Universal interest in health care
January 14, 2008
considering we get almost no publicity, this was a reasonable article about our Lancaster conference.
LancasterOnline.com
Universal interest in health care
Conference advocates a single-payer state system
By SUZANNE CASSIDY, Staff writer
Sunday News
Published: Jan 13, 2008 12:11 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA – Americans know more about Britney Spears than about how the American health care system works, a health care-reform activist told a conference Saturday in Lancaster.
Dr. Walter Tsou, a former Philadelphia health commissioner, was the keynote speaker at a conference organized by HealthCare4AllPA and held at Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center. The conference was intended to ignite grass-roots support for legislation proposing a single-payer health care system for Pennsylvania.
More than $2 trillion was spent on health care in the United States in 2006, and yet Americans aren’t quite sure what this country’s health care policy is, Tsou contended.
What is known is that a great many people — some 47 million — lack health insurance, and millions more are under-insured, Tsou said, noting that if the economy goes into recession, more people will lose their health coverage.
Moreover, he said, both the public and private sectors are facing the massive, looming burden of paying health benefits to retirees. “We are in deep, deep trouble,” Tsou said, and “the only way out of this mess is a single-payer system.”
In Pennsylvania, legislation for just such a system was introduced last June.
The Family and Business Health Care Security Act — state House Bill 1660 and Senate Bill 300 — proposes the establishment of a single-payer system, which would provide Pennsylvania residents with unlimited, comprehensive health care coverage.
The plan would replace private insurance and government programs except for Medicare and Veterans Affairs. It would pay for the malpractice insurance of participating doctors. Patients would be able to choose their own doctors and dentists, and would not have to deal with co-pays, caps or deductibles.
It would be subsidized by a 10-percent levy on payrolls and a 3-percent tax on personal income.
The legislation faces a rigorous battle from private insurance companies. Rep. Kathy Manderino (D-Philadelphia and Montgomery), the primary sponsor of the bill, told the more than 100 people at Saturday’s conference that they would need to commit themselves to the fight.
“This is a movement we need to build,” she said. “This is not something that’s going to happen overnight.”
In the meantime, Manderino said she supports Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s own proposal to provide health coverage to uninsured adults. The governor wants to extend health coverage to 767,000 uninsured Pennsylvania adults through a program he has called Cover All Pennsylvanians, or CAP.
Saturday, however, was dedicated to making a case for a comprehensive single-payer health care plan.
Gale Thomason, the director of the Water Street Clinic, a free medical and dental clinic at the Water Street Rescue Mission, was among the health-care providers who spoke.
Her clinic has 2,000 patients, including homeless people, and formerly homeless people who have jobs but remain uninsured. Her clinic, she said, also gets calls from middle-class people who are uninsured and seeking health care.
Thomason said she would love for legislators to put her out of business by establishing a universal, single-payer health plan in this state.
Alan R. Jacobs, president of Isaac’s Restaurant & Deli, was on a business panel at the conference. Jacobs said that Isaac’s provides health insurance to employees who work a minimum of 25 hours. So, his company pays roughly $750,000 for health coverage for about 200 part-time and full-time employees (the company also pays for workers’ compensation coverage).
“We work really hard to insure our employees because we feel an obligation,” Jacobs said, “but it’s within a system that to me feels broken.”
Every year, he said, his company has to review its health plan, and decide what they’re going to offer for the next year. He has no medical training, and yet he’s deciding what specialists his employees can or cannot see, and deciding what medicines will or will not be covered.
“I’m ‘The Man,’ ” he said, wryly, and his employees “have to take what I give them.”
Jacobs said he has concluded that a single-payer system would be much more efficient and much less wasteful. There would be no more squabbles between his company’s main insurer and its workers’ comp insurer over which should pay for disputed injuries. There would be fewer administrative costs.
He acknowledged that some of his business friends would heartily oppose a government-run, single-payer health care plan. But, he added, “There’s always hope good things will happen.”
Suzanne Cassidy is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is scassidy@lnpnews.com.
