America in Solidarity - Health Care

Over 200 attend Tacoma Health Care Forum

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:50:29 -0400

Here is the email sent out by Healthy Washington Coalition chair Robby Stern following a health care forum on July 1st:

Last night's Caucus in Tacoma exceeded our expectations. Organizers found ourselves pulling chairs out of th convenient storage room as the 150 seats that had been set up proved to be insufficient. All seats were filled(except a couple in front; for some reason, many people don't like the front row!) and people were standing around the wonderful hall provided to us by Temple Beth El. There were more than 200 people
and maybe as many as 250.

The program was appreciated by those in attendance. Dr. Jeff Smith set the context with his presentation of the problem; Damiana Merryweather explained the legislative process that is underway and how the Coalition is moving forward and Yunhee Choi told her story of having to choose between higher education and health care. Then more than 30 participants expressed their views on the most important values that should serve as a foundation for a reformed health care system. The participant speeches were thoughtful, moving and appreciated by those in attendance. All the values are important but the top four proved to be:

4,000 Nurses strike for better patient care

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:43:05 -0400

Some 4,000 registered nurses began a 10-day walkout Friday at 10 Bay Area hospitals operated by the Sutter Health chain in a dramatic protest over patient care conditions. More than 95 percent of the RNs struck the hospitals. Guaranteeing safe RN staffing at all times -- especially ensuring that Sutter RNs are able to take rest breaks and meals -- is one of several key patient safety issues that is at the center of the dispute.

See the California Nurses Association site for more details.

Protect our privacy from the pharmaceutical companies

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:03:19 -0500

The Prescription Privacy bill (HB 2664) is likely to come up for a vote in the Washington State House this Monday (February 4th). We now need to make phone calls and send emails and faxes to our House Representatives asking them to vote in favor of this bill.

These phone calls, emails and faxes should begin today and take place throughout the weekend or early on Monday morning. Big Pharma and the pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies are strongly mobilizing against this bill. Therefore, we need as much response as possible in support of HB 2664.

Call Now! 1 (800) 562-6000 (toll-free)

(Hours: 8:00am-8:00pm M-F; 9:00am-1:00pm Sat.; closed Sunday)

Message: Support HB 2664 to prohibit the sale and use of prescriber-identifiable prescription data for marketing or promotional purposes.

This Prescription Privacy bill would stop pharmaceutical companies from using the prescribing histories of physicians for marketing purposes. Protect the privacy of the patient-physician relationship. Get doctors' prescription pads out of drug reps' sights and marketing efforts. Pharmaceutical companies spend $3 billion annually to purchase prescribing histories of physicians strictly for marketing purposes. This practice, called Data Mining, is usually done without physicians' knowledge or consent and is overwhelmingly opposed by physicians. Data Mining erodes patient-doctor privacy, leads to inappropriate prescribing, undermines
patient safety and drives up costs.

Children or profits?

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:46:46 -0400

Across the country, vigils are set to make a statement that our children's health is more important than the profits of insurance companies. On Thursday, there will be a historic vote in Congress to override President Bush's veto of the expansion of State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP).

The bill maintains coverage for the more than 6 million children already enrolled and extends health care coverage to another 4 million uninsured children. It was approved by large bipartisan votes in both the House and Senate. But the 265–159 House vote fell two dozen short of the of the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush’s veto.

Bush denies health care to millions of children

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:39:59 -0400

President Bush, catering to his friends in the insurance lobby, vetoed legislation that would have given health insurance to millions of American children. Legislation that would have increased State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funding by $35 billion was recently passed by margins of 67-29 in the Senate and 265-159 in the House. The margin in the House just narrowly missed the required two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto.

This follows Bush's recent move that makes it even more difficult for SCHIP to be delivered by those states willing to expand their coverage.

America In Solidarity is urging its volunteers to contact their Congressional representatives and tell them to override this presidential veto.

Contact all your elected officials and tell them that children are just a little more important than the profits of Bush's friends in the Insurance Industry.

President Bush's move denies children health care

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:34:59 -0400

So much for the compassion part of "compassionate conservatism."

At 7:30pm on a Friday night, the Bush Administration sent states new restrictions for State Children Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP). The new restrictions will decimate any chance states will have to insure children by:

Under Bush's unilateral decree, any state that has already expanded or plans to expand SCHIP beyond 250% of the poverty level, a meager $51,625 for a family of four, will have to meet new guidelines that SCHIP experts and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office say are impossible to meet. States must:

show they've enrolled 95% of children below 200% of poverty who are eligible for either Medicaid or SCHIP,

AIS backs Tacoma Proposition #1 for affordable health care

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:28:10 -0400

America In Solidarity is fully supporting Tacoma's Proposition #1 which the voters will decide upon in the November election.

