE ACTION! Tell Senators Burr & Tillis to #ProtectOurCare/doesn't take long
January 10, 2017
Dear HCJ - NC members and friends,
In the interests of preserving what access North Carolinians and Americans currently have to health care, we believe that the Affordable Care Act should not be repealed without a clear replacement that at least maintains current coverage levels.
Please call your Senators at (866) 426-2631.
I just did this: When I called the number above, I got a helpful introduction and then was transferred to Sen. Tillis' office where I actually spoke to a person. She told me they had been getting a lot of calls. (I take this to be a good sign.)
I didn't want to listen to the introduction again so I asked her to transfer me to Sen. Burr's office. She did and gave me that # (202-224-3154). I got a recording that said they had had a lot of calls. I was able to leave a message.
Calling both took under 5 minutes. Please do call!
Update: The (866) number listed above has been seeing high traffic. If you get an error message, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asked to be patched through OR call the senators at their Washington offices:
- Senator Thom Tillis: (202) 224-6342
- Senator Richard Burr: (202) 224-3154
Leave a message to let them know that North Carolinians oppose repeal of the Affordable Care Act!
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please join me at MeckMin Food for Thought
January 8, 2017
Hi, Health Care Justice - NC members and friends,
I will be speaking on health care as a human right - with practical applications - on Thursday Jan. 19 at lunchtime. It would be great to have some of you join me (click here to register).
There will be a little overlap with the material I will cover at our membership meeting on Jan. 26 but this talk will contain more discussion about the idea of healthcare as a human right and issues other than single-payer.
Please click here to register.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Excellent summary of why Obamacare should be replaced by single-payer
January 7, 2017
Happy snowy morning, single-payer supporters,
The following article from USA Today is written by Dr. Marcia Angell, a former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.
She outlines the shortcomings of the ACA, the lack of a feasible Republican plan to replace it, and why single-payer should be our replacement plan:
Stay safe and warm!
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Health Care Justice members and friends: March in the MLK parade January 14th, 10am to noon; show support for health care for all!
January 4, 2017
Health Care Justice members and friends are all invited to march in the Martin Luther King Parade in Uptown Charlotte on January 14th.
We will proudly march behind our banner showing our support for Health Care for All! The larger the number of marchers; the greater our impact!
The parade starts at 9th Street and North Tryon and continues down Tryon to Stonewall.
More details of meeting time and place to follow.
Please RSVP your interest in participating in the march to email@example.com.
Denise Finck-Rothman
Membership Co-chair
Short article from NY Times worth reading
December 18, 2016
Hi - this article from this morning's Sunday Business section is titled "Get Rid of Obamacare? Be Careful What you Wish For," but it's more than the usual discussion of why it will be impossible to just repeal Obamacare without precipitating a disastrous loss of coverage and a crisis in the insurance industry.
Read to the end for the author's sensible (though, as he acknowledges, politically unlikely) solution:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please read this letter. Please consider why Physicians for a National Health Program and Health Care Justice - NC can use your support
December 6, 2016
We are writing to ask you to support Physicians for a National Health Program and our local chapter Health Care Justice - NC.
PNHP is the longtime leader in doing research regarding single-payer, both here and abroad, and educating the public as well as professionals.
We strongly encourage you to join PNHP or donate.
Membership is $120/year for practicing physicians, but only $40 for residents and non physicians. The most useful kind of donation is a recurring monthly donation—but any amount will be welcome.
The easiest way to donate is at: www.pnhp.org/donate.
And we encourage you to look at the website: www.pnhp.org.
As you know, membership in Health Care Justice - NC is free. We have ongoing programming expenses and would appreciate any contribution which can be made at our website: http://pnhphcjnc.org. Or mail a check to:
Health Care Justice
PO Box 32384
Charlotte, NC 28231
If you would like to make these contributions in honor of family or friends to celebrate the holiday or other occasion, please send that information along with your donation check, and we will send out an appropriate acknowledgement.
In these tumultuous times, you may wonder what the role of single-payer supporters should be. It is more important than ever to promote the message that Improved and Expanded Medicare for All would provide access, quality, cost controls and choice. Even as we try to prevent harm to Americans from changes in Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, we need to be looking toward the future and a system that will serve us better than our current complex, profit-driven health care system.
Many thanks for your support and for all you have done for the single payer issue this past year: educating yourselves, attending our events, reading updates and discussing this issue with your friends, families and acquaintances. Thanks in advance for your support in the year ahead; do let us know if you would like to volunteer your time and talents.
Wishing good health and good health access to you - and all of our neighbors,
Health Care Justice - NC Board
Pearls from the Physicians for a National Health Program meeting
November 20, 2016
Hi, Health Care Justice - NC members and friends:
Board member Dr. Andrea DeSantis and I attended the annual PNHP meeting (which, I'm happy to say, was also attended by several other members and North Carolinians). Needless to say there was considerable discussion of the implications of the recent election.
Co-founders Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein spoke on "health policy and politics after the 2016 election." I will review some of their information at our membership meeting in January. But, before then, I encourage you to read their article in the Huffington Post. Do note their suggestions about work to be done in the months ahead.
Also notable were :
- A presentation by Dr. Marcia Angell on "reining in the drug companies," a very clear description of some of the most egregious problems--and what could be done about them. I hope this article will become available on the PNHP website.
- Dr. Mary Bassett, New York City health commissioner, gave a presentation on racial injustice and how ubiquitous and serious a problem it is in health care.
- Andrea co-led a workshop on "Organizing medical societies for single-payer" which was well-attended and enthusiastically received.
- I co-led a workshop at the Leadership Training Institute (the day prior to the meeting) on media training for beginners.
With regard to moving forward under the new administration, there was a consensus that we must continue to defend Medicare and Medicaid from assaults and to minimize damage - and that we must continue to educate (colleagues, citizens, legislators, etc) on single-payer health care. We can make clear that it doesn't have some of the shortcomings of the ACA and that it would be far better with regard to universality of coverage, quality of care, costs, and choice that the current proposals for replacement of the ACA.
It was also suggested that we participate in coalitions of like-minded groups that may be addressing other progressive issues, but are receptive to our health care message.
I attended a workshop on building support for single-payer in Congress in which we were encouraged to talk to our members of Congress and the Senate (or their health policy aides) - whether or not they agree with our positions. Andrea and I met with Rep. Alma Adams' legislative director on Friday. Rep. Adams is a co-sponsor of HR 676, the single-payer bill, and we reinforced the need to support that and encouraged her to talk to colleagues about joining in on the bill. We are also discussing meeting with the staff of our Senators. If you'd like to participate or set up a meeting, let me know.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
"Let's Treat Our Patients, Not Trick Them with Private Insurance" - an inspiring article by a medical student
October 29, 2016
Thanks to Pat Moore for forwarding this article by a med student with her reflections about our current health care system, and what medical student activists are doing about it:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Support for Medicaid expansion
October 17, 2016
Hi - This would be an opportune time to write a letter to the editor about the importance of expanding Medicaid and getting rid of the coverage gap in health insurance.
Here are some talking points:
Also, it would be great if someone would address the position of legislators that Medicaid has had continued cost overruns (as was mentioned in yesterday's Observer article which I sent you earlier today).
That is quite misleading as is explained in the following brief:
Much thanks,
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Be sure you read Observer article about uninsured
October 17, 2016
Hi, single-payer, Medicaid expansion supporters:
I want to make sure you see this article about the uninsured, which includes information about health rankings in NC and the consequences of our refusal of Medicaid expansion:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Vote to get a single-payer question in the presidential debate on Sunday
October 5, 2016
I am forwarding this from Health Care for All - SC. Thanks to Dave Keely for thinking of this.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Make single payer part of the Oct. 9 debate!
The moderators for the next presidential debate have agreed to consider the most popular questions on the Open Debate website. Physicians for a National Health Program [PNHP] has submitted the following question:
"Do you support a single payer health program, aka improved Medicare for all?"
Our question is within striking distance of being considered. If you'd like for single payer to be part of our national debate, please vote today and share the link with your friends!
How would a Medicare buy-in and a public option be designed?
September 30, 2016
For those of you interested in the possibility of a Medicare buy-in and a public option, see below to see all of the issues that would be raised in the design.
The paragraph from the summary is interesting: see if you think it considers all the options. And, as usual, Don McCanne's summary below is insightful.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
"Designing a Medicare Buy-In and a Public Plan Marketplace Option"
By Linda J. Blumberg and John Holahan
Urban Institute, September 2016
Medicare is an attractive basis for developing an insurance alternative (either a direct buy-in or a public option based in some way on Medicare rates) because the program generally has lower provider payment rates and lower administrative costs than private insurers. However, Medicare's structure and cost-sharing requirements are different from private insurers' as well. A Medicare-related proposal could provide more plan choice for those eligible, which would have a significant effect where few or even only one insurer offers coverage in the nongroup insurance market. Depending upon how the proposal is structured, it could reduce costs for younger adults in the private insurance market as older adults leave the risk pool. However, designing such programs raises myriad issues, each with specific implications for costs and benefits to different age groups.
Medicare Buy-In for 55- to 64-Year-Olds
We assume that a Medicare buy-in option would offer enrollees the same covered benefits and cost-sharing structures offered to current Medicare beneficiaries. Even so, a buy-in directly into the existing Medicare options would lead to questions necessitating policy decisions:
* Would potential enrollees have the choice of traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, or both?
* Would eligibles be able to choose between a Medicare option and Marketplace-qualified health plans for which they are currently eligible, or would Medicare be their only option outside of employer-sponsored insurance?
* Would enrollees be allowed to make separate purchase decisions for Medicare Parts A, B, and D, or would they have to purchase all if they purchase any? How will consumers respond to offers of coverage that, unlike private insurance options, have no out-of-pocket maximum? Would Medigap or some other supplemental plans be available to the 55- to 64-year-olds?
* How would the unsubsidized cost of coverage be determined? For example, what premium would be charged to individuals with high incomes? Would 55- to 64-year-olds be charged the same premiums as those age 65 and older, even though the premiums would not reflect the cost of coverage for those enrolled? Or would actuaries set premiums based on the benefits provided and cost-sharing requirements for each component? Would the high income surcharges in the current Medicare program apply to the buy-in population?
* Assuming that 55- to 64-year-old enrollees would not pay the same premiums as current-law Medicare enrollees, would premiums reflect the health care costs of only the 55- to 64-year- olds enrolling? Or would premiums be set to reflect enrollees' health care costs being shared by others? For example, their costs could be shared with other nongroup market enrollees or perhaps with current-law Medicare enrollees, but that would require the development of a mechanism for achieving it.
* Would the 55- to 64-year-olds buying in to Medicare be eligible for financial assistance similar to that for Medicare beneficiaries today (e.g., 75 percent of Medicare Part B costs for all but the high-income beneficiaries? Would they be eligible for ACA-like financial assistance, advanced premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions? Or would no financial assistance be offered at all? If subsidies are provided, how would they be structured? Would actuarial differences between Medicare and Marketplace silver coverage be taken into account, affecting both advanced premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions?
* Would 55 to 64 year olds with access to an affordable employer insurance plan be permitted to enroll in a Medicare buy-in option?
A Public Option for All Age Groups
A public option is a qualified health plan that would be sold through the ACA's government-created Marketplaces (either federal or state). The public option would bear health insurance risk like other insurers, complying with the ACA's insurance reforms (e.g., modified community rating, guaranteed issue, and essential health benefits) and offering coverage in the same actuarial value tiers.
A public option avoids complexities associated with a Medicare buy-in for 55- to 64-year-olds. Because the option would be structured and operated in much the same way as any other Marketplace-qualified health plan, it would not have different actuarial values, cost-sharing structures, or premium structures than other Marketplace options. The appropriateness of applying a Marketplace subsidy structure to a Medicare product would not be an issue, and risk-sharing questions across different age groups would not arise. Yet several design decisions would remain:
* How would provider payment rates be set? Would they be set consistent with Medicare rates, set consistent with Medicare rates plus some percentage, or based on some other fee schedule? Many states have self-insured plans for their employees; this is another potential platform for creating a public option offered in a state Marketplace.
* If rates are set at the Medicare level (or at some other level that falls below those paid by private insurers), what leverage would the plan have to ensure sufficient provider participation? How does a state's leverage compare with that of the federal government in this respect?
* Should public options be set up in all geographic areas or only those with high premiums, high premium growth, or otherwise weak insurer or provider competition? If the latter, who will judge appropriate locales, and by what metric will an area's appropriateness be assessed?
From the Summary
Regardless of the approach taken, providers are likely to resist new insurance options that may move more patients into plans paying lower rates. While this is to be expected, it highlights the perpetual quandary of health care cost containment. Health care spending and its growth cannot be reduced without either paying less, on average, per unit of service rendered or reducing the quantity of services provided. No matter the strategy for containing costs, achieving that goal will take money out of the pockets of providers. To protect providers financially means abdicating cost-containment efforts of any type.
By Don McCanne, M.D.
There is considerable enthusiasm for expanding on the advances of the Affordable Care Act by adding a Medicare buy-in for those 55 to 64, and by adding a public option - an insurance program run by the government competing with private health plans. What is lacking in this discussion is a precise description of either proposal considering that there are a multitude of policy options that must be decided on in order to construct these programs.
In this Urban Institute paper, Linda Blumberg and John Holahan discuss some of the design options, and there are many more. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it is inevitable that the eventual design would forge a compromise between benefits and deficiencies. Building these two programs on top of our highly fragmented financing infrastructure inevitably perpetuates inefficiencies.
Each program would require an act of Congress. We need only to look at the insurance industry influence in the legislative process that developed the designs for the private insurance exchanges under ACA, for the Part D Medicare drug program, for the private Medicare Advantage plans, for the privatization of the Medicaid programs, for the previous public option proposals that never got off the ground, and for the co-op model that is failing in the marketplaces, and it will be obvious that the Medicare buy-in and public option will be designed to maximize the leverage of the private insurance industry at a cost to potential enrollees and taxpayers. The insurers will introduce features that are designed to make public programs noncompetitive or even cause them to fail.
When you hear people advocate for a Medicare buy-in or for the public option - and those people are everywhere - demand that they show you their model that was distilled from the multitude of policy options. (Be sure to read the Blumberg and Holahan paper so that you understand at least some of the issues.) Without such a model, the design will default to the private insurers.
Once advocates present their definitive model then analyze it to see how well it meets our reform goals. Will it ensure that everyone is covered? (No) Will it slow the increase in health care costs? (No) Will it ensure that everyone has free choice of health care professionals and institutions? (No) Will it remove financial barriers to care? (No) Will it fill in all of the gaps in coverage of our traditional Medicare program? (No)
Efforts to enact a single payer national health program are rejected because the program supposedly is not politically feasible. Does anyone really believe that a Medicare buy-in and a public option would be politically feasible in a Congress dominated by conservatives and neoliberals? It's not the goal of a single payer model that needs to be changed; it's the politics. That takes work. A lot of it.
Health Care Justice Meeting: October 6, 2016 at 6:00pm.
Open to the public. Bring a friend!
September 22, 2016
Health Care Justice members and friends - come to our next meeting and bring a friend!
October 6th, 6:00pm, meeting in the auditorium at the Midwood International and Cultural Center, 1817 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205.
Hear compelling stories of how the American Health Care System is failing many individuals.
Share your stories!
Karen Bean, League of Women Voters NC and Chair of the Close the Gap NC Campaign, and Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe, Chair of Health Care Justice-NC, to lead discussion of short-term and long-term solutions: Medicaid Expansion and Improved Medicare for All!
Any questions? Contact email@example.com.
Please RSVP to email@example.com.
Think NC First event in Charlotte tomorrow (9/20) evening
September 19, 2016
I understand the topic of this event is health issues including health disparities. It might be an opportunity for some discussion about the need for Medicaid expansion (and maybe even the benefit that single-payer would offer).