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Successful Single Payer Conference in Lancaster, PA
January 13, 2008
About 150 people across Pennsylvania gathered to hear business, providers, and legislators discuss the Family and Business Health Security Act (House Bill 1660 and Senate Bill 300).
Dr. Walter Tsou served as the keynote speaker with a packed half hour talk on the reasons why our current health care system has failed and why single payer is the best and only way of getting to universal health care at an affordable price.
Business leaders Charlie Crystle, Allen Jacobs, and Mike Stout and moderated by Dr. Scott Tyson gave strong personal experiences of how choices in picking health plans can profoundly limit choices for their employees and how rising costs are killing their businesses.
Health providers Dr. Bill Davidson, Gale Thomason, and Kate Loving Shenk and moderated by Dr. Linda Beckman gave testimony to the problems faced by their practices with the rising numbers of uninsured and the cost of medical care.
Legislative leaders Reps. Kathy Mandarino, Barbara McIlvaine Smith and Senate Candidate Cindy Purvis spoke about the issues faced by the legislature in passing a single payer plan. Rep. Mandarino says to be prepared to be in this fight for the long haul and that there will be public hearings probably this spring. She said it will not happen unless the general public is demanding it everywhere representatives go. Rep. McIlvaine Smith said that this fight has personally affected her own business and her health and that she strongly supports the bill. Senate Candidate Purvis said that her city of Erie spends $5 million more because of the excessive cost of health care over what they would pay under a single payer plan.
There was a lot of enthusiasm about this first state conference on single payer and we were both inspired and challenged by the work ahead.
The Single-Payer Solution: The Real Way to Universal Health Care”
January 10, 2008
Progressives for Pennsylvania is pleased to host:
Healthcare for ALLPA.org’s first statewide conference:
“The Single-Payer Solution: The Real Way to Universal Health Care”
Agenda:: “The Single Payer Solution: The Real Way to Universal Health Care”; 3 Panels: Business Leaders, Healthcare Leaders, Legislative Leaders; Multiple Break-Out Sessions for Citizen Leaders (that’s you!)
Registration: 12n-1 PM with food and beverages provided
· Introduction: “How We Got Here”; Policy Overview Chuck Pennacchio (5 minutes)
· Keynote: Dr. Walter Tsou (30 minutes, including Q&A)
3 Panels:
· Business Leaders: Charlie Crystle (CEO Mission Research – 20 employees; Allan Jacobs (President of Isaac’s Restaurants – 700 employees); Mike Stout (President of Steel Valley Printers – 7 employees)
Moderator: Dr. Scott Tyson (Pittsburgh-based pediatrician, business owner)
· Healthcare Leaders: Gale Thomason (Water Street Clinic); Dr. Bill Davidson (Physicians for a National Healthcare Plan; Kate Loving Shenk (Nurse)
Moderator: Linda Beckman (Educator, Journalist, Activist)
· Legislative Leadership: Rep. Kathy Manderino (Prime Sponsor of HB 1660, Philadelphia); Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith (First Co-Sponsor of HB 1660, Chester); Candidate for State Senate, Cindy Purvis (Speaking on SB 300, Erie)
Moderator: Bob Mason (Lobbying Coordinator, Southwest Pennsylvania, Social Workers)
· Breakouts Sessions: Citizen Leadership (That’s You!) – topics will include: Organizing Grassroots & Democrats to influence Legislators; Organizing Business and Labor to influence Legislators; Organizing Medical Providers to influence Legislators. We will also touch on some combination of organizing tools, using the Internet and Email, SiCKO House Parties, petitioning, canvassing, fund raising, research, communications, and more.
· Closing Statement: Chuck Pennacchio: “How We Win This Year” (5 minutes)
NOTE: While the conference is free and open to all (including multi-milllion dollar health insurance and pharmaceutical CEOs), we do ask you to consider making a donation of any amount to help offset the cost of the event ( www.healthcare4allpa.org).
If you would like to attend, please RSVP (RSVP requested, but not required) by replying to this e-mail. See you in Lancaster!
