Here's an item I received from Linda Beckman, a single payer health care advocate in Pennsylvania:
Pennsylvania
Two single payer bills are alive in the state, House Bill 1660, the “Family and Business Healthcare Security Act of 2009,” and Senate Bill 300.
Gov. Ed Rendell has said that if a single payer bill were to make it to his desk, he will sign it, reports Chuck Pennachio of Health Care for All Pennsylvania.
The state Democratic House Caucus is holding a public forum on the bill Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m. at the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia, featuring speakers from Physicians for a National Health Program, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, and other single payer supporters..
The hearing comes on the heels of a resolution passed by the Philadelphia City Council calling for both state and federal lawmakers to establish a single-payer health system.
Here's another press release I just received:
Re: The COBRA Stimulus Plan — Halfway to Hope
Dear President Obama, Vice President Biden, Rep. Baron Hill, Senators Bayh and Lugar, distinguished members of Congress:
Millions of Americans who lost their jobs prior to September 1, 2008, could not afford Cobra. Millions more elected Cobra but have now depleted their resources and cannot continue on. Still millions more with pre-existing conditions who rely on cobra to bridge the 18 month gap between their former employers insurance and their state's high risk insurance pools are struggling to pay their premiums every month to prevent being locked out of insurance permanently.
Please join us in asking Congress and the Obama administration to eliminate the arbitrary September 1, 2008 cut-off date and 9 month limitation of assistance by signing our petition at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cobrareform
and telling your friends about our efforts.
For more information please see our website at http://cobrareform.weebly.com
Source: Reform Cobra Now
COBRA Premium Reduction Cutoff Date/Death
Open Letter to the President and Members of Congress:
Just when I was thinking there would be some relief and I would be able to continue my COBRA coverage, I was thrown this curve ball!
QUESTION: What if I was laid off before September 1, 2008, can I receive the premium reduction?
NO. To be eligible for the premium reduction you must have lost your job on a date between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009.
Well, if that isn’t a big kick in the face when I’m already down! I was left with no alternative but to regretfully resign a position with our local school system due to health concerns e.g. lower back/degenerating disc. I offered several options to exempt me from having to lift a student out of a wheel chair onto a bed. Physically incapable without damaging myself and/or the student! I resigned on 18 August 2008. That’s two (2) weeks prior to this sort of magical cut off date. Mr. Obama, sir, the recession officially started 4th quarter of 2007!
Push back this arbitrary ‘deadline’ for COBRA Premium Reduction.
David Wierhake
Bloomington, Indiana
Here's another press release I just received:
Re: The COBRA Stimulus Plan — Halfway to Hope
Dear President Obama, Vice President Biden, Rep. Baron Hill, Senators Bayh and Lugar, distinguished members of Congress:
Millions of Americans who lost their jobs prior to September 1, 2008, could not afford Cobra. Millions more elected Cobra but have now depleted their resources and cannot continue on. Still millions more with pre-existing conditions who rely on cobra to bridge the 18 month gap between their former employers insurance and their state's high risk insurance pools are struggling to pay their premiums every month to prevent being locked out of insurance permanently.
Please join us in asking Congress and the Obama administration to eliminate the arbitrary September 1, 2008 cut-off date and 9 month limitation of assistance by signing our petition at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cobrareform
and telling your friends about our efforts.
For more information please see our website at http://cobrareform.weebly.com
Source: Reform Cobra Now
COBRA Premium Reduction Cutoff Date/Death
Open Letter to the President and Members of Congress:
Just when I was thinking there would be some relief and I would be able to continue my COBRA coverage, I was thrown this curve ball!
QUESTION: What if I was laid off before September 1, 2008, can I receive the premium reduction?
NO. To be eligible for the premium reduction you must have lost your job on a date between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009.
Well, if that isn’t a big kick in the face when I’m already down! I was left with no alternative but to regretfully resign a position with our local school system due to health concerns e.g. lower back/degenerating disc. I offered several options to exempt me from having to lift a student out of a wheel chair onto a bed. Physically incapable without damaging myself and/or the student! I resigned on 18 August 2008. That’s two (2) weeks prior to this sort of magical cut off date. Mr. Obama, sir, the recession officially started 4th quarter of 2007!
