what is single payer?

from 08 and still pretty much same story. another pile of bodies of folks lacking access to healthcare.

yes, pile of bodies and that pile will grow and grow because we do not have a true universal healthcare system. be proud those who sold out single payer healthcare in the Obama healthcare debates, you helped grow this pile.

SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE MEETING IN ST LOUIS 4-6

Special event and speaker to address current state of the struggle for Single-Payer HealthcareWednesday, April 6, 2011 9:15 PM

Attention all StL area Labor Campaign for Single-Payer Healthcare:



“Winning Universal Health Care Strategies for Victory”



The Missourians for Single Payer Health Care will hold Mosp’s:

Ninth Annual Health Care Address

11 am Sunday, April 17th at the Ethical Society

9001 Clayton Road in Ladue



Featured Speaker will be Ronald Hikel, a top administrator & advisor

On health care systems in Canada & the United States. He currently advises

Congressman John Conyers and has been a key activist in the effort to pass

H. R. 676 introduced by Congressman Conyers & endorsed by the Labor Campaign

For Single-Payer in the 111th Congress.



Hope you will make every effort to join in hearing Ron Hikel and participate in the

discussion at the Ethical Society following his address.







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We Need a Single Payer, Doctor/Patient Health Care System to achieve

We Need a Single Payer, Doctor/Patient Health Care System to achieve “Health Care for All”

Rose Roach, Field Director of the California School Employees Association (CSEA), spoke on single payer to the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party at the Annual Convention in Los Angeles on April 17, 2010. Roach’s union, the CSEA, represents 230,000 school support staff throughout the state and is affiliated directly with the National AFL-CIO.

Clyde Rivers represents the union on the AFL-CIO Executive Council. Roach’s ten minute healthcare report can be viewed on video here:

http://www.progressivecaucuscdp.org/healthcare.html

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old news AFL-CIO endorses single payer health care

This is old news. One could ask, What happened and why?

The latest AFL news is that they got deal with "excise" tax on healthcare benefit. That is a long, long way from single-payer medicare for all and something that will create political dissention among organized labor.

The major union opposing taxing of healthcare benefits is the Machinists, not the steelworkers.

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AFL-CIO ENDORSES SINGLE PAYER MEDICARE FOR ALL

In a unanimous vote, the AFL-CIO yesterday endorsed the Single Payer Medicare for All approach to healthcare reform as the "most cost-effective and equitable way to provide quality healthcare for all." The resolution caps a successful effort led by the Labor Campaign for Single Payer (LCSP), the Labor Caucus for HR 676 (a coalition of national unions) and the All Unions Committee for Single Payer Health Care to put the Federation on record rejecting private insurance and in support of a social insurance model for healthcare reform.
Over 70 resolutions were submitted to the Convention on this subject--more than on any other single issue in the history of the AFL-CIO. Submissions came from a diverse range of labor organizations including 5 national unions, 7 state labor federations and over 60 central labor councils. Yesterday's Convention actions came as a direct result of the mobilization efforts of hundreds of labor bodies, state federations, central labor councils and local unions.

The resolution passed shortly after President Obama addressed the Convention. The Convention also passed a resolution that set conditions for support of the main legislative proposals before the House and Senate but delegates were unanimous in their agreement that the private insurance industry was the biggest roadblock to real healthcare reform.
"We've had debate within our own movement," said United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard, who chaired the discussion,"But what unites us is greater than what divides us."

The single payer resolution charts a clear course for the future by stating that, "Whatever the outcome of the current debate over health care reform in the 111th Congress, the task of establishing health care as a human right, not a privilege, will still lay before us." It supports current single payer legislation including the HR 676 Medicare for All legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers.

Yesterday's vote capped several days of enthusiastic organizing at the Convention. Many delegates wore stickers and buttons in support of single payer. On Monday night, hundreds of delegates attended a reception sponsored by the LCSP and the Labor Caucus. Several national union presidents spoke at the gathering including USW President Leo Gerard and Mineworkers President Cecil Roberts. LCSP Board Members Donna Dewitt,President of the South Carolina AFL-CIO, and Jos Williams, President of the DC Metro Labor Council also spoke. CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro introduced special guest Michael Moore. After the reception, over 1,000 delegates and guests marched through Pittsburgh to a movie theater to watch the U.S. premiere of Moore's new film, "Capitalism, A Love Story".