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please answer this email with a quick question from Health Care Justice
September 13, 2016
Dear Friend of Health Care Justice,
You are receiving this email because you have indicated an interest single-payer health care and in getting our emails. I am writing to find out whether you want to stay on this list or change your status.
1) If you are a single-payer supporter and have not signed our resolution, I encourage you to do so at: http://pnhphcjnc.org/sign-resolution.php If you do, you will become a member of our organization.
2) If you get duplicate emails from our organization (e.g., if you just got 2 "Save the date" emails from me), you probably signed the resolution at some point. Let me know and I will remove you from the friends list.
3) Some of you do not live in NC. If you wish to stay on the friends' list, please let me know.
4) Of course, if you want to be removed from the list for any reason, please let me know that.
Have I missed any possibilities? Please tell me.
Thanks for your support over the years,
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Save the date October 6 for program
September 13, 2016
Hello, Health Care Justice members and friends,
Our next program will be Thursday, October 6 at 6:00pm at 1817 Central (Midwood International Center).
We will have some speakers who will tell their own stories about their difficulties getting needed health care - and we will talk about solutions and what you can do to help move us toward those solutions.
Save the date - and you will receive an invitation soon.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Excellent letter to editor from Board member Dr. Andrea DeSantis Barkley
September 4, 2016
Please see this letter calling for end to profiteering in health care.
I have it from an excellent source that the original letter contained a plug for single-payer. Too bad it was edited down - but the points made are still excellent.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Important article by Robert Reich - and brief report of Pride parade participation
August 25, 2016
Hi, Single-payer supporters,
Take a look at this important (brief) article by Robert Reich connecting the recent insurance company withdrawals from ACA policies to single payer - and why a single-payer system is inevitable.
Also, Health Care Justice - NC marched in the Pride parade and had an exhibit booth at the festival last weekend. The celebration of our common humanity proved a receptive environment for our message that all people should have health care. We signed up 250 new members. Please look at the picture on our Facebook page (and join it if you haven't).
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Celebrating a successful weekend at the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade
August 22, 2016
Thrilled to share in the spirit of inclusiveness, Health Care Justice - NC participated in the Charlotte Pride parade on August 21 and had an exhibit booth on August 20 and 21, 2016.
The Pride message that we all share a common humanity resonated with our message that health care should be a basic right. The response was gratifying. Hundreds of people stopped by our booth, and 250 signed our resolution supporting Medicare for All.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Pride festival: RSVP for booth Aug. 20 or 21, march Aug. 21, or help make posters Aug. 17
August 11, 2016
Hi, Health Care Justice - NC members and friends,
We will participate in the Pride festival Aug. 20-21. Our membership committee has come up with some fun ways for us to participate.
Click here to see what they are and to volunteer for a shift.
A group will make posters on Wed. Aug. 17 at 6:00pm at the League of Women Voters.
To RSVP for that and for more information, contact Denise Finck-Rothman at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Two articles worth reading
July 27, 2016
Hi, Health Care Justice - NC members and friends,
I thought you'd interested in the following:
Why Medicare for All won't go away...
...and an interesting editorial in the "News and Observer" about the NC request for a Medicaid waiver:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Two more days to comment on Medicaid expansion if you haven't/see below for suggestions
July 18, 2016
Dear All,
A few of us from Health Care Justice-NC and Health Care for All NC talked to some of the people at CMS who are reviewing the NC Medicaid waiver application.
In addition to their interest in Medicaid expansion, we found that they are interested in concerns about the proposal interfering with the good work that has been done by Community Care of NC and concerns by doctors that introducing managed care organizations would fragment care and lead to more bureaucracy (as some doctors have predicted). These changes might interfere with doctor-patient relationships and might lead to physician attrition from the program.
I encourage you to consider making these points if you agree, as well as those relating to Medicaid expansion that I am including below.
I definitely got the idea that they are paying attention to comments from the public, so please do comment!
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Dear Medicaid expansion advocates,
The NC Department of Health and Human Services submitted the Medicaid Reform 1115 Waiver application to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 1. CMS will accept public comments on their website until July 20, 2016: https://public.medicaid.gov/connect.ti/public.comments/view?objectId=1886531
The proposed waiver does not currently include the expansion of Medicaid. Please submit a personal comment or comment from your organization that requests the inclusion of Medicaid expansion in the reform waiver.
If you need ideas for what to say, see the template for comments below in this email and also attached. From the template, you can select text to focus on either family benefits or business/economic benefits, or insert your own personal story. Feel free to edit and make this your own. Please email me (firstname.lastname@example.com) if you submit a comment so we can track public input.
Thank you for your continued support of this issue! - Karen
Template for Comments to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Excellent NC Medicaid Reform Waiver Brief from NC Justice Center/worth reading whether or not you're commenting
July 14, 2016
Hi, Medicaid expansion supporters,
See excellent brief below. It is worth reading to understand some of the issues involved in the Medicaid waiver - and the shortcomings of the proposed plan.
Comments can be submitted before July 20 at 11 PM.
Note that, if you submitted comments before, they were to DHHS - and according to the brief below, they were reduced to 1 line in a table 50 pages long.
This is an opportunity to submit comments to the federal government which is reviewing the application.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Good morning everyone,
Attached please find the Medicaid Reform brief. The purpose of the brief is to help explain the content of the waiver application that was submitted to CMS and provide facts with how Medicaid expansion would strengthen the waiver and NC's Medicaid program. While the brief is not formatted so that you can just "copy and paste," it should help you add facts and other evidence to your personal stories and/or examples of the need for expansion in your comments.
Ciara Zachary, PhD, MPH
Policy Analyst, Health Access Coalition
North Carolina Justice Center
224 S. Dawson Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-8068
Office: 919.856.2568
And, if you do decide to comment, here is the link from Karen Bean (firstname.lastname@example.com): Please submit a comment online by July 20. Send me an email when you comment as we are tracking the number of comments submitted.
Please do comment on Medicaid reform, even if briefly - deadline July 20!
July 9, 2016
Dear All,
If you have not yet commented on the need for Medicaid expansion to be included in the Medicaid reform waiver, PLEASE do so before July 20. You may do this even if you commented or testified in the public hearings.
Karen Bean has prepared comprehensive instructions for commenting. (Thank you, Karen!) Don't be intimidated by the length! Use what you wish. And please comment even if your comments are short.
Click here to access commenting instructions.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Good news about Pride Parade and Festival
July 8, 2016
Great News! There are great ideas and support for HCJ participation in the Pride Festival and parade. Many have signed up already. Please sign up to march in the parade and/or take a 2 hour shift on August 20th or 21st
The following items would make great additions to the exhibit and the parade. If you can lend these items for the weekend of August 20-21, please let me know.
- 1 tent large enough to accommodate 10 foot table
- 4 five-gallon buckets with covers
- Wheel chair
- Someone who can do tricks with wheel chair
- Gurney
Wonderful, fun opportunity to participate in the Pride Parade and Festival, August 20-21, 2016 and build support for Health Care for All!
July 4, 2016
Health Care Justice members proudly marched in support of Health Care forAll/Single Payer in the July 4th Hickory Grove parade with wonderful, positive response from parade watchers and a number of new signers of the resolution. And we had fun doing it! Let us built on that excitement and energy, and start planning for the Pride Parade and Festival August 20-21, 2016, in Uptown Charlotte.
Exhibit: We are needing committed volunteers to take 1-2 hour shifts at the Health Care Justice exhibit from noon - 10 PM on August 20th and noon - 6 PM on August 21st. If interested, please email me dates and times you are available right away. There is a July 15th deadline to submit application. Location of the exhibits, South Tryon between Stonewall and Trade.
Parade: All are welcome including family and friends to march in support of Health Care Justice. March route is 0.75 miles from N. Tryon and Ninth St. south to a left on Trade St. ending on College St. If interested in marching, please email me right away. Deadline for application is August 1st.
These are wonderful opportunities to build support for Single Payer! There is power in numbers! We can make this dream come true!
Denise Finck-Rothman
Interesting article supporting single-payer from an unusual source
June 28, 2016
Dear Health Care Justice members and friends:
I think you will be interested in this recent article from the Atlanta Journal and Constitution by Jack Bernard, a former Republican elected official:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
March with us in the July 4th Hickory Grove Parade in support of Health Care Justice
June 28, 2016
Members of Health Care Justice:
We have the opportunity to march in the July 4th Hickory Grove Parade carrying our Health Care Justice banner in support of Single Payer, Healthcare for all! Join the 8 of us who have already committed.
Family and friends are welcome to join in.
Gathering of the marchers is at 9:30 at Hickory Grove Recreation Center, 6709 Pence Rd. Parade starts at 10:30. Route of parade is down Pence Rd. to Hickory Grove Rd., then westbound on East WT Harris Blvd. and ends at The Grove Church, 5735 East WT Harris Blvd., where na 11:30 to 2:30 July 4th celebration will be held.
Please let me know right away so that I can complete the participation form with the number of marchers. More information about the parade: hickorygroveparade.org.
Thank you,
Denise Finck-Rothman
Calling all Health Care Justice Members and Friends. Build Support for Health Care for All! Show "Fix It" to Friends, Family, Neighbors.
June 22, 2016
Health Care Justice members and friends:
You can help build support for single payer health care for all!
Host a "Fix It" event for family, friends and neighbors in your home.
Fix It: Health Care at the tipping point produced by CEO Richard Master. "...a powerful new documentary that reaches across the political and ideological divide to expand support for major healthcare reform."
Movie and information is available at the website: fixithealthcare.com.
The membership committee can assist you with refreshments, movie showing, and leading the discussion.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com to let me know you are hosting an event and how we can help.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Highly recommended article (brief)
June 8, 2016
Hi, Health Care Justice NC Members and Friends,
This is a moving, thoughtful article from the New England Journal of Medicine about medical decision-making that moves from an individual patient to a consideration of how we make decisions as a society.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Considering the Common Good - The View from Seven Miles Up
By Martin F. Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D.
The New England Journal of Medicine, May 26, 2016
The patient was a French citizen in his late 30s who had been living in Los Angeles. He had acute myelogenous leukemia that was refractory to treatment. He had been hospitalized for several weeks, during which he'd had repeated episodes of pneumonia and urinary tract infections. He had severe thrombocytopenia and constant hematuria, and he required supplemental oxygen and daily transfusions of platelets and red cells. He knew that he had little time left.
"I want to go home to Paris," he told me.
The house staff were able to arrange with Air France to transport him and his wife to Paris, as long as they were accompanied by a physician and a nurse. The residents were not given leave to accompany him, so I did, since I was going off service anyway.
The airline arranged to have oxygen available, and we brought an array of medications and blood products intended to get him safely to Paris. We were concerned about the effects of changes in cabin pressure during takeoff, given his thrombocytopenia and the risk of intracranial bleeding. Takeoff was mostly uneventful, but tachypnea developed. Auscultation was difficult, so we gave him furosemide. He seemed comfortable but remained tachypneic.
About 30 minutes into the flight, the copilot approached us. "We made a mistake," he reported. "We did not board enough oxygen to get to Paris. Would you like us to land in Chicago to pick up some more?"
I was unsure about what to do. The patient's thrombocytopenia had not led to catastrophe on takeoff, but how would an additional landing and takeoff affect him? I asked for time to consider the situation.
As it happened, there was another patient being transported on a stretcher to Paris on the same flight, a woman in her early 20s en route from Tahiti, where she had sustained a subarachnoid hemorrhage. She was comatose. She was accompanied by a French physician. I approached him about my dilemma regarding landing in Chicago.
He looked me squarely in the eye. "My patient's blood pressure was unstable when we landed and took off at Los Angeles," he told me. "Landing in Chicago would be a big risk for her. Your patient is dying. My patient has a small but real chance of long-term survival. My patient's needs should take precedence."
I was taken aback. Should I place my patient at greater risk of dying on this flight in the interest of the well-being of another patient? The nurse shared my misgivings, but we concurred that our patient was certain to die very soon. I informed the copilot that we would take our chances with the available oxygen.
The dilemma on that airplane was unique in some respects, but one issue involved in our decision underlies many treatment decisions made in conventional medical settings, though it's rarely acknowledged explicitly in U.S. medicine. We had to decide which patient would get the treatment that had the potential to improve his or her outcome. They could not both get what was best for them, because the "treatment" for my patient (landing at O'Hare and picking up more oxygen) would clearly endanger the other patient.
U.S. health care prides itself on its great respect for "patient autonomy" - which we tend to translate as giving patients what they want. In many situations, such allocation decisions have implications for others. All too commonly, we admit dying patients to the ICU and keep them there on ventilators until all family members and their religious advisors agree that it's time to stop. We order imaging studies for patients with short-term back pain and no neurologic findings who don't want to try physical therapy first. We administer expensive cancer chemotherapeutic agents in the last weeks of life and insert feeding tubes in patients with end-stage dementia at the behest of their families.
Such actions may show respect for patient autonomy, but they have consequences for others. Keeping a dying patient in an ICU bed may lead to inferior care for another patient who needs that bed. [1] Ultimately, such actions increase costs and divert money into low- or no-value care and away from other communal priorities. Physicians are generally ill prepared to take this bigger picture into account when making clinical decisions.
By contrast, some decision making in universal single-payer health insurance programs, such as Canada's, operates on the assumption that everyone - patients, providers, and policymakers - is in the same boat (or airplane) and that each decision affects others on the ship. Although some people seek care outside the plan, most support the program and see the health system as theirs. [2,3] If care is poor or resources are insufficient, there is often considerable public pressure to address those problems.
The U.S. system instead divides recipients of care by socioeconomic class: some Americans have luxury suites, while others ride in steerage, where the accommodations are of interest only to the people who are relegated there. This system produces good outcomes for some patients, but it fails to avert great hardship and inequity. It also creates circumstances in which physicians fail to meet their ethical obligations - when they provide some people with care that is unneeded or barely needed, sometimes in the service of their own self-interest and thereby reduce others' access to necessary care. [4] A more communitarian approach to decision making might eliminate some of the system's excesses, but it would require physicians to change their behavior, patients to surrender some autonomy, and legislators not to interfere with clinical discussions and decisions by invoking highly charged notions like "death panels."
A good start would be to balance our emphasis on patient autonomy with "respect for the commons." As with the overgrazing of the common pastures in medieval England that led to the enclosure movement, overconsumption of health care by some compromises it as a resource for all. [5] If the United States is to join other industrialized countries in not leaving people to die or suffer owing to lack of health services (even as it spends substantially more than any other country on care), then clinical policy, reimbursement, and the culture of medicine will have to be transformed. We will all need to get used to considering the implications of individual clinical decisions for other patients and society as a whole.
We did not land in Chicago. I did not inform my patient of that option. The Air France crew obtained permission to reduce altitude to about 28,000 ft, thereby increasing cabin pressure. We did not run out of oxygen until we were on the tarmac at Charles De Gaulle Airport. My patient made it to a hospital in Paris and had a wonderful, emotional reunion with his family. He died 5 days later.
Thanks to member Tom E. Bowers for "Medicare for All" letter in today's Observer
June 2, 2016
Medicare for all a better option
In response to "N.C. health insurers propose ACA rate increases for 2017" (June 1):
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina wants to raise rates 18.8 percent, in part due to a technology system malfunction.
All health insurers have coding problems under the best of circumstances. They also process claims at four to five times the cost of Medicare processing.
Insurers also have shareholder dividends and executive bonuses that Medicare does not have to pay.
Why spend your healthcare dollars on insurance when it could go directly to actual health care?
- Tom E. Bowers, Charlotte
Medicaid Expansion is still a live issue - do read these articles!
June 1, 2016
I wish it were otherwise, but the need for Medicaid expansion has not been resolved in our state. See the excellent report below about Advocacy Day at the General Assembly where dozens (including several members of Health Care Justice - NC) gathered for a press conference and to lobby our legislators.
