Petition Closed

President Obama and Senator Baucus have determined that national single-payer will not be part of the discussion for health care reform; they keep making it clear that single-payer is "not on the table."  Single-payer representatives have not been invited to the March 5th summit on health care, either.  Invited are plenty of insurance companies and other profiteers, and the politicians they've bought.  Yet national single-payer is favored by most Americans.  Let's have real democracy here.  It's national single-payer, H.R. 676, that we have to support specifically, and GET IT ON THE TABLE!

We have to get rid of the insurance companies.  We have to get profit out of the ratio for health care the same way it's not part of our police or fire protection.  Health care is a right.  Everybody in--nobody out.

Letter to
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
President of the United States
I'm distressed to hear that HR 676, national single-payer, is "not on the table" of any discussion of health care reform.  With all respect to the good achievements of politicians in charge, this is unacceptable.  National single-payer is favored by most Americans.  Where's our democracy?  We also hear about a lot of secret discussions with insurance companies.  Where's our transparency?  We've been promised no business-as-usual, and we want to see real change.  It's doable.

Single-payer is the only thing that will work--the least expensive, the most comprehensive, and it has proved its worth in other countries!  It's awfully hard not to like single-payer, unless you're an insurance company, or somebody paid by one.

The insurance companies have only their profits to think about.  They don't care about all the foreclosures and bankruptcies caused by medical bills, or the deaths and disabilities caused by denial of claims.  They want Americans to keep paying those premiums which are getting higher and higher, while they ALSO wind up paying much, if not most, of their health care costs out of pocket.  The companies say:  Bring on the copays, the high deductibles, the doughnut holes, the fine print, the uncovered expenses, the things we never told you about when you signed on with us!  Anything we pay for your care is written up on our books as a loss.  Our job is to reduce our losses and pay our stockholders.  Our CEOs are making millions or billions--but what's an extra set of zeros among friends?  That's the great American success story and we're lovin' it!

Put national single-payer back on the table, where it belongs.  Make it the centerpiece.  We're all watching.  Please let me know what you plan to do.

Thank you.