Health Care

By David Swanson

Our nation has more money than any other, more weapons than all the others combined, and a majority of its citizens believing it is, in some undefined sense, superior. But the people who live in the United States trail many other nations in basic measures of health and well-being. Almost uniquely among wealthy nations, we leave tens of millions of our citizens without health coverage, and many times that number with insufficient — albeit expensive — health insurance. read more

If we weren’t, there’d probably be a lot of us pushing for single-payer.

Oh, wait.

A strong majority of Americans keeps telling pollsters we want single-payer.

HR 676 has 72 cosponsors and is endorsed by:
U.S. Conference of Mayors and
City of Austin

Oh, and also …

Not to mention …

505 union organizations in 49 states, including 121 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO’s (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, read more

If you want everyone in the United States to have health coverage simply paid for by the government for less money than we spend now, eliminating all health insurance companies, but allowing you to choose any private doctor or hospital of your choice, and boosting the economy with a net gain of 2.6 million jobs …

and if you can be near a telephone or be in Washington, D.C., on March 5th, 10th, or 11th, keep reading.

Here’s an announcement of the March 5th event from Physicians for a read more

This public forum on solving the U.S. healthcare crisis was held in Charlottesville, Va., on February 23, 2009. Do attempt this at home by inviting these and other great speakers.

Welcome by Donna Goings, event organizer:

Intro by David Swanson, event moderator:

read more

A forum on healthcare at the Senior Center in Charlottesville, Va., on Tuesday, April 14, from 1 – 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of this meeting is to engage the public in expressing its concerns and recommendations to the panel which will include Carolyn Engelhard, co-author of HEALTH CARE HALF TRUTHS, City Councilor Holly Edwards, Delegate Rob Bell, and Congressman Tom
Perriello.

The question of whether Rep. Perriello will cosponsor H. Res. 676 will have to be asked by members of the public. read more

We were disappointed last night when Congressman Tom Perriello apparently did not send a staff person as promised to our public forum on healthcare, but today we learned that the congressman’s father was taken gravely ill and that his staff was tied up with that problem. In addition, his legislative aide who works on healthcare has expressed willingness to meet and discuss the issue. Our thoughts are with Congressman Perriello’s family.

By David Swanson

While a Democratic polling firm has just found, as pollsters always do, dramatic public support for public health coverage, Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill appear divided, as they have always been, over whether to take a comprehensive approach to health care.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on C-Span on Sunday that incrementalism would suit him better “than to go out and just bite something you can’t chew.” Clyburn said he opposes any comprehensive read more