One of the eloquent speakers was Dr. Stephen Luking who is the author of this moving article:
Do keep this issue alive: Contact your legislators and let them know that we need to expand Medicaid for the welfare of our citizens who need health care and to benefit the economy of NC. If you need talking points, let me know.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Medicaid expansion remains a hot issue at the NC General Assembly
By Minali Nigam
NC Health News, May 26, 2016
Three years after lawmakers rejected the possibility, Medicaid expansion continues to be a heated and contentious topic. With the Medicaid reform application due to the feds this week, speculation increases: Will CMS approve North Carolina's application without expansion included? Continue reading...
Observations about single-payer vs the US health care system by someone who has experienced both
May 19, 2016
Hi. I find the article below compelling. The author is a former editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal who came to the US and looked forward to experiencing our market-based system.
Experience has taught him otherwise.
I got this article from Quote of the Day, but left off Don McCanne's comments because the article speaks for itself.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Commentary: Single-payer essential to controlling health-care costs
By David Woods
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 16, 2016
One hears these days mutterings by disaffected Americans that if Donald Trump becomes president, they will pack their bags and leave for Canada. One assumes, of course, that no wall will be built along the border to thwart their exit.
I made the reverse trip. Having emigrated from Britain to Canada, where I became the editor in chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, I opted to come to the United States in 1988 for personal reasons.
But I was also taken with American rugged individualism and a health-care system focused on market forces and competition. I wrote articles for the Economist Intelligence Unit and other periodicals on the wonders of the American system. In print, I debated longtime advocates of single-payer national health insurance, extolling the virtues of the health-care market that others abhorred.
Gradually, though, I too began to have doubts about market-driven health care. Over the 25 years that I've lived on the U.S. side of the border, I've come to the view that the American health-care system - which still leaves 11 percent of the population uninsured, despite the Affordable Care Act - is inferior to the health systems in Canada and the United Kingdom.
One of the ACA's architects, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, describes the U.S. health system as a "terribly complex, blatantly unjust, outrageously expensive, grossly inefficient, error-prone system." Unfortunately, that's still true, six years after the ACA's passage.
The reform didn't address the fundamental problem in U.S. health care: It's more about profit than patients.
Controlling health-care costs is essential to the long-term financial health of the United States. A single-payer system would make truly universal coverage affordable, costing no more than we already spend on health care. Of the $3.1 trillion the United States will spend on health care this year, 63 percent is taxpayer-financed, funding Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans Affairs, along with private coverage for government employees and tax subsidies for employers.
Because of its fragmented, profit-driven system, the United States spends 18.1 percent of gross domestic product on health care, compared with about 8 percent in Britain and 11 percent in Canada. Much of U.S. health spending is simply wasted. For example, 25.3 percent of hospital expenditures go to administrative costs, compared with 12.4 percent in Canada, where there is a single payer in each province and hospitals are mainly funded on a global or lump-sum basis.
Canadians also save money by training a higher percentage of primary-care doctors relative to specialists, negotiating drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, and prohibiting drug companies from advertising directly to consumers. These measures would save Americans billions annually. Americans spend $1,010 per capita on pharmaceuticals; Swedes spend less than half that, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The reason? Sweden doesn't pay the list price.
Lobbying and influence-peddling by the pharmaceutical and insurance industries keeps the United States from adopting a single-payer health system. Several presidential candidates this season seemed completely under their hypnotic sway. The private insurance industry brazenly tells me, now a U.S. voter, which doctors I can see, charges me astronomical premiums, not to mention co-pays and deductibles, and then wants me to believe that having publicly funded health care that would allow me to go to any doctor in the United States without a $5,000 deductible would be "socialism."
And don't believe the widely held U.S. notion that Canadians suffer long waits for care. That's a canard. We are not going to cut U.S. health spending to Canadian levels. With our much higher level of spending, waits would not be an issue, even with the population aging. Japan and many countries in Europe already have higher percentages of elderly citizens than the graying of the baby boomers is projected to produce.
In his book In Search of the Perfect Health System, British economist Mark Britnell notes that the British love their single-payer National Health Service because of its fairness; it's available to everyone. He even quotes a former U.K. finance minister who said that the NHS is the closest thing the English have to a religion. Their single-payer system keeps quality indexes up and costs down for the population at large. This enables the British to invest additional funds in education and economic stimulation, areas that also contribute to health and well-being.
The United States should take a lesson from the example of nations with single-payer systems. They offer a measure of hope and optimism that high-quality health care can be the right of all Americans, if they demand it.
David Woods is a former editor in chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Worth reading: responses to recent critiques of single-payer proposals
May 18, 2016
Dear Single-payer supporters,
Single-payer proposals have taken a beating recently. Both Kenneth Thorpe and the Urban Institute claim that Bernie Sanders' proposal would cost more than he says. And now Margot Sanger-Katz, writing in the NY Times, has a similar criticism.
Adam Gaffney (below) has responded to Sanger-Katz. But the email below also contains links to the Urban Institute and Thorpe analyses--as well as to the response from Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein, which challenges the assumptions they made to reach their conclusions.
It is worthwhile to be aware of the arguments to be made for single-payer in response to criticism.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Adam Gaffney responds to NYT's Margot Sanger-Katz on cost of single payer
A Single-Payer Plan From Bernie Sanders Would Probably Still Be Expensive
By Margot Sanger-Katz
The New York Times, May 16, 2016
Bernie Sanders' chances at enacting a "political revolution" are all but gone. But that doesn't mean his policy agenda won't continue to be felt in this election or future Democratic platforms.
One of his signature proposals is to move the country's health care system to a government-run, single-payer system.
But also last week, a detailed analysis of the Sanders health care plan from researchers at the Urban Institute showed that it would probably cost the government double what the campaign proposed. It is the second credible analysis to suggest that the Sanders plan costs more than advertised. (The other comes from the Emory health policy professor Kenneth Thorpe.)
The Sanders campaign and its academic allies dispute some of the Urban Institute's assumptions. A critique of the Urban analysis from David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler, professors of public health at the City University of New York, argues, for example, that drug prices could be pushed even lower. And the Sanders team says that the researchers overestimated the costs associated with administering the government program. But it doesn't argue that the prices paid to medical providers could be cut more sharply.
Blog Post: What's Wrong with Margot Sanger-Katz's Single Payer Analysis
By Adam Gaffney, M.D.
The Progressive Physician, May 17, 2016
Yesterday, New York Times health care reporter Margot Sanger-Katz, whose work I very much respect, entered the debate on the costs of Sanders' single payer plan in a piece I find problematic, headlined 'A Single-Payer Plan From Bernie Sanders Would Probably Still Be Expensive." I should first concede, however, the central argument of her article: it is true that a US single payer system would still be relatively expensive as compared to other single payer systems. We would, that is to say, continue to spend more than the United Kingdom or Canada if we transitioned to single payer. At the same time, there would nonetheless be enormous savings from such a transition, and these savings would allow us to affordably achieve real universal health care. This, in my opinion, would still be an excellent deal.
The background to this debate are two analyses of the Sanders' single payer proposal - the first by economist Kenneth Thorpe and the second by the Urban Institute - both of which claimed that the actual costs of Sanders' single payer plan would be significantly higher than what his campaign has predicted. The assumptions of each have been convincingly contested by colleagues David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler: among other points, they argue that both analyses underestimate administrative savings and overestimate the cost of increased health care use resulting from a coverage expansion.
Anyway, without delving into the details, there is something rather puzzling when looking at the analyses of Thorpe and the Urban Institute from a broader perspective. How is it that single payer would massively increase costs in the United States, as these reports contend, even while countries with single payer-type systems - like Canada and the United Kingdom - have much, much lower health care costs than we do?
To answer, a quick side note: our total health spending is, by definition, equal to the quantity of health services delivered multiplied by their price. The US does not consistently use more health services than other high-income nations. Therefore, the fact that we have higher health care costs is mostly explained by higher unit prices for services, as Sanger-Katz and others note. Now us single payer advocates cite lower administrative costs (and lower drug spending) as the major sources of savings under US single payer (effectively lowering the "price" side of the equation). But Sanger-Katz argues that this would be insufficient: prices would have to be slashed across the board, and some services would have to be cut:
Making the American health care system significantly cheaper would mean more than just cutting the insurance companies out of the game and reducing the high administrative costs of the American system. It would also require paying doctors and nurses substantially lower salaries, using fewer new and high-tech treatments, and probably eliminating some of the perks of American hospital stays, like private patient rooms.
Such a transition would, she notes, have some scary sounding downstream consequences: "...making big cuts all at once to doctors and hospitals could cause substantial disruptions in care. Some hospitals would go out of business. Some doctors would default on their mortgages and student loans." My understanding is that we aren't really allowed to effectively default on student loans, but admittedly this all sounds rather dicey.
But this frightful health care meltdown isn't even in the cards. She is correct in a narrow sense: it's true that immediately lowering US health care expenditures to, say, that of the United Kingdom - i.e. from 16.4% to 8.5% of gross domestic product - would require major, disruptive reductions in spending across the board. However, nobody is contending that we do that. The central claim for US single payer is more modest. Use the enormous administrative savings generated under single payer financing in combination with pharmaceutical savings to cover everybody with comprehensive benefits and no cost-sharing. Overall national health spending would, it is true, remain roughly the same (though we could better control cost growth moving forward). But this scenario of widespread hospital bankruptcies and the end of private (or semiprivate?) hospital rooms is a fantasy: nobody wants it to happen, and it's not happening.
It's worth noting that there is also a jarringly inconsistent aspect to single-payer critiques that warn of the threat to health care workers' income. As Woolhandler and Himmelstein note in an article in the Huffington Post, the Urban Institute simultaneously asserted that the coverage expansion under single payer would lead to an enormous increase in spending on physician services - by $1.6 trillion over a decade! - while simultaneously asserting that physician salaries would be "squeezed." Whatever one thinks of how much physicians should be paid, it's hard how these would both happen at the same time.
Transitioning to single payer will not mean reducing our health care expenses to British levels: that is probably not possible, and is certainly not desirable. But that's not to say that the savings from adopting a single payer financing system wouldn't be substantial - we're talking hundreds of billions annually on administrative savings alone, plus more by reducing drug prices to European levels. With that money, we'll build a much more decent health care system for all to use without having to worry about the cost of being sick, of being pregnant, or simply of obtaining preventive care. No wonder a majority of the country wants it.
Dr. Adam Gaffney is a clinical and research fellow in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. His writing has appeared in the New Republic, Los Angeles Review of Books, USA Today, Salon, CNN.com, Dissent, US News & World Report, Jacobin, In These Times, and elsewhere.
By Don McCanne, M.D.
There have been a multitude of recent media reports indicating that a single payer program, as proposed by Bernie Sanders, would cost much more than previous estimates have shown. These reports rely on recent analyses by the Urban Institute and by Emory Professor Kenneth Thorpe. Unfortunately, these analyses are being given more credibility than the contrasting conclusions of the nation's two leading experts on single payer - Professors David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler.
NYT's Margot Sanger-Katz reiterated the conclusion that "the Sanders plan costs more than advertised." She is highly credible, and, in fact, she did link to an article on the topic by Himmelstein and Woolhandler. But she suggests that prices paid to medical providers must be cut more sharply than proposed, and, by this, seems to accept the fact that Sanders' single payer proposal is more expensive than anticipated. You may want to read her full article (link above) to better understand Adam Gaffney's response.
Adam Gaffney's full blog response is reproduced here, along with the live links, because it is imperative that we not allow the sometimes blind acceptance by the media of the two recent analyses that use dubious assumptions to refute the great body of policy literature that confirms the efficiency and effectiveness of the single payer model. Gaffney sets the record straight.
Study Gaffney's response and also the prior responses of Himmelstein and Woolhandler (live links in article) so that you will be prepared to refute the claims that single payer is unaffordable. It's our current highly dysfunctional system that is not affordable.
(Keep in mind that some of the misunderstanding is due to the fact that one view is referring only to federal spending and the taxes to pay for it whereas another view is referring to our total national health expenditures, public and private combined. Obviously transferring private health care spending to the federal government would cause federal spending and taxes to increase - the claim being made - but total spending under a well designed single payer system would remain about the same, with administrative and price savings being used for expanded benefits and coverage.)
If you are able, join us in Raleigh May 25 for Day of Advocacy to Close the Gap; Week of Advocacy
May 12, 2016
Please join us in the Week of Advocacy. If you would like to carpool from the Charlotte area please let Karen Bean (firstname.lastname@example.com) know by noon Thursday, May 12, so we can make more definitive travel plans.
Join members of the North Carolina Medicaid Expansion Coalition for
Close the Medicaid Gap - Week of Advocacy
Patients, healthcare providers, individuals in the coverage gap, and advocates are planning a Week of Advocacy to raise public awareness about the need for North Carolina to close our Medicaid gap. Closing the gap would provide health coverage for half a million North Carolinians and create tens of thousands of jobs. Please join us for any or all of the events below!
Day of Advocacy at NC General Assembly
Wednesday, May 25th, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
8:00 a.m.: Registration
Tentative location: First Baptist Church
99 N Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 27603
8:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.: Educational and Advocacy Training
Tentative location: First Baptist Church
99 N Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 27603
10:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Visit with your legislators and watch session
Location: Find your state senators and representatives here: http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx
Click "Open Member Page" to find his/her phone number and office number. (Most offices are in the Legislative Office Building, 300 N Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 27603.)
Meetings will not be scheduled in advance for advocates. If you have a relationship with your legislator's office or feel comfortable reaching out to them, please consider contacting them in advance to set up appointments. It is a busy time for legislators, but they or their legislative assistants should be available to talk with you for at least a few minutes.
Afternoon: Press Conference and deliver petitions to Governor's office (Time TBD, based on legislative calendar)
Location: NC General Assembly and Capitol Building
We know not everyone will be able to arrive by 8:45 a.m. for the start of training. If you are making a long trip to Raleigh that morning, please listen in on one of the conference calls in advance, and arrive when you are able to!
To prepare for the Day of Advocacy, please consider participating in the following events:
Conference Calls: Preparing for Your Visit
Thursday, May 19th, 6:00 p.m.: Conference Call - "The Facts on Closing the Medicaid Gap"
Monday, May 23rd, 12:00 p.m.: Conference Call - "The Facts on Closing the Medicaid Gap"
The two conference calls will provide identical content, and are intended to prepare advocates to attend the Day of Advocacy on May 25th. Both conference calls will provide talking points and facts on closing the Medicaid Gap, as well as tips for effective advocacy with elected officials.
Phonebanking at NC Justice Center
Monday, May 23rd from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Location: 224 South Dawson Street in downtown Raleigh
Help make calls to turn out folks to Advocacy Day and contact legislators on closing the gap. RSVP to Ciara Zachary at firstname.lastname@example.com. Dinner will be provided!
Twitter Town Hall hosted by Young Invincibles
Tuesday, May 24th from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Young Invincibles (@YoungInvincible) and NC Justice Center's Health Access Coalition (@nchealthaccess), will host a twitter chat to promote Closing the Coverage Gap and the upcoming Advocacy Day. For information about the Twitter event, please contact email@example.com.
For more information on any of these events, contact Lee Storrow at email@example.com or Nicole Dozier at email@example.com.
Released today: A Physicians' Proposal for Single-Payer Health Care Reform
May 5, 2016
Hi, single-payer advocates,
Today, "Beyond the Affordable Care Act: A Physicians' Proposal for Single-Payer Health Care Reform" was released at a news conference and simultaneously published in the American Journal of Public Health.
I hope that you will look at some of the links below--either at the full proposal or a summary.
AND NOTE THAT YOU CAN ENDORSE THE PROPOSAL AT THE LAST LINK. Anyone can endorse--it's not necessary to be a physician...
