Will Health Insurance Companies Continue Bleeding Us?

Will Health Insurance Companies
Continue Bleeding Us?
Don Bechler, Single Payer Now

Tuesday, January 20, 1 PM
Unitarian-Universalist Center
1187 Franklin St (at Geary), SF
Fireside Room
Free, wheelchair accessible

Obama, Congressional Democrats, and a powerful coalition of business, some unions, and some healthcare advocates are behind a plan for covering the uninsured by expanding, regulating, and subsidizing private insurance.

This is exactly what we do not need. Despite the media hype, this plan has been a disaster in Massachusetts. (See below) We need Single Payer: equal, comprehensive, affordable, and accessible healthcare for everyone, delivered by today’s doctors, clinics, and hospitals, and paid for by a publicly-accountable government agency. Insurance companies are nowhere in the picture.

Don Bechler, of Single Payer Now, will report on the national and state campaigns for single payer healthcare.

The good news is that there’s been two big advances in national organizing for genuine single-payer and US House bill HR 676. The first was a national meeting of AFL-CIO pro-single-payer unions in Washington. The second was a national meeting of pro-single-payer health advocates in Chicago. Don was a key player at both meetings.

The other good news is that in California, SB 840 is entering a new legislative phase with Mark Leno as chief author. Leno emphasizes that even if SB 840 passes and is signed, it will face a state ballot challenge from private insurers, so we need to prepare for a grass-roots campaign.

We will focus on how we can take advantage of these opportunities.

Event is free, wheelchair accessible.

The Massachusetts Health Reform Disaster:
http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/press-releases/2008/august/copy-massachusetts-health-reform-not-so-fast-researchers-say.html