Push back this arbitrary ‘deadline’ for COBRA Premium Reduction.
David Wierhake
Bloomington, Indiana
Here's an email I just received:
We are co-hosting a Casino Night at the Cherry Hill Health & Racquet Club
on Saturday, April 25th. The event will provide much needed funding to
allow A Step Toward Hope, our 501C3 charity, to provide quality of life
grants to people living with paralysis. There are many folks that really
need our help. It is only $25 per person for tickets purchased in
advance. It’s not a lot of money, but I assure you that what we do for
others is big. We really need your help with attendance at this event.
It will definitely be a fun evening with food, drinks, live music and real
casino style games.
More information is available on the Step Toward Hope website at
http://www.asteptowardhope.org/events.asp.
If you are unable to attend but would still like to help provide quality
of life grants for people with paralysis, you can make a donation through
our website: http://www.asteptowardhope.org.
Thanks very much for your support!
Sincerely,
Chris Miles
CEO
Miles Technologies
800-496-8001
www.milestechnologies.com
--------------------
Here's an email I just received from the Vegan community about two upcoming lectures.
Factory Farming Impacts Panel: April 1, 2009; 6:30-8:30pmSilverman 240APenn Law School (Sansom St entrance btwn 34th & 35th)PHILADELPHIA, PA (April) – Penn Law’s Animal Law Project presents: Factory Farming Impacts Panel. This panel will discuss the negative effects factory farming has on animals, the environment, and human rights. It explores the interconnections between the three areas of concerns, and explains how to work against factory farming from three different angles, as well as the obstacles to doing so. The panelists are Josh Balk, Outreach Coordinator for the Humane Society of the United States’ Factory Farming Campaign, Jillian Gladstone, Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator for Waterkeeper Alliance, and Art Read, General Counsel to Friends of Farmworkers. Factory farms, also known as Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), are intensive livestock operations designed to produce the most animal food in the shortest amount of time and at the lowest cost. Over a billion land animals are raised in the United States every year, and the vast majority of them are kept on factory farms in harsh, abusive conditions that subject them to overcrowding, neglect, stress , grotesque selective breeding , and growth-promoting antibiotics. In addition, intensive livestock and poultry farms are increasingly becoming acknowledged as a huge pollution problem due to the massive amounts of animal waste produced in concentrated areas. There are also significant human rights issues documented, as fast line speeds and lack of training make animal-processing plants some of the most dangerous places to work in America today. There will be time for questions and audience participation is encouraged. This event is free and open to the public. Reception with vegan food to immediately follow. RSVPs are encouraged: animallawproject@law.upenn.edu Dr. John Pippin Lecture on Issues in Animal ExperimentationApril 7, 2009; 4:30 – 6:30pmSilverman 240APenn Law School (Sansom St entrance btwn 34th & 35th) PHILADELPHIA, PA (April) – Animal Law Project presents a talk by Dr. John Pippin, senior medical and research advisor for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a charitable organization of physicians, scientists, educators, and laypersons that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and addresses controversies in modern medicine. Dr. Pippin leads PCRM’s campaigns to replace the use of animals in medical research, education, drug research, and testing. He has testified on the topic before the FDA, the Institute of Medicine, and Britain’s House of Commons. Currently, estimates of the number of animals used in testing and research vary widely, but are in the millions. Furthermore, rats, birds, and mice, who make up 80-95% of animals used in experimentation, have no protection from the law, as The Animal Welfare Act does not cover these animals. PCRM works to inform the public that results from research cannot always be accurately extrapolated to humans, and, in many cases, animals serve as poor predictors for how humans will respond to drugs or treatments. This event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are encouraged: animallawproject@law.upenn.edu About Animal Law Project: Animal Law Project (ALP) is a student-run initiative which focuses on strengthening the legal status of animals and encouraging animal advocacy. ALP organizes and presents legal education workshops for the public and assists attorneys and organizations with legal research regarding animal issues The Animal Law Project (ALP) focuses on the twin goals of strengthening the legal status of animals and encouraging animal advocacy. ALP works to achieve these goals by:
I have a story running this week about my trip to Boston, and filling you in about the Massachusetts health reform plan. People up there are very proud of what they've done, but they certainly have their work cut out for them. Read all about it this week in the Inquirer. can't say which day yet.