Jessica Schorr Saxe
AJPH Editorials: Moving Forward From the Affordable Care Act to a Single-Payer System
By Adam Gaffney, Steffie Woolhandler, David Himmelstein and Marcia Angell
American Journal of Public Health, June 2016
Published in advance online May 5, 2016
Despite the ACA, many serious problems remain in American health care. Uninsurance and underinsurance endure, bureaucracy is growing, costs are likely to rise, and caring relationships take second place to the financial prerogatives of health insurers and providers. A single-payer NHP offers a salutary alternative, one that a would at long last take the right to health care from the realm of political rhetoric to that of reality.
Beyond the Affordable Care Act: A Physicians' Proposal for Single-Payer Health Care Reform
By The Working Group on Single-Payer Program Design
Co-chairs: Adam Gaffney, M.D., David U. Himmelstein, M.D., Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H., and Marcia Angell, M.D.
Even after full implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), tens of millions of Americans will remain uninsured or only partially insured, and costs will continue to rise faster than the background inflation rate. We propose to replace the ACA with a publicly financed National Health Program (NHP) that would fully cover medical care for all Americans, while lowering costs by eliminating the profit-driven private insurance industry with its massive overhead. Hospitals, nursing homes, and other provider facilities would be nonprofit, and paid global operating budgets rather than fees for each service. Physicians could opt to be paid on a fee-for-service basis, but with fees adjusted to better reward primary care providers, or by salaries in facilities paid by global budgets. The initial increase in government costs would be offset by savings in premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and the rate of medical inflation would slow, freeing up resources for unmet medical and public health needs.
To download the full proposal:
Summary of the Physicians' Proposal:
Background Fact Sheet for the Physicians' Proposal:
PNHP Press Release
From the PNHP website:
Beyond the Affordable Care Act: A Physicians' Proposal for Single-Payer Health Care Reform establishes the vision and principles that will empower Americans to replace our expensive, inadequate, and inefficient collection of health care systems with an improved Medicare for All.
The proposal outlines the general structure of a single-payer system for the United States, including coverage and eligibility; physician and outpatient care payment; global budgeting of hospitals; health planning and capital investments; coverage for medications, devices, and supplies; the establishment of a national long-term care program; cost-containment; and single-payer financing. The proposal also demonstrates the shortcomings of alternatives to National Health Insurance, including the Affordable Care Act.
For further links, including downloading and endorsing the proposal:
By Don McCanne, M.D.
If you have not done so already, please use the links above to endorse and download the Physicians' Proposal, including the Summary and the Background Fact Sheet. It is imperative that we fix our dysfunctional health care system.
See "Fix it" Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 6 PM; Health Care Justice, Morrison Regional Library, Bring a friend!
April 29, 2016
You are invited to a meeting of Health Care Justice.
Bring a friend!
Thursday, May 19th at 6:00 PM; Morrison Regional Library, 7015 Morrison Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211, first floor meeting room.
Fix It: Health Care at the tipping point produced by CEO Richard Master. "...a powerful new documentary that reaches across the political and ideological divide to expand support for major healthcare reform."
Discussion will follow.
You may receive this information again as an Evite.
Be sure to come!
Invitation: Building a Collaborative Medicaid Expansion Effort in Charlotte (May 24 at 10am)
April 18, 2016
Hello Coverage Gap Partners,
Here's an invitation for your members/volunteers in the Charlotte area along with RSVP info below:
Thank you so much for your past and ongoing support of Medicaid expansion efforts in NC. A growing number of Charlotte-area individuals and groups have joined the fight to close the coverage gap!
Based on the old adage "strength in numbers," Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, NC Child, and the American Heart Association would like to convene those working on expansion to share updates on our individual advocacy efforts and develop synergy as a collaborative group. We hope to bring to together a diverse group of stakeholders including small business owners, child advocates, faith community leaders, and health care providers.
Please join us for coffee/doughnuts and an informal conversation about the possibilities of collaborative efforts. Together we can make a difference!
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
10:00 to 11:30 am
American Heart Association - Charlotte
15th floor conference room
128 South Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC
RSVP by May 18 to Karen Bean at email@example.com.
Feel free to forward to other colleagues or groups who may be interested in participating!
Powerful op-ed from today's News & Record! And, if you haven't commented on Medicaid expansion, please do so by tomorrow (op-ed should inspire you)
April 17, 2016
Hi, All,
Do check out this wonderful column at the link below that was forwarded by the Medicaid expansion group.
And, if you haven't commented on the need for Medicaid expansion, please do so by tomorrow:
This amazing op-ed was featured on the front of the Ideas section with bold color graphics:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please comment on Medicaid expansion/Medicaid reform within the next 2 weeks: your comments can be brief, but your voice should be heard
April 3, 2016
Please do comment on the need for Medicaid expansion as part of Medicaid reform--and for the need to have rational Medicaid reform (including maximizing the role of Community Care of NC).
You can comment by email--and it doesn't have to be lengthy:
(There are no more public hearings in our area, but let me know if you want links to the others.)
See below for talking points.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
About the NEED FOR MEDICAID EXPANSION
I think it's most important they tell their story or a story of a loved one/community member or from their perspective as a teacher, provider, etc. They can also use the Cone Report for numbers. Below are ideas and further below are 2 talking point versions.
Also see this link and go down to where it talks about the impact and if someone has diabetes, or needs cancer screenings they can use those numbers
They can talk about the family profiles here:
They can also talk those who work in: construction, home health, food/beverage, child care related jobs are in the gap.
Talking Points 1 & 2
- Expansion is critical for containing costs in Medicaid, which is a key goal of North Carolina's Medicaid Reform. Without expanding health coverage to people in the gap who oftentimes have many unmet medical needs, they will receive inconsistent health care. Many people in the coverage gap obtain Medicaid for short periods of time and use more services, which is more costly.
Expansion will keep Medicaid costs. People who are in the gap often delay care for things that are minor but then when care is inevitable, it costs more and costs them more quality of life.
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) will struggle to maintain access for Medicaid patients as the health care infrastructure erodes, especially in vulnerable rural areas, as a result of refusing to close the coverage gap. Clinic and hospital closings will only accelerate in the future if we do not access additional federal funds.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) will have a difficult time assuring that providers can offer the same level of care to the patients who currently receive Medicaid services if we don't expand Medicaid, bringing in federal dollars. Clinics and hospital closings especially in rural areas, may continue.
- It is unlikely that the federal government will continue to grant the state Delivery System Reform Incentive Payments when we are refusing to tap existing federal funds as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) intended.
It is unlikely that the federal government will continue to provide grant payments to the state when we are refusing to bring in existing federal funds as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was intended.
- Hospitals and clinics are struggling with a lack of revenue and resources. Reform without Expansion may lead to more health care facility closings if they do not have the funds to adapt. Expanding coverage would provide these health systems with additional revenue to cover a portion of and reduce the amount of uncompensated care.
Hospitals and clinics are struggling with a lack of revenue and resources. Reform without Expansion may lead to more closings if they do not have an increase in funding. Expanding coverage means more patients will be paying customers-providing additional revenue to cover a portion of and reduce the amount of care for which these providers do not get reimbursed.
- It will be challenging to fully integrate behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment with primary care as many people are unable to access the long-term supports and services they need due to a lack of insurance.
It will be challenging to fully bring behavioral health and substance use disorder treatments into primary care since many patients are unable to access the long-term care and recovery services they need when they lack insurance.
- The federal government is unlikely to believe that our state is truly innovative and takes its commitment to improving the lives of low-income citizens seriously when we are refusing federal funds to extend insurance coverage to 500,000 more people.
Nicole Dozier
Director, Health Access Coalition
NC Justice Center
AND, about maintaining CCNC in MEDICAID REFORM:
I was very happy to hear so many providers advocating on behalf of CCNC last night so I think it is good for you to note the good work and the national recognition CCNC has received in your comments. Your comments can also include that NC DHHS can work with CCNC without dismantling it while reforming Medicaid. Our Medicaid Reform fact sheet notes some unintended consequences for replacing CCNC.
I hope this email is helpful. Please feel free to contact me if you need additional feedback.
(from Ciara Zachary, also of the NC Justice Center)
Medicare-for-all is Winning the Debate
March 25, 2016
Joe Sparks, brother of Harry Sparks,wrote an excellent blog entry that explains the advantages of a Medicare-for-All system:
Medicare-for-all Is Winning the Debate
I encourage you to read it as he addresses the major points for it and arguments against it including the myth of the benefit of high-deductible plans and the issue of the actual cost of a single-payer system.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please speak up for Medicaid expansion: in person or by phone, talking points attached
March 23, 2016
Please see important message below from Karen Bean about the Medicaid Reform public hearings. Your voice is needed! Note you can call in if you are unable to attend. See attached talking points.
I'm sure Karen would be glad to answer any questions (contact information below).
Jessica Schorr Saxe
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is drafting a Medicaid reform waiver application -- the document needed to get federal approval -- and is asking for public input about Medicaid reform. Since we believe that Medicaid expansion is an essential part of Medicaid reform, we want to make our voices heard!
The public hearings below will take place in our region on March 31. We need volunteers to attend and comment on why Medicaid expansion coupled with reform is critical for North Carolina's future. Comments at the hearings are limited to two minutes.
March 31, 2016
Union County Dept. of Social Services
1212 W. Roosevelt Boulevard
Monroe, NC 28110
2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
March 31, 2016
Central Piedmont Community College, Merancas Campus
11930 Verhoeff Drive
Huntersville, NC 28078
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
You also may listen and comment by phone during the March 31 Session, 2-4 p.m.
- No registration is necessary.
- Dial 1-888-585-9008 and, when asked, enter conference room number 780073319#
- When asked, state your name.
- To make a comment, press *9 on your phone. The moderator will tell you when it is your turn to make a comment.
If you want to speak at the meeting, please share personal stories of people you know who are in the Medicaid gap and explain why expansion is important to you personally. If you are not sure what to say, see the attached talking points.
If you cannot attend any of the public hearings, you can make your voice heard online. Tell Governor McCrory and the General Assembly that Medicaid reform needs to include the 500,000 North Carolinians who are in the healthcare coverage gap. Click this link to add your comments: http://bit.ly/1XHOAwI
Please email me (firstname.lastname@example.com) and let me know if you are available to speak at the Monroe hearing or email firstname.lastname@example.com if you can speak at the Huntersville hearing. Your voice is vital to expanding Medicaid in North Carolina! Thank you for your help.
Karen Bean
For further information:
Ensuring a full measure of justice for those in need
Karen Bean
Medicaid Expansion Organizer
Legal Services of Southern Piedmont
1431 Elizabeth Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28204
704-808-4149 direct dial
Death of pioneering single-payer supporter: Dr. Quentin Young, 1923 - 2016
March 9, 2016
See PNHP's announcement below, as well as article in today's Observer:
Dr. Quentin Young had a lifelong commitment to social justice. He had a long-standing relationship with PNHP, as well as leading and working with many organizations (see below).
Just a couple of years ago, he published his autobiography "Everybody In, Nobody Out: Memoirs of a Rebel Without a Pause."
I had the privilege of talking to him a couple of times at the PNHP national meetings, and he was down-to-earth, energetic, and an entirely nice guy.
He will be much missed.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Dear colleague,
I write to announce with great sadness the death at age 92 of Quentin Young, M.D., PNHP's national coordinator from 1992-2014, a physician beloved by his patients, colleagues and students, and a lifelong fighter for social justice.
Quentin was an extraordinary human being, and his death leaves a huge hole in our hearts and in our movement. We must resolve to carry his work forward to win single payer.
I know I speak for all of us when I say we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
This morning PNHP released the statement below. News stories about Quentin's life and work have already begun to appear, and our national office has started to receive many moving tributes and remembrances of Quentin from his colleagues and friends.
Quentin was an inspiration, particularly to young people. Matthew Petty, PNHP's executive director, writes, "Quentin's optimism and energy has kept me has kept me going for over 10 years with PNHP, and his memory will keep me going until we achieve single payer, Medicare for all."
If would like to share a story or tribute with us for possible publication in the PNHP newsletter or on our website, please send it to email@example.com. If you would like to make a gift in Dr. Young's memory, you can do so on a special page here.
Robert Zarr, M.D., M.P.H.
Statement in memory of Dr. Quentin Young, 1923 - 2016
The following statement was released today by Dr. Robert Zarr, president of Physicians for a National Health Program.
Dr. Quentin D. Young, who served as national coordinator of Physicians for a National Health Program from 1992-2014, and who also served the organization's past president, died on March 7 in Berkeley, Calif., where he had been under the watchful eyes and care of his daughters and other family members. He was 92.
In addition to his work with PNHP, Dr. Young co-founded and chaired for many years the Chicago-based Health and Medicine Policy Research Group.
Dr. Young was known for his sharp, clear-eyed analysis of social and economic problems, particularly in health care, his deep commitment to social justice and racial equality, his quick wit, his insuppressible optimism, personal courage, and his ability to inspire those around him to join him in the battle for a more equitable and caring world.
Beginning in the late 1980s, he was perhaps the nation's most eloquent and high-profile spokesperson for single-payer national health insurance, or improved Medicare for all, and was a vigorous champion of single-payer legislation, notably "The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act," H.R. 676, sponsored by Rep. John Conyers Jr. and others.
Dr. Young graduated from Northwestern Medical School and did his residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. During the 1970s and early 1980s, he served as chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Cook County, where he established the Department of Occupational Medicine. In 1983, Chicago Mayor Harold Washington appointed him president of the Chicago Board of Health, where he served with distinction. From 1952 to 2008, he was an internal medicine doctor in private practice in Chicago's Hyde Park community, where he lived most of his life.
For many years Dr. Young hosted a popular program on WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station, where he discussed health and social issues and took calls from listeners.
In 1998, he had the distinction of serving as president of the American Public Health Association and in 1997 was inducted as a Master of the American College of Physicians. In 2009 he was appointed Health Advocate for the state of Illinois by Gov. Patrick Quinn.
In addition to his distinguished career as a physician, Dr. Young was a leader in public health policy and medical and social justice issues. He was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s personal physician during the latter's stays in Chicago, and during the civil rights era he served as national chairman of the Medical Committee for Human Rights.
In 1999, Physicians for a National Health Program established the "Quentin D. Young Health Activist Award" to honor physicians and other health professionals who exemplify Dr. Young's commitment to social justice. It is regarded as PNHP's highest award.
In his 2013 autobiography, "Everybody In, Nobody Out: Memoirs of a Rebel Without a Pause," Dr. Young wrote as follows:
"From my adolescent years to the present, I've never wavered in my belief in humanity's ability - and our collective responsibility - to bring about a more just and equitable social order. I've always believed in humanity's potential to create a more caring society.
"That viewpoint has infused my relations with family, friends, patients and medical colleagues. It's been a lifelong, driving force to promote equality and the common good, and I believe it has served me well.
"I suppose being a physician has made it easier for me to work toward this goal. Easier, that is, than if I had chosen a different occupation. I've spent a lifetime trying to help others - in my daily rounds, in my clinic, as a hospital administrator, at demonstrations, in my work with health advocacy groups - and it all adds up to deeply rewarding career. Few people have such good fortune.
"But as you've no doubt noticed in the preceding pages, my views and actions have also propelled me into sharp conflict with institutions and person who would perpetuate injustice. That was true yesterday; it remains true today. My work is unfinished."
PNHP extends its condolences Dr. Young's family and friends, and we pledge to carry on his work, forever inspired by his example.
Physicians for a National Health Program (www.pnhp.org) is an organization of 20,000 physicians who advocate for single-payer national health insurance. It was founded in 1986.
Invitation to: Closing the Gap Panel Discussion, March 16 @ 11:30 a.m.
February 25, 2016
The League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, along with the NC Justice Center, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, NC Child, and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association are on a mission to educate the community about Medicaid expansion. Medicaid expansion in North Carolina can be a complicated and daunting thing to dissect, so we've brought in some help.