Proposition #1 states: The City Council proposes to adopt a Resolution asking State and Federal lawmakers to enact legislation providing access to high-quality health care for all individuals.

All individuals need medical, dental, and mental health care. We in the United States spend more per capita on health care than any other industrialized country in the world. Unfortunately, 29,000 people in Tacoma , 113,000 in Pierce County , 800,000 in Washington State , and 47,000,000 in the United States are uninsured. Millions find their coverage eroding or disappearing completely. Everyone confronts disproportionately rising cost of medicines, premiums, co-pays, and deductibles.

America In Solidarity will be supporting this measure with phonebanks and other volunteer opportunities. Sign up as a volunteer (upper right corner) if you have not already.

Contact your Congressman about HR 1200

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 20:31:58 -0400

From Suzette Widdison, AIS Volunteer and health care advocate

I'm writing to ask you to write you senators and especially your congressman and ask them to support what I believe to be the most important bill in the U.S. congress in a very, very long time. It is HR 1200, the American Health Security Act.
Here is a link to info:
www.house.gov/mcdermott/issues_healthcare.shtml.

I work every day with patients who either have no insurance or are on/off Medicaid, or have Medicare. So, I do believe all people should be able to go to the doctor without it costing them hundreds of dollars. But this is about more than that. America spends more than twice the amount of any other country on health
care - and yet thousands of people die every year because they don't get care, and thousands more go bankrupt (and over half of those HAVE insurance). Somebody believed in privatized health insurance (it wasn't me) and as a result we have rising insurance premiums to levels most middle-class families can't pay, people who are refused insurance because they are already sick (no "preexisting conditions"), record profits for health insurance companies. Insurance is about pooling risk, but the way our insurance companies work, risk doesn't get pooled, and everybody loses (exept the CEOs, of course).

And guess what? the government already pays for 60% of healthcare. If you work for the government, or you are or have been military, or you are old or going to be old, my taxes already fund your healthcare. So don't tell me you don't want taxes paying for healthcare!

There are other bills out there like HR 676, but I have read HR 1200 and it is a very well-written bill. It preserves the ability for each state to come up with their own system - very important in our big country - and then submit their plan to the feds for reimbursement (Medicaid works like this already). It preserves choice of providers. It has plans for what would happen to the VA system, military system, Indian Health Service, etc. (to find out, read it!) And they've already had the OMB crunch numbers on it, and they look very good.

The thing is, the health insurance industry is very profitable and powerful and they will try to scare Americans just like they did 15 years ago (when the Clintons had a plan) to squelch this thing. So PLEASE, learn the facts, talk to your friends, and call/write your congressperson!!! I'm sick of watching my patients with signs of
cancer not be able to get tests or see a specialist, and I'm sick of hearing stories of bankruptcy from colleagues who have insurance, and I'm sick of paying $467 a month for insurance for JUST ME!!! And I don't even use it!

Tacoma City Council passes health care resolution

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:33:13 -0400

Several America In Solidarity volunteers testified at the July 10th Tacoma City Council meeting to urge the Council to send a resolution to the people on the November ballot stating "The City Council proposes to adopt a Resolution asking State and Federal lawmakers to enact legislation providing access to
high-quality health care for all individuals."

The Council voted to send this ballot resolution to the people on the November ballot. A similar resolution was recently passed in Seattle. AIS pledge signer, Councilmember Julie Anderson sponsored the resolution.

"If every town, city and county in the country passed measures like this, Congress could no longer ignore the populist cry to have affordable, quality health care for every citizen of our country," said Todd Iverson, president of America In Solidarity after the vote. "Our organization is committed to guaranteeing this right for everyone."

Feeling Sick? Do something about it!

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:51:04 -0400

There is no doubt that America has a health care problem. We've detailed many examples, and America In Solidarity has been proud to sponsor several forums on the subject. Now we are asking you to print out a petition and ask your friends, co-workers, or even stand outside a showing of Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko" and get people to sign up. Copy the petition and send to both your United States Senators, your Congressman and any local official.

Wisconsin Senate passes progressive health care plan

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:47:57 -0400

In perhaps the boldest move on health care reform ever in a state, Wisconsin Senate leaders included in the state budget a plan ensuring health care coverage for all residents. The plan, called Healthy Wisconsin, would provide comprehensive coverage and preserve freedom of choice of doctors for all residents who are under age 65 and don't qualify for expanded Medicaid programs. Under the plan, there would be no monthly premiums and only minimal co-pays and low annual deductibles.