Seems the big battle shaping up in the Obama health reform is whether to have a public plan to compete with private insurers and what that will look like.
Families USA just reported 27 percent uninusred in Pennsylvania at some point in the last two years. Waiting list for adultbasic in Pennsylvania is now over 200,000 people.
I was moderator on a panel the other day at the College of Physicians. a report to follow soon.
From a reader:
Mr. Vitez:
Mr. Grassia didn't think he needed health insurance. Then he came down with a disease and expected cheap insurance, then subsidized and free care.
He gambled and lost. Now he complains. Insurance works because you pay throughout your life for the times you get sic,k. Mr. Grassca thinks he should pay for insurance only when he is sick. I or my parents have paid for my insurance for all my life. Should I subsidize Mr. Gracci with my payments because he doesn't want to buy insurance when he is healthy?
The purpose of your article among others in the Inquirer is to demonstrate that the present system is a failure and that we must have a single payer government plan. Since there seems to be growing synpathy for the irresponsible Grassia's of the world, you will soon have your way.
Charles Warburton
This is a reader's reaction to my first story in the series.....
Marty Grassia, the barber in mantua, N.J., whom I wrote about last week, called today with an update. "It's been crazy," he said. "There is some great humanity left in this world. Incredible how many phone calls I've gotten."
He said strangers call, write, drop things off at his barber shop, including one man who "dropped off a case" of expensive medication that Grassia needs but can little afford, so he's only been taking half the prescribed dose.
"When all is said and done," Grassia said, "there are people left out there who care."
Lots of helpful responses from readers are coming in.
Reader Chistina Laczko, for instance, offers this tip:
"There is a great site for people trying to buy health insurance. My brother, who is self employed, buys through them. It is called: www.ehealthinsurance.com I typed in a woman aged 52, Philadelphia resident (19128) and non-smoker. The plans ranged from $147.32 to $301.56. They had all different types of plans, from HMOs, high deductable, and a few in between. Also, Aetna and IBX also have programs for individual buyers. Maybe some of your readers can use it."And so many other readers sent in their own stories, like this one after my story about the barber suffering from Crohn's disease, going into tremendous debt because he has no health insurance:
"Dear Mr. Vitez:
This article hit really, really close to home for me. I have a good friend that is suffering from a inflammatory intestine disorder that keeps him in the hospital nearly 10 days every month. The doctors and hosptials have not diagnosed his precise condition, and the specialists hired by the insurance company are not performing all of the tests he needs. This healthcare problem is based on two main issues 1) his healthcare was being provided by his employer, and the employer is trying to force him to return to work and continues to deny his disability claims. 2) The hospitals are treating him as if he is a drug addict. He has been left on the floors of multiple Philadelphia area emergency & treatment rooms by doctors who make statements such as, "I'm not giving you any meds...". He might have Chrones Disease...but they have not diagnosed him in nearly 2 years!!!
My friend has lost 40lbs in the last 6 months and needs morphine just to make it through the day.
Can you please help me out, with some information or anything...because no one else will help.