Join us for lunch on Wednesday, March 16 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Myers Park Baptist Church in Heaton Hall (1900 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC, 28207) as we learn more about bringing affordable health insurance to our state.
Panelists Susan F. Shumaker, RN, MHA, FACHE (President, Cone Health Foundation), Rob Luisana (Managing Partner, Pilot Benefits) and Adam Linker (Co-director, Health Access Coalition at the NC Justice Center) will discuss the impact that decision has had on our state, and how a future decision to expand coverage could change the state of North Carolina as we know it.
Please register - goleaguego.org/Lunch.html - for this event and order a box lunch (optional) by March 10, 2016.
We need everyone to learn more about the benefits of closing the gap. Please use these materials to INVITE your members and supporters to the event:
- Promotion kit with pre-written, easy-to-use newsletter blurb, social media posts, website copy, event listing.
- Invite flyer and images
Hope to see you AND your supporters there!
Responses to recent criticisms of single-payer health care
January 22, 2016
Single-payer has been much in the news lately, criticized by Chelsea and Hillary Clinton, and by Paul Krugman in the New York Times.
This has generated many responses worth reading.
Note that PNHP welcomes this debate. Please do see their response below - with attention paid to the myths that are out there (and which you undoubtedly hear):
And here is another excellent, brief and clear article by Dr. Adam Gaffney in US News and World Report:
Jessica Schorr Saxe
What questions do you want covered on Feb. 4, and some single-payer news
January 19, 2016
Hi, single-payer supporters,
As I think about the single-payer update meeting for Feb. 4, I realize there are a lot of possible topics that could be covered in a limited period of time. Please let me know what you are most interested in. And you might think about this as a place to get answers to some of the objections you hear when you talk to others about Improved and Expanded Medicare for All.
Among the topics we could discuss are:
- Changes in economic inequality
- Racial inequalities
- Medicare Advantage plans (.e.g., added expense and shortcoming)
high deductible health plans (and the fallacy of the "skin in the game" justification)
- Medicaid--why we need expansion, and the shortcomings of Medicaid and why we need more than expansion
- For-profit vs. not for profit health care
- Pharmaceuticals (costs, etc)
- Review of comparisons of US vs. other countries re:
- Health care costs
- Health statistics (including information that shows that our poor health outcomes are not due to poorer health habits)
- Canada's national health program
Let me know what you'd like to hear!
Single-Payer has been in the news lately. Thomas Friedman wrote a column for the NYTimes that was reprinted in the Observer in which he outlined an agenda that "could actually make America great again." The first item was a "single-payer universal health care system."
On a less positive note, Hillary Clinton attacked Bernie Sanders' single-payer proposal. There has been a considerable response in the media about her disingenuousness--e.g., from Bill Moyers and Ezra Klein. And yesterday, in the New York Times, Paul Krugman has highly critical of the pursuit of single-payer. Though he's a really smart guy, I think that some of his comments were inaccurate. (e.g., he thinks there would be a big backlash from all the people who have great employer-sponsored insurance. I am skeptical that there are many of those around--at least not many people who have actually been sick and tried to use it.)
I try not to flood you with information, but, you'd like more on this topics, let me know.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Good News About Medicaid Expansion
January 14, 2016
Hi, All,
Obama's proposed 2017 budget includes the federal government covering 100% of the cost of the newly-eligible Medicaid recipients for 3 years no matter when a state accepts the Medicaid expansion.
(Previously this was available only to states that accepted the expansion by 2014.)
NC is now one of only 19 states that hasn't expanded Medicaid, so maybe this will prove to be an incentive:
Talk this up on social media, discuss with your friends and anyone you know in political life or the media.
As we all know, we eventually need to go beyond Medicaid expansion to a system that would cover everyone equitably. But Medicaid expansion is something we could accomplish in the shorter term that would help hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Once again, in case you think you're in a minority, look at this
December 18, 2015
Hi, single-payer supporters,
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll shows that a majority of Americans favor the idea of Medicare for All.
So, once again, if some responds to your support of single-payer by saying, "Isn't that idea dead?" or "aren't you in a minority?," you can assure them the single-payer idea is alive and that, if fact, you're not in a minority (and that maybe they'd like to get on board if they're not already).
See below for the report and for Don McCanne's comments.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: December 2015
By Bianca DiJulio, Jamie Firth, and Mollyann Brodie
Kaiser Family Foundation, December 17, 2015
From the Tracking Poll:
As the presidential primaries inch closer and candidates begin to debate the intricacies of their platforms, a long-discussed health policy option has reemerged in debate between democratic candidates; the idea of creating a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance through an expanded, universal form of health insurance called Medicare-for-all. When asked their opinion, nearly 6 in 10 Americans (58 percent) say they favor the idea of Medicare-for-all, including 34 percent who say they strongly favor it. This is compared to 34 percent who say they oppose it, including 25 percent who strongly oppose it. Opinions vary widely by political party identification, with 8 in 10 Democrats (81 percent) and 6 in 10 independents (60 percent) saying they favor the idea, while 63 percent of Republicans say they oppose it.
From the Press Release:
Recently Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders debated the idea of "Medicare-for-all," which involves creating a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance through an expanded version of the Medicare program. A large majority of Democrats (81%) support the idea of Medicare-for-all, as do most independents (60%), while most Republicans (63%) oppose the idea. The poll did not ask about details or tradeoffs.
At the same time, few Democrats say the issue will be the driving force behind their vote: just 5 percent of Democrats say that it will be the single most important factor in their presidential vote. A third of Democrats (34%) say it will be very important, but not the most important factor, while others say it will be one of many factors they will consider (36%) or that it won't matter at all (5%). Future polls may explore the issue in greater depth.
KFF December 2015 Tracking Poll:
Press Release:
By Don McCanne, M.D.
Many political insiders contend that a single payer national health program - an improved Medicare for all - is off the table, so essentially all current political efforts are directed to paring back or modifying the Affordable Care Act - Obamacare. Bernie Sanders does not agree and has injected Medicare for all back into the political arena. So what do Americans think about Medicare for all?
This new poll shows that there has been no decline in support of Medicare for all in that 58 percent of Americans still support the concept, in spite of implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Although there is a partisan divide - 81 percent of Democrats support it and 63 percent of Republicans are opposed - it should be noted that 60 percent of independents also support the idea.
Although this poll did not identify reasons for the opinions, it is likely that many who do not support the concept are simply ideologically opposed to social solidarity, though they would likely use different labels (freedom, markets, individual responsibility, etc.). Others may be opposed because they believe the system is working for them and are concerned about the uncertainties of change.
The poll asked Democrats who support Medicare for all whether this issue might affect their vote in the 2016 presidential election. Although they report that only 5 percent of all Democrats consider it to be the most important factor in their vote, in fact most Democrats do consider it to be a factor to some degree, with only 5 percent saying that it is not important.
So now that the Affordable Care Act has been implemented, Americans still want something better. The majority of Americans, including the majority of independents, support Medicare for all. Let's work on it.
How you can help with Medicaid expansion efforts: Medicaid gap story collection
December 2, 2015
Dear Health Care Advocates,
Here is an opportunity for you to assist with the Medicaid expansion initiative over the next few months. Please let me know if you are interested:
The NC Community Health Center Association is collecting stories of people who fall in the health insurance (Medicaid) gap. They would like to take advantage of ACA enrollment events to "capture" people who've just learned from navigators that they are in the gap and collect their personal stories about not having health insurance. They need volunteers who are not assisting people with enrollment to do this. Since there probably would be only a couple of enrollment events between now and the end of enrollment (Jan. 31), it would not demand a lot of time. In advance of the events, volunteers would need to attend a training session. We are talking about scheduling the training sessions during the first week in January. Please let me know if you are interested and more details will follow.
Planned Parenthood (Emily Callen in Raleigh) is leading this effort to recruit and train volunteers and Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (Madison Hardee) is working on this too.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Thanks so much!
Karen Bean
New York Times article: the title says it all: "Many say high deductibles make their health law insurance all but useless"
November 15, 2015
This article makes clear why the ACA isn't a solution to health care availability in the US.
It shows that many people can't afford to use their health insurance because they can't pay the high deductibles.
This is a case for single-payer if there ever was one (and, of course, it is just one of many).
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Guilford Panel Mon.11/16: Single Payer & Environ. w/J.Stein, J.Kotch, more
November 12, 2015
Consider attending this forum which includes Jonathan Kotch, President, of Health Care for All-NC.
It is in Greensboro on Monday evening.
If any of you are able to attend, please let me know.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Excellent Column from News and Observer
November 10, 2015
Dear Health Care Justice--NC members and friends,
Dr. Jonathan Kotch, President of Health Care for All-NC had an excellent column in yesterday's News and Observer about the connection between the recent stories about the increase in white male deaths and the increase in insurance rates in NC (and do note the insurance commissioner's reference to Medicaid expansion)
It is aptly titled:
"White male deaths, high insurance rates and demanding the return of democracy"
Jessica Schorr Saxe
In case you thought technology was the solution to US health care woes
October 24, 2015
Here's an article about Fareed Zakaria's talk to a crowd of health care CIOs in which he explains that technology is not a magic bullet. He explains that why health care doesn't operate by usual market mechanisms and notes "The revolution that's needed here is not an information revolution, it's a political revolution."
Hear, hear!
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Alma Adams co-sponsors HR 676, the Medicare for All bill
September 26, 2015
Rep. Alma Adams of the 12th Congressional District has signed on as co-sponsor to HR 676, the single-payer bill.
She is the first co-sponsor from the Carolinas in this Congress.
Please contact her to thank her.
And thanks to our members who contacted her over the last several months to encourage her to sign.
Medicaid expansion as a social Justice issue: Temple Beth El Wed. Oct 7 at 5:30 PM
September 26, 2015
Join us for an event updating us on the continued need for Medicaid expansion on Oct 7 at 5:30.
This will be held at Temple Beth El, and the public is welcome.
If you know you will be coming you might RSVP to me, but RSVPs are not required.
TAKE ACTION: Medicaid expansion calls, tweets, and letters
September 22, 2015
See instructions from Moms Rising about contacting legislators to add Medicaid expansion to the Medicaid reform bill currently in the legislature.
I did both the letter and calls and they are simple and quick.
(I'm not on Twitter, but maybe you are!)
Jessica Schorr Saxe
The outreach below went out to our membership today. If you'd like to take action by sending a letter to your rep and senator through our system, click here: http://action.momsrising.org/letter/tell-nc-lawmakers-medicaid-reform-should-include-expansion-500k-uninsured-adults-nc/
ALSO! I set up call in lines for both the House and Senate (to send a text message to our members, but they can be used by anyone to call in). Feel free to push them out:
- House: 1-888-678-9477
- Senate: 1-855-976-1858
And - FINALLY - Here are some click-to-tweets for the House and Senate majority and minority leadership. Simply click the hyperlink and it will populate the Tweet for you.
- @NCHouseSpeaker - Medicaid reform should include expansion to 500K uninsured adults in NC! #CloseTheGap #ExpandMedicaid #NCpol
- @PaulSkipStam - Medicaid reform should include expansion to 500K uninsured adults in NC! #CloseTheGap #ExpandMedicaid #NCpol
- @RepLarryHall - Medicaid reform should include expansion to 500K uninsured adults in NC! #CloseTheGap #ExpandMedicaid #NCpol
- @SenatorBerger - Medicaid reform should include expansion to 500K uninsured adults in NC! #CloseTheGap #ExpandMedicaid #NCpol
- @DanBlueNC - Medicaid reform should include expansion to 500K uninsured adults in NC! #CloseTheGap #ExpandMedicaid #NCpol
September 17, 2015
Dear Health Care Justice-NC members and supporters,
Please see letter below from Robert Zarr, President of Physicians for a National Health Program.
Let me draw your attention to the following (corresponding to his numbered points)
1) the Census Bureau report. Here's the article about it in the Observer on-line today (probably in tomorrow's print edition): http://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/health-family/article35480226.html
The point that Zarr makes about underinsurance is critical. Consider writing a letter to the Observer to point out the shortcoming of the report. See the PNHP press release at the bottom of the email for information.
2) Note the Wall Street Journal article controversy.. I would note that you have to be a WSJ subscriber to read the original article, but the follow-up articles are interesting. The costs of single-payer health care are often exaggerated by those who don't factor in the considerable savings.
3) Take a look at the articles on Quality Improvement on the Health Affair blog and the editorial on Pay for Performance, both by the founders of PNHP. The amount of gaming of the system and lack of real evidence for Pay for Performance are downright discouraging.
And note the invitation to attend the PNHP national meeting at the bottom of Zarr's letter. It's a great meeting, and I hope to go—and to see you there.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
September 16, 2015
Dear colleague,
I wanted to draw your attention to three developments, all of which lend themselves to letters to the editor or op-eds (if you are so inclined):
1. This morning the Census Bureau announced that the number of uninsured people in the U.S. dropped to 33 million in 2014, down from 42 million in 2013. In other words, there was a net gain of about 9 million people with insurance.
While any drop in the number of uninsured is to be welcomed, the remaining number of people who lack coverage – 33 million – is still intolerable. We know that lack of insurance leads to unnecessary suffering, hardship and premature death. But a comparable number of uninsured is expected to persist for another decade.
Moreover, the Census Bureau report does not address the rapidly worsening problem of underinsurance, which is deterring many millions of the insured from seeking needed care – again, with costly and tragic consequences.
It's clear that we urgently need to move beyond our existing arrangements to a single-payer system. PNHP issued a news release on the Census Bureau's findings, making these and other points, shortly after they were announced. See the full text of the release below.
2. On Monday the Wall Street Journal published a story with an alarming and highly misleading headline: "Price Tag of Bernie Sanders' Proposals: $18 Trillion." Upon reading the story, it becomes clear that $15 trillion of this amount is the estimated cost of a single-payer system over a 10-year period (as calculated by economics professor Gerald Friedman at UMass, Amherst, in his economic analysis of Rep. John Conyers' bill, H.R. 676) – without taking into account the substantial savings that such a system would yield to 95 percent of U.S. households.
Politico reports that Sen. Sanders, a longtime advocate for single-payer reform (including now as a candidate in the Democratic presidential primary), told MSNBC yesterday that the Journal had "significantly exaggerated" the costs of a single-payer program and hadn't accounted for the benefits of "eliminating the cost that you incur with private health insurance."
Sanders added: "The truth of the matter right now is that as a nation, we spend far, far more on health care per person than the people of any other nation. And yet we continue to have about 30 million people who have no health insurance, many more who are underinsured and we pay, again, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. No question to my mind that moving toward a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program is the most cost-effective way to provide health care to all of our people."
Friedman issued his own reply to the Journal article in his "Open Letter to the Wall Street Journal on its Bernie Sanders Hit Piece" at The Huffington Post.
For the record, PNHP is nonpartisan and neither supports nor opposes any candidate for public office. But we do take an interest in campaign health reform proposals, especially when the discussion includes single payer.
3. New research: Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein, co-founders of PNHP, had two articles published recently that look at the impact of Medicare's pay-for-performance incentives.
One, titled "Quality Improvement: 'Become Good At Cheating And You Never Need To Become Good At Anything Else,'" appeared at the Health Affairs Blog on Aug. 27. Here's the opening paragraph of PNHP's news release on the article:
Hospitals' growing practice of re-labeling Medicare patient readmissions as "observation stays," or treating returning Medicare patients in the emergency room, has allowed many hospitals to skirt Medicare's financial penalties for poor-quality performance that were mandated by the Affordable Care Act, researchers say. However, such practices, while aiding a hospital's bottom line, constitute a form of gaming that frequently leaves patients worse off financially.