Healthy Wisconsin would be financed with a simple payroll tax paid by employees (2-4% of social security wages) and employers (9-12% of wages). Similarly, sole proprietors would pay 10% of Social Security wages and unemployed individuals not eligible for public programs would pay 10% of the adjusted gross income. To ensure affordability for low-income residents, Healthy Wisconsin expands BadgerCare, the state's Medicaid program, to 300% of income for families and to 200% for childless adults.

Health Care woes begin with the insurance companies and pharmaceuticals

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:26:59 -0400

Numbers alone should be enough.

47 million Americans without health insurance
Over 18,000 Americans die each year from a lack of health insurance
Health care costs over 15% of the GDP
America spends twice that of any other nation on health care, yet ranks 37^th in the world by the World Health Organization
Medical bills are the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy
And to make matters worse, 95% of the mostly Fortune 500 companies planned to further restrict health care plans over the next 5 years and 14% plan to stop providing coverage entirely.

Tell your state representative that we want affordable health care in Washington

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:54:13 -0400

A slew of town hall meeting will be taking place on Saturday March 17th across the state of Washington. We are asking our volunteers to go and ask for aggressive health care solutions this session in Olympia including "Secure Health Care for All" which

provides access for all regardless of income, race, ethnicity, age or physical condition;
includes comprehensive benefits to meet the medical needs of Washington families;
improves affordability of health insurance and levels the playing field for small business;
requires greater accountability of insurance companies’ rates and coverage; and
includes cost containment measures that limit administrative costs and improve the sharing of risk.

Where and when your local meeting is...

Private Health Insurance Is Not the Answer

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:54:31 -0500

Phil Mattera of the Corporate Research Project wrote an excellent piece asking why are keeping a hopeless, for-profit health insurance alive?

Healthcare reform is in the air.

Ideas for dealing with the 46 million Americans without medical insurance seem to be popping up faster than new cases of the winter flu. President Bush proposes to use tax deductions to help people buy individual plans. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to make it mandatory for everyone in his state to obtain insurance and would force employers who don't provide coverage to pay into a fund.

Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards would raise taxes on the affluent to pay for subsidies to help those with low incomes obtain policies. Some members of Congress are promoting insurance purchasing pools for small businesses. An odd bedfellows coalition including the Business Roundtable, AARP, the Service Employees International Union and Wal-Mart is pushing for some kind of expansion of coverage but is not saying what form it should take.

Proposed bill would track hospital infections

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:43:33 -0500

AIS pledge signer Tom Campbell has introduced a bill to Washington State's legislature that would require hospitals to identify and report hospital-borne infections. The bill would help not only the safety of everyone, but could address the billions of costs due to infections caught while at the hospital.

From a press release about the bill...

With strong, bipartisan support, the House Health
Care & Wellness Committee today approved a bill to require state
hospitals to identify and report hospital-acquired infections --
infections that a patient didn't have until they spent time in a
hospital.

Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Roy), who has been working on this legislation for
more than three years, said with today passage by the committee, he's
confident his bill (SHB 1106) can make it through the Legislature this
year. He said he expects the measure will be heard on the House floor
within in the next few weeks.

"This is the first step to fixing this deadly problem. It will go a
long way to alert the public about the concerns and the potential for
hospital acquired infections and make hospitals aware of their
responsibility to their patients," Campbell said. "The public has a
right to know about the concern so they can protect themselves and their
families."

Before today's 11-2 committee vote, Campbell told committee members that
each year two-million Americans when hospitalized are exposed to a
variety of infections because of the hospital environment. "Such
infections prove fatal to about 90,000 people annually, and the cost is
staggering," Campbell said.

"When Pennsylvania passed the first-ever hospital-acquired infection
law in 2003, we learned that these incidents cost citizens $3.5 billion
dollars in one year," he said. "Studies show that most hospital stays
routinely cost a patient $31,000. But, for those with hospital acquired
infections, the cost average is $185,000 per stay." He noted that nearly
75 percent of such charges are paid by Medicare or Medicaid. "So, it
affects every taxpayer."

In the past three years, 14 more states have approved similar laws to
protect patients from hospital associated infections.

The measure passed by committee today will require hospitals to report
hospital-acquired infections in all health care facilities, and will
require the Dept. of Health to publish comparisons of hospital infection
rates. The bill requires hospitals to start with blood stream infections
this year, with other types of infection added to state law after Jan.
2011. The bill also has infection grant money included to help hospitals
reduce and eliminate identified infection issues in state hospitals.

"Once we know what the problems are, then we can fix them. But, the
problem will never be solved through concealment and secrecy" he said.
"A transparent system open to all is essential."