The Single Payer Solution: The Real Way to Universal Health Care
When: Saturday, January 12, 1:00-4:15 pm
What: Statewide Single-Payer Universal Healthcare Convention (in support of HB 1660 and SB 300)
Where: Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center, 2300 Lincoln Hwy E., Lancaster, PA 17602
www.lancasterhost.com
717-299-5500
Participant Bios:
Linda Beckman: a writer on healthcare and a professor of English Literature [at Arcadia University]
Charlie Crystle: CEO of Mission Research (20 employees)
Dr. William R. Davidson Jr. M.D: ; Cardiologist; President of the Good Samaritan Medical Staff; Lebanon, Pa.; member of Physicians for a National Healthcare Plan (PNHP)
Allan Jacobs: President of Issac’s Restaurants (700 employees)
Kathy Manderino: Democratic Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for parts of Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties. Member of the Appropriations, Health & Human Services, Insurance, Judiciary, and Urban Affairs Committees. Ms. Manderino is the Prime Sponsor of HB 1660.
Bob Mason: a clinical social worker for 30 years, for the past 15 employed by a very successful psychological services practice that still can’t afford to provide health care coverage because of the insurance industry. As Director of Employee Assistance Program services he works with many small and medium size businesses and social service organizations.
Chuck Pennacchio: Chuck is history program director at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, founder of Citizen Solutions for Pennsylvania, and recent United States Senate candidate (2006). A longtime advocate of publicly-financed, privately-provided universal healthcare, and organizing veteran of 34 years, Chuck lead-negotiated comprehensive health benefits for thousands of working graduate students while at the University of Colorado. A native of Delaware County, resident of Bucks County, husband of 16 years and father of two school-age children, Chuck sees the state-level, single-payer healthcare question as the “tipping point” opportunity capable of triggering dramatic turnarounds on numerous fronts (social, economic, legal) and at all levels (local, national, and international).
Cindy Purvis: A founding member of the Lake Erie Alliance for Democracy, which has the adoption of a single-payer health care system as one of its primary goals. She is a 2007 Fellow with the Center for Progressive Leadership. Ms. Purvis is a candidate for the Pennsylvania Senate in the 49th District.
Kate Loving Shenk: A Nurse and Nurse practitioner for 24 years. Currently a Labor and Delivery Nurse. Also an active blogger and writer of 3-books dealing with healthcare reform distributed globally via the internet.
Barbara McIlvaine Smith: Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for part of Chester County. Member of Aging & Older Adult Services, Children & Youth, Education, Health & Human Services, and Local Government Committees. Ms. McIlvaine Smith is a co-sponsor of HB 1660.
Mike Stout: President of Steel Valley Printers (7 employees)
Gale Thomason: Executive Director of the Water Street Clinic which provides free medical and dental care to more than 2,000 uninsured homeless and formerly homeless residents of Lancaster, Pa. Gale is also a nurse of 32 years
Dr. Scott Tyson: Dr. Tyson is a Pittsburgh area pediatrician and a strong advocate for a single-payer healthcare system.
Walter Tsou, MD, MPH: was appointed Health Commissioner of Philadelphia in April 2000. Prior to his appointment, he was Deputy Director for Personal Health Services and Medical Director of the Montgomery County Health Department from 1991-2000. He was formally Clinical Director in the Division of Ambulatory Health Services for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. He has extensive experience in public health and currently serves on the Executive Board of the American Public Health Association and the National Board of Physicians for a National Health Program. In Philadelphia he has served on the boards and committees of the Maternity Care Coalition, the Philadelphia HIV Commission, Bridging the Gaps, the Asian American Health Care Network, and the United Way of SE Penna. Currently, Dr. Tsou teaches healthcare policy as several universities in Pennysylvania and he is now the go-to guy for Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), author of single-payer-based HR 676 (“The National Health Insurance Bill”) who endorsed our own HB 1660/SB 300 (“Family and Business Healthcare Security Act”) in April, 2007, as the “single best means to achieving a national solution to our healthcare crisis.”
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