The other, titled "Collateral Damage: Pay-for-Performance Initiatives and Safety-Net Hospitals," appeared at Annals of Internal Medicine on Sept. 8. Again, from PNHP's news release:
Medicare's pay-for-performance incentives, which financially reward or punish hospitals depending on whether they hit specific numerical targets in matters such as curbing inpatient readmissions, are having the unintended side effect of taking dollars away from the nation's historically cash-strapped safety-net hospitals and boosting the revenue of wealthier hospitals that serve an economically better-off patient base.
Finally, I hope you'll be able to join me at PNHP's Annual Meeting in Chicago on Oct. 31. If you haven't already registered for the meeting, please do so now. If you can't make it to Chicago, please donate to the Nicholas Skala Scholarship Fund to help medical students from around the country participate. It's a great investment!
Robert Zarr, M.D., M.P.H.
September 16, 2015
Contact: Mark Almberg, PNHP communications director, 312-782-6006, cell: 312-622-0996, firstname.lastname@example.com
More Americans gain health coverage, but many can't afford to use it: doctors group
Census Bureau says number of uninsured has dropped to 33 million in wake of Affordable Care Act, but is silent on problems of rising deductibles, copays, coinsurance and narrow networks that deter people from seeking care
"The Census Bureau's official estimate that 33 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2014 reflects a significant and welcome drop from the 42 million it reported as uninsured in 2013," said Dr. Robert Zarr, president of Physicians for a National Health Program, today. "But the number of people who remain without coverage is still intolerably high. And the Census Bureau report leaves entirely unmentioned the millions of people who have health insurance but who can't afford to use it because of high deductibles and copays."
"Having health insurance is better than not having coverage, as several research studies have shown," Zarr, a Washington, D.C.-based pediatrician, continued. "For example, the 33 million people the Census Bureau says were uninsured in 2014 means that approximately 33,000 people died needlessly last year because they couldn't get access to timely and appropriate care." He cited a landmark study in the American Journal of Public Health showing that for every 1 million persons who are uninsured in a given year, there are about 1,000 deaths linked chiefly to that factor.
"That's an unnecessary death every 16 minutes," Zarr said. "That's completely unacceptable. Moreover, the Congressional Budget Office predicts at least 27 million people will be uninsured every year for the next 10 years – so that's tens of thousands of preventable deaths, year in and year out.
"And keep in mind that even if all the states had accepted the Medicaid expansion, about 24 million people would still be uninsured under the Affordable Care Act," he said. "We simply can't go on like this."
Zarr pointed out that the problem of underinsurance – i.e. of people having skimpy policies with high deductibles, copays, and other forms of cost sharing that deter them from seeking care and that leave them vulnerable to financial distress and medical bankruptcy in the event of serious illness – is not something the Census Bureau addresses in its annual reports. But it should take this question up, he said, especially in view of how rapidly the problem is worsening.
"A recent study by the Commonwealth Fund shows that about 31 million people who have health insurance – nearly a quarter of all non-elderly adults – are underinsured, nearly double the rate in 2003," Zarr said. "Of these, 44 percent went without a doctor's visit, medical test, or prescription due to cost, while 51 percent had problems paying off medical bills or were paying off medical debt over time.
"The average deductible – i.e. before insurance kicks in – for families with popular silver plans in 2015 is estimated to be $6,010, and out-of-pocket costs for copayments and deductibles, after premium payments, for a family of four with an income of about $60,000 per year can be as high as $13,200," he said. "And of course this applies to 'in network' services only. Out-of-network costs can go much, much higher. Such financial barriers are untenable, economically and morally."
"In short, under the new health law we're witnessing a dramatic acceleration of the trend of shifting more and more medical costs onto the shoulders of patients and their families, even as medical costs and premiums rise and as private health insurance companies reap record profits.
"How is it possible that in 2015 one of the richest countries in the world still does not guarantee every resident the right to health care?" Zarr continued. "This question would not be necessary if we had a health care system worthy of the name – single-payer national health insurance, or an improved and expanded Medicare for All."
"A single-payer system would achieve truly universal care, affordability, and effective cost control. It would put the interests of our patients – and our nation's health – first."
Zarr continued: "Our patients, our people and our national economy cannot wait any longer for an effective remedy to our health care woes. The stakes are too high. We need to move beyond the administratively wasteful, complex and inadequate ACA to a more fundamental, comprehensive single-payer national health program for all."
Physicians for a National Health Program (www.pnhp.org) is a nonprofit research and education organization of more than 19,000 doctors who support single-payer national health insurance.
Come to Medicaid expansion - Day of Action, July 16 12:30-1/Please RSVP if possible
July 7, 2015
Please join us for the "Where's the Plan?" Day of Action.
WHO: Medical professionals, impacted people, community health advocates and dozens of concerned citizens
WHAT: Demonstration and press conference to urge Governor McCrory to present his solution to close the Medicaid gap
WHERE: Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center – Plaza side, 600 E. Fourth Street, Charlotte (In the event of rain, the event will be held in the Government Center Lobby)
WHEN: Thursday, July 16th, 12:30 to 1:00 pm (Attendees should arrive at noon. Signs will be provided.)
The "Where's the Plan?" Day of Action is intended to send a clear message that the 500,000 hard-working North Carolinians in the Medicaid coverage gap can wait no longer- the Governor must act swiftly to propose a plan that includes addressing Medicaid expansion.
The Charlotte "Where's the Plan?" Day of Action event is one of six demonstrations and press conferences taking place across the state July 16th to illustrate the local impact and wide-spread public support for closing the Medicaid coverage gap. Speakers will highlight unnecessary deaths and missed opportunities for economic growth resulting from state leaders' refusal to expand Medicaid. Local collaborators include Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, League of Women Voters – Charlotte Mecklenburg, Health Care Justice – North Carolina, ActionNC, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, and Little Rock AME Zion Church.
Governor McCrory stated on multiple occasions that he would announce his Medicaid proposal after the King v. Burwell U.S. Supreme Court opinion which was decided in June. Advocates maintain that North Carolina can afford to wait no longer to address Medicaid expansion, citing studies indicating the Medicaid gap results in more than 1,000 deaths each year and has cost NC 43,000 jobs.
"Where's the Plan?" Day of Action events will take place in Charlotte, Asheville, Greensboro, Raleigh, Greenville, and Fayetteville. Local activists across the state will also contact the Governor's office and take action via social media to urge Governor McCrory to show North Carolina citizens a clear plan that closes the coverage gap in our state.
Please let me know if you can attend!
June 26, 2015
Hi, Single-Payer supporters,
By now you've probably been inundated with responses to the Supreme Court decision maintaining the subsidies in King v. Burwell.
I'm sure you all agree that this was a good decision because of all the devastation that would have been wreaked by the loss of subsidies on all those who depend on them--and for those downstream who would also have been affected.
The PHNP press release is an excellent summary of the issues.
I encourage you to write a brief letter to the Charlotte Observer in response to the Supreme Court decision making the point that it's good that the subsidies were upheld but that ultimately we need a single-payer system. You will find all the points you need in the PNHP communication. You can email your letter to: firstname.lastname@example.com
I also encourage you to communicate this to any other media sources as well as friends, colleagues, etc.
While rejoicing in this victory, we need to move forward to a system that has true universal coverage, quality, and cost controls.
PS Believe it or not, I try to limit these emails so as not to inundate you. But I have a number of other things that may interest some of you--an excellent Harpers July 2015 article about the status of the ACA (it is brutal and accurate), a recent Paul Krugman article about the legacy of slavery--and how it is seen in which states expanded Medicaid, an article by Wendell Potter about the influence of the insurance companies on the Supreme Court decision. If you want any of those, let me know at firstname.lastname@example.com
Commentaries on Robert Reich's Medicare for all proposals
June 23, 2015
Hi, Health Care Justice--NC members and friends,
A couple of days ago I sent around a brief video by Robert Reich supporting Medicare for All and promoting an initial step of a public option of buying into Medicare in the healthcare exchanges.
Below the summary of Reich's article are commentaries by David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler (PNHP founders) and PNHP commentator Don McCanne. They discuss the risk of taking what looks like an incremental step that would lead to a single-payer system, but which might in fact cause more problems than it solves.
Making the Economy Work for the Many and Not the Few
#11: Medicare Isn't the Problem; It's the Solution
By Robert Reich
HuffPost Politics, June 22, 2015
Again and again the upcoming election you'll hear conservatives claim that Medicare -- the health insurance program for America's seniors -- is running out of money and must be pared back.
Baloney. Medicare isn't the problem. In fact, Medicare is more efficient than private health insurance.The real problem is that the costs of health care are expected to rise steeply.
>Medicare could be the solution -- the logical next step after the Affordable Care Act toward a single-payer system.
Please see the accompanying video -- #11 in our series on ideas to make the economy work for the many rather than for the few. And please share.
Some background: Medicare faces financial problems in future years because of two underlying trends that will affect all health care in coming years, regardless of what happens to Medicare:
The first is that healthcare costs are rising overall -- not as fast as they were rising before the Affordable Care Act went into effect, but still rising too quickly.
The second is that the giant postwar baby boom is heading toward retirement and older age. Which means more elderly people will need more health care, adding to the rising costs.
>So how should we deal with these two costly trends? By making Medicare available to all Americans, not just the elderly.
Remember, Medicare is more efficient than private health insurers whose administrative costs and advertising and marketing expenses are eating up billions of dollars each year.
If more Americans were allowed to join Medicare, it could become more efficient by using its growing bargaining power to get lower drug prices, lower hospital bills, and healthier people.
Allowing all Americans to join Medicare is the best way to control future healthcare costs while also meeting the needs of the baby boomer and other Americans.
Everyone should be able to sign up for Medicare on the healthcare exchanges set up under the Affordable Care Act. This would begin to move America away from its reliance on expensive private health insurance, and toward Medicare for all - a single payer system.
Medicare isn't a problem. It's part of the solution.
Video: https://www.facebook.com/moveon/videos/vb.7292655492/10152825520900493/
Public Plan Option in a Market of Private Plans
By David Himmelstein, M.D. and Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H.
March 26, 2009
The "public plan option" won't work to fix the health care system for two reasons.
1. It forgoes at least 84 percent of the administrative savings available through single payer. The public plan option would do nothing to streamline the administrative tasks (and costs) of hospitals, physicians offices, and nursing homes, which would still contend with multiple payers, and hence still need the complex cost tracking and billing apparatus that drives administrative costs. These unnecessary provider administrative costs account for the vast majority of bureaucratic waste. Hence, even if 95 percent of Americans who are currently privately insured were to join the public plan (and it had overhead costs at current Medicare levels), the savings on insurance overhead would amount to only 16 percent of the roughly $400 billion annually achievable through single payer — not enough to make reform affordable.
2. A quarter century of experience with public/private competition in the Medicare program demonstrates that the private plans will not allow a level playing field. Despite strict regulation, private insurers have successfully cherry picked healthier seniors, and have exploited regional health spending differences to their advantage. They have progressively undermined the public plan — which started as the single payer for seniors and has now become a funding mechanism for HMOs — and a place to dump the unprofitably ill. A public plan option does not lead toward single payer, but toward the segregation of patients, with profitable ones in private plans and unprofitable ones in the public plan.
Comment by Don McCanne
In his enthusiastic endorsement of single payer Medicare for all, Robert Reich also renews the call for the "public option" of allowing people to purchase Medicare through the exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act. During the health care reform process, the public option had wide support, but was first weakened considerably and then eventually rejected by Congress in a power play by Sen. Joseph Lieberman.
In spite of the modest benefits of the Affordable Care Act, nothing has changed that would alter the concerns about the public option expressed by David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler and others of us at PNHP.
At the time the public option was being considered, I wrote the following: "The option to purchase a public plan within a market of private health insurance plans would merely provide one more player in our inefficient, dysfunctional, fragmented, multi-payer system of financing health care, that is if the public option even survives the political process. It would leave in place the deficiencies that have resulted in very high costs with the poorest health care value of all nations (i.e., overpriced mediocrity in health care)."
Even if Medicare were offered for purchase in the exchanges, the premiums would not be competitive with the low-actuarial-value silver and bronze plans with their very high deductibles, especially since the Medicare risk pool includes higher cost elderly and disabled individuals. If Medicare were revised to make it competitive, benefits would have to be reduced when what we need instead is an improved Medicare with expanded benefits.
One possibility would be to provide subsidies for those electing the Medicare option, but either the beneficiaries' share would still be too great, certainly making the plan non-competitive, or the public subsidies would have to be greater than those for the private low-actuarial-value insurance plans - an approach that would be vigorously opposed by the all-powerful private insurers.
Besides, it is unlikely that Congress would support higher subsidies for a public option Medicare when their agenda has been the opposite - providing higher subsidies for the private Medicare Advantage plans, sending us in the direction of a privatized Medicare.
Although Robert Reich proposes a public option version of Medicare as a way to begin moving us toward a single payer Medicare for all, it is difficult to perceive how the transition would take place. Offering an option to purchase Medicare is a very small step that leaves everything else in place. As Medicare Advantage demonstrates, one-third of beneficiaries have moved in the opposite direction - from traditional Medicare to private insurance options. That would continue as long as Congress continues to advance policies that cater to the insurers more than they do to the public.
Reich seems to be recommending a two step path to reform - one step offering the Medicare option and a second step of converting to single payer Medicare for all. Quentin Young has compared that to taking two steps to cross a chasm. That first step can lead to a serious misadventure, but it should not be a surprise.
"Medicare for All" in less than 2 minutes by Robert Reich
June 22, 2015
See Robert Reich's 2-minute video on why we need Medicare for All.
Thanks to 2 of our members for passing this on.
Administrative spending on ACA is billions above what it would have been without the ACA
May 29, 2015
This article shows new research about the excessive administrative costs of the ACA.
Between 2014 and 2022, the government projects $273.6 billion (that's about 1/4 trillion $) overhead spending above what we would have spent without the ACA--averaging out to $1,375 per newly insured person each year.
Obviously we need a system that spares us the complexity and all these administrative costs, which are mostly due to private insurance overhead.
Article from American physician who is moving to Canada
May 29, 2015
This article is interesting because the author describes how hard it has been to practice in the US and to feel she must dun her patients for their bills. She has decided to practice in Canada. Note what the article says about the number of Americans who have come there.
Interesting article about medical bills
May 7, 2015
This article by Elisabeth Rosenthal is from the Sunday New York Times about how hard medical bills are to decipher. It notes that one study showed that 90% of hospital bills contain errors--the link to that article is also interesting.
This article reflects my experience. I've made it somewhat of a hobby (though not my most fun hobby) to try to understand my family's bills. Despite being reasonably well-educated, a medical professional and now having considerable experience, I continue to get bills that are baffling.
If you look at this, be sure to read the last paragraph to get an indication about just how complicated it is to understand bills.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Keep the need for Medicaid expansion visible: Tell Governor McCrory to Close the Coverage Gap
April 16, 2015
Thanks to Karen Bean for forwarding this from the League of Women Voters.
We need to keep the Medicaid expansion issue (AKA closing the coverage gap) in the public eye--until it's solved.
See below about contacting the governor--and note there is help with drafting a letter.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
3 short single-payer pieces
April 15, 2015
See below for an excellent article from the PNHP blog about the shortcomings of the private insurance industry and the need for single-payer health care.
And go to the following link for a letter to The State by Dr. Emilio Perez-Jorge, member of Health Care for all SC, supporting the Palmetto Comprehensive Health Care Act, a single-payer bill in the SC legislature.
And see my op-ed in the April 10 Charlotte Observer about the misguided use of "skin in the game" in defense of high deductible insurance plans and other cost-sharing: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article17978219.html
Jessica Schorr Saxe
PNHP Blog
April 8, 2015
Why the Private Health Insurance Industry Has to Go
By John Geyman, MD
The private health insurance industry in the U.S. has had a long run since shifting to medical underwriting and a for-profit status in the early 1960s. It finds itself increasingly dependent on the government as the costs and prices of health care have continued upward since the 1980s. Its many perks from government include tax exemptions for employer-sponsored insurance (ESI), privatized Medicare and Medicaid programs, and longstanding over-payments to Medicare Advantage programs. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has added to these perks since 2010 with subsidized premiums through the exchanges, a "risk corridor system" to protect insurers from losses, and allowing automatic self-renewal for 2015 plans.
