Proposed legislation would allow states the freedom to choose their own healthcare system

Some hopeful news. A new bill is being drafted which would allow a clear path for states to develop their very own single-payer, universal health care plans. Representative McDermott (D-Washington) is currently planning to introduce the bill next week, although it would be an uphill battle to get it through the Republican-controlled House.

If this were passed and if states like California passed a universal health care bill, the funds currently allocated to states for Medicare and Medicaid would then be redirected into a state-run public insurance pool. Gone would be the constitutional issues the Affordable Care Act is currently facing, and gone would be the problems most Americans face with securing affordable, comprehensive insurance in an unsteady job market. The vast majority of studies show that states would save a significant amount of money with the implementation of single-payer healthcare plans, and would actually help business growth as much of the employer health insurance burden would be diminished. This would be a significant step towards a more fiscally responsible state government and a win for states' rights advocates.

The LA Times article is here.

One in Four Americans Went Without Healthcare in 2011

A recent study indicated that one in four Americans went without health insurance sometime in 2011, giving a total uninsured count of around 48 million people. The scary thing is, more than 40 percent of those who lost insurance had been covered by employer-sponsored plans. Nobody's healthcare in the US is secure, unless one is on Medicare or the VA, which are single-payer systems. In a country where we spend more money than any other country per person on healthcare, when a full quarter of all citizens go without it is a clear indicator of a severe problem of systemic deficiencies in healthcare distribution.


The article is here.

April Ghouls' Day

Thanks to everyone who made it out to Sunday's April Ghouls' Day march and rally in Downtown Los Angeles! 'Twas a truly scary reenactment of the horrors of corporate healthcare--bloodsucking fiends who would like your money for nothing in return, sick patients being chased to death by industry administrators-- a brainless, heartless system that makes fools of us all.

Check out a few photos from the event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/californianurses/sets/72157629720723815/

Medicaid cuts federal family planning funding to Texas

Women's health IS women's primary care. What a shame.

Texas loses entire women's health program over Planned Parenthood law - Huffington Post

The Contraception Debate

We don't need any more barriers between a doctor and patient. The fewer, the more efficient, the better. The thing about this contraception controversy is that it wouldn't even have been an issue under a single payer system.

The well-said perspective of a health provider:
The Contraception Controversy as Seen Through a Doctor's Lens

Reining in the Budget (a truly serious approach)

A good article about discretionary spending, federal debt, and how health care costs factor into all this.

I think the graph below from the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) explains it rather clearly.

We cannot fix the government deficit without first fixing healthcare. And no, Social Security is not a big issue. So when politicians keep hammering away at being "fiscally responsible," what they usually want to cut doesn't actually make an inch of difference in the long run, and in some cases, can actually make things worse long-term. Tackling health care costs is the only way to do it. And single-payer is the best method.

SB810 will live on

Senate Bill 810 has officially died... for now. With the conclusion of the Senate session, SB 810 went quietly, with no re-vote taken. We can only blame the Democratic senators who didn't vote "yes" when it was put up for a vote, and shame them for not pushing good legislation forward--especially legislation that would benefit their constituents. Shame on them for believing all the nay say about how expensive the bill is and worrying about less $$ flowing into their campaign coffers from insurance companies. That's basically blood money, in my opinion. For all the Republicans that voted no (ALL Republicans, in fact), shame on them for not understanding that the US Chamber of Commerce does NOT have the backs of small businesses and for not understanding basic economics. How many studies (not funded by partisan think-tanks) have to be published saying that universal healthcare systems WORK, SAVE MONEY, and have BETTER HEALTH OUTCOMES before politicians will vote for it? How many dollars will our state (and nation!) waste away before we realize that the only way to put our state on stable financial ground is to deal with healthcare? How many people have to die??

I suppose this could turn into a rather lengthy rant on politics in general, but I'll just repeat what Chris Brown, our Southern California President said in an email to all of us: "It's sad that the ACA will most disproportionately affect Latinos negatively out of other ethnic groups (Latinos are the majority of uninsured in California currently) yet Correa and Calderón, representing heavily Latino areas (Santa Ana--the city with the highest percentage of monolingual Spanish speakers in the US, and Montebello, respectively), voted NO on SB810, which we all know would provide healthcare to ALL Californians." Rubio, Padilla, and Vargas are also of Latino extraction. It's something to think about.

Legislative Action needed TODAY!

Call Senators Wright, Vargas, Rubio, Calderon, and Padilla TODAY to ask them to vote in favor of SB810! It's critical that this is done today--otherwise SB810 will die in the Senate! We need just TWO "yes" votes out of the 5 listed to move this into the Assembly!

Alex Padilla (Pacoima/LA area)
Capitol – 916-651-4020
District – 818-901-5588
Rod Wright (Los Angeles area)
(916) 651-4025
(310) 412-0393
Juan Vargas (San Diego area)
Sac: (916) 651-4040
Dist: (619) 409-7690
Michael Rubio (Fresno/Bakersfield area)
Sac: (916) 651-4016
Dist: (661) 395-2620
Ron Calderon (Los Angeles area)
Sac: (916) 651-4030
Dist: (323) 890-2790

Onward and Forward

We thank everyone for all the support we received this past Lobby Day and the accompanying Day of Action in Los Angeles. We had amazing community turnout and the time we spent lobbying our lawmakers truly made a difference in achieving universal health care in California; Senate Bill 810 has now cleared Senate Appropriations and is headed for a vote in the Senate by the end of the month!  

Our work here is not done. SB 810 needs to pass the Senate vote to move on into the Assembly. We have less than two weeks to accomplish this! PLEASE take a look at this list of Senators who are still on the fence and let them know that we absolutely need this piece of legislation passed--we need to make sure EVERY Senator understands that this affects the future financial health of our state and the overall health of our citizens.

Now for a clip from Lobby Day and the Solidarity March in LA:

2012 CaHPSA Lobby Day for Single Payer Healthcare

If you are a concerned citizen, come join our rally Jan 9th noon at the steps of state capitol!

If you are a concerned health professional student, come join our Lobby Day effort Jan 8th and 9th! Register here

More info for students:

Relevance to Your Healthcare Career: Why should you come?!?!

This timely event will bring together about 500 health professional students from throughout The Golden State in order to become involved in healthcare reform discussions and engage in the public policy process. This is the sixth year in a row that we will be advocating directly with State legislators in Sacramento for a healthcare program that covers ALL Californians! 

The two-day event includes:

Student Leadership Training Day (Jan. 8): Training Day features collaboration between health professional student leaders, health professionals, public officials and health policy experts. Participants will learn how to become effective advocates for a just healthcare system in California.

Day of ACTION! (Jan 9): The day begins with a march through downtown Sacramento to the steps of the state Capitol. We will be joined at a rally of the steps of the Capitol by community members from around the state who have come to support our cause. The day culminates with an afternoon of meetings with elected officials with your well prepared legislative team! 

Enjoy this exciting and dynamic conference to learn about Single Payer Healthcare and CA Senate Bill 810 (SB 810), the California Universal Healthcare Act.

Learn what SB 810 will provide for future healthcare providers and their patients. Speakers will present on the 2010 Affordable Care Act and the need for continued healthcare reform. SB 810 is the key to improving the health and finances of all Californians. Join the movement that makes it a reality! Our communities and legislators need to know how the future of healthcare feels about health reform!