Sincerely,
Jason"
* * *
Some other tidbits:
100 medical students from around the state traveled to Harrisburgh today, Monday, to lobby the legislature for a single-payer health care bill. Here is part of the press release:
MEDICAL STUDENTS ASK PA LAWMAKERS TO ENSURE HEALTH CARE FOR ALLStudents say Pennsylvania could save $30 billion a year with this comprehensive and cost-efficient planHarrisburg, PA What: American Medical Student Association Lobby DayWhere: Grand Staircase in the Capitol RotundaWhen: Monday, October 6th, 2008, 9:00 am Over 100 medical students in white coats from across the state will travel to Harrisburg on October 6th to lobby legislators to raise awareness for the Family and Business Health Security Act (S.B. 300/H.B. 1660), which guarantees all Pennsylvanians comprehensive healthcare through a publicly funded, privately delivered system. Bill Details: The Family and Business Health Security Act maintains the current system of private health practitioners, but replaces numerous available insurance plans with payment for health care by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The bill expands coverage to all residents of Pennsylvania through a combination of public funding, uniform payroll taxes on employers, and a small tax on personal income. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania would save an estimated $30 billion a year if this bill were passed. Participants: Medical students across Pennsylvania support this cause for many reasons. Lindsay Kaldor, Lobby Day coordinator and second year medical student at Temple University says, “I have learned through personal and shared experiences how the cost of healthcare affects people. I have seen the extent to which inefficient health care provisions leave the hardest working individuals in our society fearful that bad luck could destroy their health and productivity.” Wes Fisher, Regional Director of AMSA and third year medical student, seeks a single payer system. "I want to continue practicing in Pennsylvania without the constant internal struggle between my duties as a compassionate physician and my abilities within the framework of health care." About the American Medical Student Association: The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. http://www.amsa.org.* * *
On the presidential campaign health care front, here are two items:
Barack Obama signs onto Health Care for America campaign. And a Cato Institute analysis comes out critical of Obama's health plan.
According to the Health Care for America Campaign:
Obama and More than 70 Other Members of Congress Commit To Guarantee of Quality, Affordable Health Care For AllWashington, DC –Today, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) signed the Health Care for America Now statement declaring that he is on the side of quality, affordable health care for all and opposed to leaving Americans on their own with unregulated health insurance. See the "Which Side Are You On?" statement here (pdf): http://hcfan.3cdn.net/517370ec1fddf45044_vbm6ivw3d.pdf"Health Care for America Now's goal this year is to get the next President and a majority of Congress committed to the principles of quality, affordable health care for all and opposed to policies that would tax our benefits at work and leave us on our own with the unregulated, bureaucratic private insurance industry," said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager, Health Care for America Now. "With Senator Obama's signature, we are taking a major step towards getting the next President and Congress to make comprehensive health care reform a priority in 2009."
MEANWHILE, THE CATO INSTITUTE has released an analysis of Barack Obama's plan, which will be public on the Cato website, www.cato.org on Oct. 7. The headline is: "Does Barack Obama Support Socialized Medicine?" The author is Michael F. Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute (www.cato.org) and coauthor of Healthy Competition: What’s Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It.
Here is the executive summary:
Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (IL) has proposed an ambitious plan to restructure America’s health care sector. Rather than engage in a detailed critique of Obama’s health care plan, many critics prefer to label it “socialized medicine.” Is that a fair description of the Obama plan and similar plans? Over the past year, prominent media outlets and respectable think tanks have investigated that question and come to a unanimous answer: no. Those investigations leave much to be desired. Indeed, they are little more than attempts to convince the public that policies generally considered socialist really aren’t.
A reasonable definition of socialized medicine is possible. Socialized medicine exists to the extent that government controls medical resources and socializes the costs. Notice that under this definition, it is irrelevant whether we describe medical resources (e.g., hospitals, employees) as “public” or “private.” What matters—what determines real as opposed to nominal ownership—is who controls the resources. By that definition, America’s health sector is already more than half socialized, andObama’s health care plan would socialize medicine even further.
* * *
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Pennsylvania's kids aren't nearly as healthy as they could be, according to a new national report coming out next week from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America. And education and poverty play a major role.In fact, in Pennsylvania, the infant mortality rate for children of mothers who didn't finish high school is 2.5 times higher than the rate for children of mothers with 16 or more years of education. And Pennsylvania families below the federal poverty line are more than four times as likely to have children in less than optimal health than the state's most affluent households.
More to come....
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