Incremental attempts to contain health care costs and reform the system since the 1990s have built upon our current multi-payer financing system. After five years' experience with the ACA, we now know that insurers themselves are a major barrier to achieving the kind of access to affordable care that our population so desperately needs.
Here are some of the major reasons why private health insurers warrant no further bailout by government and taxpayers.
1. Continued discrimination against the sick.
Despite the supposed consumer protections in the ACA, a 2014 letter from more than 300 patient advocacy groups to the Secretary of Health and Human Services described continuing ways that insurers still discriminate against the sick, including benefit designs that limit access, high cost-sharing, restrictive drug formularies, inadequate provider networks, and deceptive marketing practices. A recent study by Kaiser Family Foundation found that only one-third of households with incomes between 100 percent and 250 percent of poverty have enough liquid assets to pay their deductibles, while only about one-half can meet out-of-pocket limits. As other examples, Wellpoint developed an algorithm to search its database for patients with breast cancer with an intent to cancel their policies, while many insurers place all drugs used to treat such complex diseases as cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV in the highest drug formulary cost-sharing tiers, thereby reducing insurers' costs but making the drugs unaffordable for many patients.
2. Fragmentation, inefficiency, and exorbitant administrative overhead.
There are some 1,300 private insurers still trying to maximize their income by avoiding the costs of sicker patients. Their administrative overhead is more than five times higher than that of the single-payer program in two Canadian provinces; the overhead of private Medicare Advantage plans averages 19 percent vs. the 1.5 percent for traditional Medicare. Although the ACA set limits of 20 percent for overhead in the individual market and 15 percent in large-group markets, a recent study has found that those requirements had no effect on insurers' overhead spending over the first three years of the ACA.
3. Increasing costs for less coverage
The ACA provided insurers with four levels of coverage—the so-called "metals"—with actuarial values (what insurers pay vs. what patients pay) ranging from 60 percent (bronze) 70 percent (silver) to 80 percent (gold) and 90 percent (platinum). Not content with those levels of coverage, the industry through its trade group, America's Health Insurance Programs (AHIP), has been lobbying hard for copper plans with only 50 percent actuarial value. Silver plans have been the most popular on the exchanges, so that patients are left with almost one-third of their costs, plus the cost-sharing that was required to get and maintain their policies. All this has led to an epidemic of underinsurance, whether the plans are purchased through the ACA exchanges or through the private insurance markets. The ACA has made the mistake of focusing on raising the numbers of Americans with "insurance", but has not been effective in containing prices or costs of health care, with the result that an increasing proportion of these costs are shifted to patients and families. One-half of bronze plans in seven large U.S. cities require enrollees to pay the deductible (often $5,000) before covering a doctor's visit.
4. Gaming the ACA for profits more than service to patients
There are many examples of this, starting with Medicare Advantage. Many insurers have been cited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for serious violations of Medicare's patient protection requirements, including inappropriate denial of coverage and failure to consider physicians' clinical information. Humana, one of the largest Medicare Advantage insurers in the country, is facing scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice for its risk-adjustment practices, which "upcode" the severity of patients' illnesses in order to gain increased reimbursement, even as they lobby Congress for continued high over-payments. Meanwhile, some insurers are marketing short-term plans that last less than 12 months, evading any of the ACA's requirements.
5. Private insurance has priced itself out of the market.
Premiums keep going up at rates much higher than the cost of living, with little or no containment by regulators. As examples, MetroPlus, a popular new entrant on the New York exchange in 2014, has requested rate hikes of up to 28 percent in 2015 for some of its enrollees, while Florida Blue, the state's largest insurer, has announced an average rate increase of 17.8 percent for 2015. One can argue that the private insurance industry should be regarded as obsolete and not worth saving. However, the ACA has extended its life, including almost $2 trillion in federal subsidies over the next ten years (if these subsidies survive a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on their legality in coming months). Insurers have focused on attracting enrollees with low premiums, high cost-sharing, and low levels of actual coverage. Large insurers such as Wellpoint (Anthem) and Humana expect to receive $5.5 billion in 2015 through the ACA's "risk corridor" provision that protects them from "losses."
6. As their business plan dictates, insurers are leaving unprofitable markets without regard for patients' needs.
Private health insurers are all about making money, so they leave unprofitable markets regardless of the public's needs. A recent example is Blue Shield of California (which just lost its state tax-exempt status with a surplus of more than $4 billion), which withdrew from 250 zip codes in California throughout the state in 2014.
Based on the above, the time has come for us to replace private health insurers with a more efficient, not-for-profit single-payer financing system—national health insurance (NHI)—which could be enacted by passage of H. R. 676, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All.
Geyman, JP. How Obamacare Is Unsustainable: Why We Need a Single Payer Solution for All Americans. Friday Harbor, WA, Copernicus Healthcare, 2015, http://www.johngeymanmd.org
Other references are available at either link below.
PNHP Blog:
Huffington Post (Same article):
Health: The Right Diagnosis and the Wrong Treatment by Marcia Angell | The New York Review of Books
April 6, 2015
Thanks to both Pat Moore and John Clark for sending this article. You may have read Steven Brill's Time magazine article "Bitter Pill" and read about his recent book about the American health care system. I agree with Marcia Angell that he got the description of our failings right--and the prescription for change completely wrong.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Invitation to hear 2 HCJ--NC members talk about Medicaid expansion on April 15
April 5, 2015
Ann Newman and Karen Bean will be discussing the need for Medicaid expansion in NC at the League of Women Voters lunch meeting on Wed. April 15.
As you know HCJ--NC is supporting the Medicaid expansion--as we work for the more definitive solution of single-payer health care.
Invitation is below.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Information about Medicaid expansion
March 24, 2015
Ann Newman, Karen Bean and I drove to Raleigh today for Medicaid Expansion Advocacy Day. We were heartened to hear that bills have been introduced in both the House (HB 330) and Senate (SB365). While no one expects any movement on expanding Medicaid any time in the near future. speakers suggested that there has been a little bit of progress.
For more information about today's events, see:
ABC11: http://abc11.com/politics/advocates-call-for-north-carolina-to-expand-medicaid/570675/
WRAL: http://www.wral.com/advocates-plan-day-to-call-for-nc-to-expand-medicaid/14535451/
And, for more information about the impact of Medicaid expansion with a county-by-county breakdown, see: ncmedicaidexpansion.com.
Did you realize that expanded Medicaid would cover over 32,000 people and create an estimated 2400 jobs in Mecklenburg County in 2016?
Please do contact your legislators and let them know that you support Medicaid expansion. And, if you're interested in more information, let me know.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please come! Medicaid Expansion Advocacy Day, Tue 3/24/15
March 13, 2015
See excellent email below sent by Gary Greenberg of Health Care for All NC.
If you are available, consider coming to Raleigh to advocate for Medicaid expansion.
If you can come, let me know. And let me know if you'd like to car pool.
Health Care Justice--NC will be represented, and we will include our fliers in the information distributed.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Corrected email Medicaid Expansion actions
February 10, 2015
See note below from Karen Bean, co-chair of our Legislative Committee, requesting that we write post cards to key players in the decision about expanding Medicaid.
It doesn't take long! Don't have a post card? I used a 6" x 4" plain index card and taped my typed message to it. A post card stamp is 34 cents.
And when you open the attachment, note the typo on Gov. McCrory's name.
From Karen:
The Medicaid Expansion scripts are attached for distribution. The Steering Committee agreed last night to write individual postcards to the key players involved in bringing Medicaid Expansion to the floor. Handwritten postcards may receive more attention than email.
This attachment includes:
~ 9 versions of messages asking for North Carolina to accept Medicaid Expansion funding. Select scripts and feel free to personalize and edit.
~ Addresses of Governor McCrory, Senator Phil Berger, and Representative Tim Moore
~ A link to identify your own representatives. Postcards to them would be helpful also!
Please let me know who you send postcards to as we are tracking this for "Close the Gap" grant reporting.
Karen (firstname.lastname@example.com)
What It's Like When You're An American Using Britain's NHS
January 31, 2015
Thanks to David Caldwell for forwarding this article comparing the American health care system with Britain's from someone who has used both.
This is particularly interesting because the UK has a system that is much more "socialized medicine" than many other developed countries.
qotd: New poll on single payer and a Medicare buy-in
January 24, 2015
Thanks to Pat Moore for sending the following link to a Common Dreams article about a recent poll showing that a majority of likely voters would favor a single payer plan: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/01/20/single-payer-its-what-people-want
And see below for more on this poll--and Don McCanne's comments on why voluntary buy-in to a public option (which polled even higher) is not really a good option.
From: Don McCanne
Date: Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 4:18 PM
Progressive Change Institute
Poll of Likely 2016 Voters
Conducted by GBA Strategies, January 9-15, 2015
"Enact a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance through an expanded, universal form of Medicare."
51% Support
36% Oppose
12% Neutral
Percent supporting by party
79% Democrat
23% Republican
45% Independent
"Give all Americans the choice of buying health insurance through Medicare or private insurers, which would provide competition for insurance companies and more options for consumers."
71% Support
13% Oppose
14% Neutral
Percent supporting by party
77% Democrat
63% Republican
71% Independent
Comment by Don McCanne
This poll shows that the nation's attitude towards single payer remains essentially unchanged. About four-fifths of Democrats support single payer, three-fifths of Republicans are opposed, and Independents remain evenly split. But what about the attitude towards the "public option" - allowing all Americans the choice of purchasing Medicare instead of private insurance?
Support for the option of a Medicare buy-in is strong across the political spectrum. What can we make of this?
The debate in Congress during the reform process was highly partisan, the public option having been defeated by the defection of just one senator - Joseph Lieberman. The support that we now see amongst Republican voters is probably genuine. The opposition of the Republican members of Congress at that time was probably more related to the decision to defeat the Affordable Care Act (ACA) regardless of any benefits in it, just to "make Obama a one-term president."
If the Republicans in Congress can forget about their prior opposition and decide that they want to move forward with constructive policies, those who want changes in Medicare may decide that placing it in competition with private insurance plans may bring market concepts to the traditional Medicare program. They can conveniently ignore the fact that the current market experiment with private Medicare Advantage plans has been unsuccessful in providing comparable benefits at a lower cost.
The Democrats in Congress are likely to support a renewed effort to enact a public option, especially since many still regret that it was not included in ACA.
We have to keep in mind that the insurance industry was successful in changing the public option from a Medicare plan to a public plan that had most of the unfavorable features of private health plans along with restrictions on how it could compete with private plans. This was to prevent it from having an "unfair advantage" in the marketplace - by giving the private plans an unfair advantage over the public option.
During the implementation of ACA we have seen that the private insurers still control the puppet strings. Should the political environment become more favorable for a public option, we can be sure that the insurance industry will once again write the legislation, creating a flawed public option that will surely invoke the wrath of those enrolling in the program, "proving" once again the meme that "the government can't do anything right."
These comments bring back memories of how the reform debate was hijacked by histrionics over the public option, which played into the hands of the insurance industry. The debate should have been over single payer, but remember we were emphatically and ungraciously denied a seat at the table from very early on in the process (back when the Democratic strategists in control wanted us to sell "CHOICE" to the public - choice of private health plans - and single payer was banned from the strategy sessions).
Little attention was given to the fact that adding another option - the public option - would still leave in place our inefficient, costly and highly dysfunctional system. We would have gained virtually none of the other benefits of single payer. And that would still be true if we abandon our quest for single payer and head off towards the Medicare buy-in. We would still have an outrageously expensive system with profound administrative waste, and intolerable inequities in affordability and access.
At least more Democrats favor single payer (79%) than favor the Medicare buy-in (71%). We need to start tailoring our message to appeal to the Republicans and Independents as well.
Charlotte Observer article about Jan. 20 speaker Dr. Oliver Fein
January 12, 2015
What really happened to Vermont single-payer
January 11, 2015
Many of us were looking to Vermont to lead the way by having a state single-payer plan.
It was a big disappointment when Gov. Shumlin backed off from those plans a few weeks ago.
Unfortunately those plans were never truly single-payer.
See here for an explanation of what really happened by the founders of Physicians for a National Health Program--and a commentary by Don McCanne that reminds us us that all is not lost--and that we need to keep plugging away at this important issue.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Comment by Don McCanne
The special weekend release of this commentary is designed for widespread distribution to help bring together members of the single payer community, not only within PNHP but also including all individuals and organizations that have been and will continue to be dedicated to the cause of health care justice for all.
The value of this commentary by Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein is that it provides a general perspective on what actually did happen, and leaves us with a positive sendoff on the path forward.
Their description of the events that actually took place allows us to dismiss the tangle of minutiae that has not only been disruptive within the single payer camp but has also allowed the conservatives and libertarians to falsely label the single payer concept as an abject failure. Much more importantly, this commentary provides lessons that can help reunite all of us, on both the state and national levels, in our common quest for single payer reform.
Please share the commentary or the link to it with your single payer colleagues and organizations.
Onward together!
2 recent Charlotte Observer articles
December 20, 2014
Here are 2 recent Observer articles that highlight the need for a single-payer health system in more and less obvious ways.
The first article (posted Dec. 11) is the more obvious. The headline in the print version was "America awash in medical debt." It notes that almost 20% of US consumers with credit records (almost 43 million people) have medical debt. More than half of all debt comes from medical expenses.The problem is not only the amount of medical costs, but also how unexpected--and baffling--the bills are.
These are issues that would obviously be remedied by single-payer.
The 2nd (posted Dec. 16) "Rush is on to get in to see doctors" describes the end-of-the year rush for people to get doctor's appointments-- e.g.,if they have met their 2014 deductible and want to get in before they start a new deductible countdown or if they have money left in flexible spending accounts. And many will not be able to get appointments and will lose money.
While this may not be quite as obvious, this is also an argument for single-payer. Why should there be a mad rush for health care at the end of the calendar year due to quirks of insurance coverage? What if we were all just covered continuously?
Now that's something to look forward to.
Watch for our Jan. 20 event with Dr. Oliver Fein.
Thanks to those of you who have contributed to HCJ--NC--and those who plan to.
Have a happy holiday season!
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Please help us in our work: please read
December 6, 2014
Many thanks for your support and for all you have done for the single-payer issue, educating yourselves, attending our events, reading materials, and, most importantly, discussing this issue with your friends, families and acquaintances.
We are in the process of bringing to you events, and speakers for the coming year 2015. Mark your calendars for a national speaker coming Tuesday evening January 20!
We are a volunteer organization with a hard-working steering committee as well as other active members. As you know there are expenses associated with our work.
As you consider your end-of-year contributions, please make a donation to assist us to continue our work in advocating for and educating the public about single-payer health care.
You may donate at our website http://pnhphcinc.org or mail a check to:
Health Care Justice--NC
PO Box 32384
Charlotte, NC 28204.
Also, you are encouraged to become a member of the national organization, Physicians for a National Health Program. Membership fees are:
Physicians in active practice $120.00
Residents, retired and low income physicians $40.00
Non-physicians $40.00
You may access their website at: http://www.pnhp.org.
And consider volunteering your time and talents to Health Care Justice--NC.
Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season.
Jessica Schorr Saxe and the HCJ-NC Steering Committee
Is anyone available to speak in favor of Medicaid expansion in Raleigh on Wed Dec 10 U.N.
December 6, 2014
See below: the approach to this is that NC is in violation of UN Article 25 - Health Care for All.
If you can go, you can contact Will Cox directly.
Do let me know if you're going.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
NC Legislature's Refusal to Expand Medicaid Violates the Basic Human Rights of 500,000 People
We are asking for physicians, healthcare advocates and human rights advocates who are willing to speak at an upcoming press conference on the North Carolina Legislature's refusal to expand Medicaid. Participants are encouraged to address the impact of this decision and the right of all individuals to have equitable access to high-quality health care, which should be provided as a public service.