Twelve delegates gave impassioned speeches in favor of the Single Payer Resolution. IFPTE President Greg Junemann stressed that the resolution reflects the "realities of tomorrow". "We will not rest," he said, "until we have healthcare for all Americans." Clyde Rivers of CSEA spoke of the incredible burden that the costs of the private insurance system places on the backs of public workers in California and elsewhere and of the cost savings that could be achieved through single payer. Jeff Crosby, President of the North Shore (MA) Labor Council said that he was proud that the Federation will assume "moral leadership" of the movement for healthcare for all and of how important that leadership is for our allies in the community.
South Carolina State Federation President urged delegates to support the Weiner amendment which is due to come up for debate in Congress. Rose Ann DeMoro expressed hope on behalf of all nurses that, by the next AFL-CIO Convention, the establishment of single-payer in the U. S. will have moved the country's international healthcare ranking "from a deplorable 37th into the top 10."

"This resolution is an extraordinary achievement," said LCSP National Coordinator Mark Dudzic. "Its passage was made possible by the powerful organizing efforts of grassroots labor activists around the country. Now our job is go back to our communities, build the campaign and take the fight to the halls of Congress."
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Resolution link: http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/convention/2009/upload/res_34.pdf
AFL-CIO Convention Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/jonflan/2009AFLCIOConvention#

Labor Campaign for Single Payer www.laborforsinglepayer.org
contact: organizers@laborforsinglepayer.org

Future of Single Payer debate

Some of the crew might wish to attend this:

February 18, 2010 – St. Louis, MO
The Future of Single Payer in the Health Care Debate

Dr. Pamella Gronemeyer, a pathologist and progressive political activist who lives in Glen
Carbon, IL will talk on “The Future of Single Payer in the Health Care Debate.”

When: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 18
Where: Hanke Room of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd.
The program is sponsored by Missourians for Single Payer and is free and open to the public.
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Hope all participate in the conference call over single payer this evening.

single payer upcoming debate in house Weiner admendment

Charlie A posted this on his blog and is of interest to the folks. C-span snip

more details of today's arrest of single payer folks

The senate committee had single payer folks arrested. Then they went on to discuss how to tax your health care benefits. Good day for the senate, our buddies and I thought John McCain lost the election.

This, my friends, should be a great topic of conversation.

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Senate Considers Tax Increases For Healthcare Reform

Members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday weighed options to implement a federal tax increase to pay for a national healthcare plan.

The Committee is faced with the task of finding feasible options to pay for a healthcare plan that will cover 46 million uninsured people at an estimated cost of about $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

According to the Associated Press, the package is expected to include both spending cuts as well as tax hikes. Senators are weighing options that range from raising taxes on alcohol and sodas as well as restrictions on health care related tax breaks.

On the campaign trail last year, President Barack Obama criticized John McCain’s plan to tax benefits for employer-provided healthcare. Now, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., is considering a similar plan, and Mr. Obama’s aides have reported that the president will consider the option as well.

Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told the committee that the plan would encourage people to spend more on medical services.

"It gives the greatest benefit to those with the highest incomes, although they are the group that least needs help paying for health insurance," Greenstein said.

According to the AP, employer-provided health insurance is not taxed, resulting in lost federal revenue of about $250 billion each year.

Additionally, Medicare is expected to be out of funding needed to pay hospitals by 2019, although some suggest that the recession could exacerbate the problem, according to Reuters.
"Finding money that we can all agree on will not be easy," Baucus admitted.

At the start of the hearing, a group of nurses in attendance were outspoken in protesting their exclusion from the witness table as supporters of government-run health care programs.
Several others in the audience then spoke out in favor of a single-payer system before being removed from the hearing room, according to C-SPAN.

Five protestors have been arrested and charged with “Disruption of Congress,” according to a Capitol Police spokeswoman.
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On the Net:
Senate Finance Committee
Story from REDORBIT NEWS:http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=1687565Published: 2009/05/12 15:06:01 CDT© RedOrbit 2005