What: Press conference to address North Carolina's violation of Article 25 of the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights
Where: The press room of the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, NC
When: Wednesday, December 10th at 10:00am
To commemorate Human Rights Day on December 10 when the UN General Assembly ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, we propose holding a brief press conference at the North Carolina General Assembly to change the conversation about the seriousness of the North Carolina government's outrageous decision not to expand Medicaid. At the press conference, NC Senator Earline Parmon and others will demand the expansion of Medicaid and stress the importance of providing every North Carolinian with greater access to health care. We would also like to have supporters sign the Medicaid Expansion Resolution that was drawn up by Health Care for All NC.
The North Carolina General Assembly's refusal to expand Medicaid could result in the deaths of 1,000 to 2,800 North Carolinians because of inadequate access to health care. Over 1 million people remain without health insurance in the state, including between 300,000 to 500,000 individuals who would be eligible if Medicaid were expanded. The refusal to expand Medicaid constitutes a violation of Article 25 of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services..."
For further information contact Will Cox.
NY Times article on the important problem of underinsurance--and why the ACA isn't solving everything
Much of the discussion about the ACA focuses on the issue of insured vs. uninsured and skirts the issue of the underinsured.
In fact, underinsurance is a serious problem which may actually be increasing.
Read about it in this excellent NY Times article.
Wonderful (and brief) article about what medicine is--or should be--all about
December 3, 2014
I usually confine these mailings to communications that are explicitly about single-payer (or urgent access issues such as Medicaid expansion).
This beautifully written 1-page article in JAMA (and written by Dr. Daaleman from the family medicine department at UNC) talks about the need to restore mercy as a foundation for our practice. I am sending it just because I think it is so important.
And, if you read carefully, you will see that some of the barriers to mercy--such as "administrative waterboarding" (an apt phrase) and emphasis on "production-based activities"-- are obstacles that would be improved if we had a single-payer, nonprofit-dirven health care system.
Enjoy reading it.
Please look at sign, circulate petition to expand Medicaid in NC
November 3, 2014
Please look at this petition to expand Medicaid in NC which is being circulated by our friends at Health Care for All NC.
I hope that you will sign. Note the faith-based emphasis. I hope that you will circulate it in your congregations--and respond if your congregation would like a presentation on the Medicaid expansion.
The Petition to Expand Medicaid in North Carolina
And to anyone who could go to Raleigh on Monday: Medicaid Expansion Rally w/NAACP, Raleigh, this Mon 10/20
October 18, 2014
This comes from Health Care for All NC, our sister organization.
If anyone can attend, please do!
It looks like it will be a powerful event.
Mecklenburg County Expand Medicaid Vigil: tomorrow Sat. Oct 18
October 17, 2014
Joel Segal, one of our partners in working for the Medicaid expansion, sends this about a vigil for the Medicaid expansion to be held in Charlotte tomorrow.
This is part of a national movemnt.
Dear Friends:
Just got this from PDA. MOVEON is sponsoring a national Medicaid expansion vigil tomorrow, Saturday, October 18, 7:00pm, Charlotte City County Building, 600 East 4th Street.
Please send this email to all of your friends, colleagues, and family members. There is already national press regarding the "death count vigil."
Please read this about high-deductible health plans
October 14, 2014
You will read much about how many people are moving to high-deductible health plans, either to take advantage of lower premiums or because that is all that is offered them. The theory is supposed to be that this will be a motivator to spend more wisely on their health care.
Please see here--and note that these plans affect both access and financial well-being.
Jessica Schorr Saxe
Invitation to press conference TOMORROW Oct 7 at 11: ACA Medicaid Expansion And Universal Health Care Press Conference
October 6, 2014
We invite you to this press conference that we are co-sponsoring in support of the Medicaid expansion and single-payer health care.
Ann Newman will speak for Health Care Justice--NC.
Feel free to let me know if you have plans to attend.
Ed Weisbart Grand Rounds and NY Times article about the ACA
August 4, 2014
Last Thursday evening we had a very successful Standing Room Only talk by Dr. Ed Weisbart. Thanks to those of you who attended. For those of you who couldn't (or who want to hear more), here is a Grand Rounds he did last November: http://www.pnhpmo.org/friendship-grand-rounds.php (And I'm trying to get a presentation with more current information but have not yet been able to access it.)
And yesterday's NY Times had an article about the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. I send the link with Don McCanne's commentary below. I think he is quite right that the problem is not people's ability to understand the ACA and the policies that are available, the problem is that complexity is part of its design (and, as far as I can tell, it's impossible for mortals to understand).
My prediction is that we will hear a lot about the euphoria of people who are finally insured--and that, before too long, much of that euphoria will be replaced by distress,as people discover they cannot afford their co-pays or deductibles and that the doctors they want to see are not in their networks. Etc.
The New York Times
August 2, 2014
Newly Insured, Many Now Face Learning Curve
By Abby Goodnough
Advocates of the Affordable Care Act, focused until now on persuading people to buy health insurance, have moved to a crucial new phase: making sure the eight million Americans who did so understand their often complicated policies and use them properly.
The political stakes are high, as support for the health care law will hinge at least partly on whether people have good experiences with their new coverage.
Many people who signed up for private coverage through the new marketplaces had never had health insurance, and even the basics — like what a premium is and why getting a primary care doctor is better than relying on the emergency room — are beyond their experience. Others have a sense of how insurance works but find the details of the marketplace plans confusing, especially if they signed up without the help of someone who understood them.
Insurers, too, are trying to help ease their new members' confusion. Independence Blue Cross, which enrolled 165,000 people in its marketplace plans, has representatives traveling the Philadelphia region this summer in a tractor-trailer, the Independence Express, and offering educational seminars. Independence also has tried to reach all of the new members by phone to welcome them and "make sure they understand what they bought," said Paula Sunshine, the company's vice president of consumer sales and marketing.
The company knew going in that the learning curve would be steep. It held focus groups last year with nearly 2,000 people and found, for example, that virtually none knew what coinsurance was.
In one sign of widespread confusion, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey of programs that helped people apply for marketplace coverage found that 90 percent had already been re-contacted by consumers with post-enrollment questions.
Comment by Don McCanne
If health care reform had worked the way it should have, today anyone could get the health care that he or she needed without having to worry about how to pay for it. What are we seeing instead? Just trying to enroll in health care coverage has been a very difficult process for many, and tens of millions will still remain uninsured. And today's article shows how problematic the next step is - trying to put your coverage to use.
Some of the problems have already been widely publicized. Newer plans, especially those in the exchanges, have low actuarial values (i.e., very high deductibles and other excessive cost sharing). Cost sharing can make care unaffordable for those with modest incomes. Plans are now using narrow- and ultra-narrow networks of hospitals and health care professionals which limit patients' choices in their health care, often preventing access to the most appropriate physicians and hospitals. We are now seeing tiered levels of specialized services and pharmaceuticals in which patients are financially penalized if they use specialists or drugs in the higher, more expensive tiers even if they are clearly preferred for medical reasons. The penalty is assessed by the insurers strictly to dissuade patients from using more expensive care even though it may be better care. Patients are also having difficulties determining not only whether specific providers are in or out of their networks, but also which tier they are in and what that means. Furthermore, the provider enrollment in these networks is quite unstable, not to mention the instability that arises when the patient must change plans and therefore change networks. This says nothing about the problems patients face when they try to get an appointment and find that there are no openings, or find that the distances are too far - directly due to the insurance innovation that promises a higher volume of patients to fewer physicians so that insurers can get greater discounts, even though overloading their practices. The list goes on and on with administrative excesses that are designed to enhance the business performance of the insurance products at a cost to the patients that they should be serving.
It should not have been this way. A single payer national health program would have automatically enrolled everyone; it would have included all providers, and it would have been financed through equitable taxes, making it affordable for everyone.
Although this New York Times article presents the problem as a need to teach individuals the complexities of using these newer insurance products, the problem is actually the complexities themselves and the tremendous injustices that ensue.
The remainder of this comment is composed of more excerpts from the NYT article. The experience of Salwa Shabazz should enrage us and drive us to demand health care justice for all. Her case shows us the compelling need for comprehensive structural reform of our health care financing system.
The following are excerpts from the NYT article (link above):
Last week, Salwa Shabazz arrived at the office of a public health network here with a bag full of paperwork about her new health insurance — and an unhappy look on her face. She had chosen her plan by phone in March, speaking to a customer service representative at the federal insurance marketplace. Now she had problems and questions, so many questions.
"I've had one doctor appointment since I got this insurance, and I had to pay $60," Ms. Shabazz told Daniel Flynn, a counselor with the health network, the Health Federation of Philadelphia. "I don't have $60."
Mr. Flynn spent almost two hours going over her Independence Blue Cross plan, which he explained had a "very complicated" network that grouped doctors and hospitals into three tiers. Ms. Shabazz, who has epilepsy, had not understood when she chose the plan that her doctors were in the most expensive tier.
"None of that was explained when I signed up," she said. "This is the first I'm hearing it."
Independence Blue Cross has focused on making sure people understand the tiered-network plan that Ms. Shabazz chose, which was popular because of its relatively low price but also particularly hard to understand. Ms. Shabazz, 38, paid only about $32 a month in premiums, with federal subsidies of $218 covering the rest. But she could not afford the $60 co-payments to see her specialists on her annual income of $19,000.
Her financial situation worsened when she had to quit her job at the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board in June because of the epilepsy, she said. She had called the federal marketplace to report her change in income, and had received a letter that she handed to Mr. Flynn, hoping he could explain it. The news, he said, was not good: With no more paychecks, she had fallen into the so-called coverage gap, earning too little to keep qualifying for the subsidies that made her premiums affordable, but likely still not qualifying for Medicaid because Pennsylvania has not expanded that program, as 26 states have under the Affordable Care Act.
"You'll probably have to cancel your plan," he said.
Ms. Shabazz's mother, Waheedah Shabazz-El, who had accompanied her to the appointment, shook her head as her daughter wiped away tears. "There are so many layers to this," Ms. Shabazz-El said.
Closing comment by Don McCanne: We are not powerless. Let's demand single payer, and not let up until we get it.
Charlotte Observer article about our speaker
July 24, 2014
Here's the on-line version of the article about Dr. Ed Weisbart which will be in tomorrow's paper: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/07/28/5071943/missouri-doctor-in-charlotte-to.html#.U9bJ-vldVTI
Pass this on to your friends--and note the information about location and time of Dr. Weisbart's talk on Thursday and how to RSVP (if you haven't already).
Waiting Times for medical care--are they really better in the US?
July 8, 2014
Americans often say that one of the benefits of our system is not waiting for medical care.
But is it true that we don't wait as long as people in other countries?
See this excellent NY Times article by Elisabeth Rosenthal which refers to a recent study by the Commonwealth Fund that compares wait times in different countries: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/sunday-review/long-waits-for-doctors-appointments-have-become-the-norm.html
Death of a giant in the single-payer--and medical--world
June 22, 2014
Dr. Arnold Relman, a longtime editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, researcher, clinician, and man of many accomplishments died recently on his 91st birthday. He was a major advocate for single-payer medicine--just one of the many ways in which he was a visionary. He persisted in writing about it and advocating for it, long after most people would have retired to the golf course. In fact, he was at the PNHP national meeting last fall, speaking eloquently on the need for a single-payer system.
This NY Times obituary describes his remarkable career.
See excellent blog entry by Joseph Sparks on PHNP website
May 28, 2014
Joseph Sparks, who is the brother of Harry Sparks, a Health Care Justice--NC member and volunteer, wrote a blog post that was picked up by PNHP.
It has a very clear message about single-payer, which you might want to read to share with friends and colleagues.
The entry can be found here on the PNHP site.
On Medicine and Money
May 3, 2014
I've had discussions with many of you about the relationship between medicine and money (and how money drives so many decisions about medicine).
See below for a thoughtful commentary on that issue that appeared in JAMA.
It was inspired by the publicity given to "Medicare millionaires" that followed a report by CMS--and that the author points out that the issue of medicine and money is much broader and deeper.
Be sure you read through to his conclusion.
JAMA Forum
April 30, 2014
On Medicine and Money
By Eli Y. Adashi, MD, MS
As might have been anticipated, much of the media coverage of the release of the CMS data focused attention on health care professionals dubbed "Medicare millionaires" and their practice patterns. Tantalizing as such details might be, more profound issues were being sidestepped. In particular, little has been said with respect to the uncomfortable relationship between medicine and money.
This is an unfortunate state of affairs, because the ethical and moral challenges associated with the juxtaposition of medicine and money are highly deserving of our attention.
Many see the pairing of money and medicine as a nonissue, and instead view it as capitalism at its best, with medicine being just another market in which competition reigns supreme. For proponents of this point of view, health care professionals might be seen as operatives in a retail business, wherein the volume of sales (of health services) carries the day, creating a vibrant health care market that sparks the scientific innovations upon which we have all come to depend. They see the business model of medicine as no different than that of any other field of pursuit, naturally rooted in foundational libertarian principles. Viewed in this light, the intersection of medicine and money is as American as apple pie. Exemplified by the time-honored "private practice" of medicine, this all-out embrace of the business principles of a market economy remains undiminished—if increasingly untenable.
But there's a potential flaw in this line of reasoning: the presumption of a fail-safe firewall between financial considerations and clinical decision making. Sadly, that may not always be the case.
Clearly, opinions vary widely as to the ethical and moral wisdom of mixing medicine with money. Some would favor a lightly regulated, self-policing field, wherein unfettered entrepreneurship and Medicare millionaires are bound to thrive. According to this outlook, infractions perpetrated by a select few do not warrant the imposition of blanket, heavy-handed oversight.
But those who consider medicine and money to constitute a volatile mix may express preference for another model, such as a national health care system buttressed by a single governmental payer, in which value rather than volume of services determine provider compensation. Under this system, Medicare millionaires are unlikely to flourish.
Article on health care spending and the limits of Obamacare
April 24, 2014
This article from the New York Times discusses how the Affordable Care Act will not control costs--and how various experts predict that we will continue to see an increase in spending and % of GDP that we spend on health care.
In the article, it talks about various approaches--but isn't explicit about the elephant in the room--the amount of money that we needlessly spend on insurance companies and administrative costs.
Even if you don't read the whole article, read the conclusion.
Watch This Doctor Totally School An Anti-Obamacare Senator On Health Care
March 16, 2014
Thanks to those of you who told me that my last email didn't have a link for the exchange between Sen. Burr and Dr. Danielle Martin, VP of the Women's College Hospital in Toronto.
If, for some reason, the link doesn't send, you can go to the Huffington Post website and search "Richard Burr" and it will come right up.
Excellent short article: The ACA and America's Health-Care Mess | Dollars & Sense
January 26, 2014
This article was written by Gerald Friedman who spoke here last May.
It's a great summary of the ACA (achievements and short-comings) vs. single-payer.
Note the graph about the expense of ACA vs single-payer.
Save the date
January 19, 2014
On February 13th we are planning to show a short documentary on the Canadian health care system and hold a panel discussion on single payer. Look out for an evite coming your way soon.
Moral March and Medicaid article
January 18, 2014
There is an important Moral March in Raleigh on Sat, Feb. 8. See message below. I'd like to know whether any of you plan to go--and whether anyone is going as a health professional and/or would be willing to represent Health Care Justice--NC.
Also, I have attached an excellent editorial about Medicaid from the American Journal of Public Health sent by David Keely, President of Health Care for All SC. It counters the arguments that anti-Medicaid expansion people are using about the Oregon Medicaid "experiment" which they are saying showed no benefit. It's a little wonky but worth reading.
Dave participated in South Carolina's Truthful Tuesday rally: http://www.truthfultuesday.net/