Nation needs health care plan based on Social Security, Medicare models

By Helen Thomas – Americans can be thankful for two humanitarian presidents whose legacies stand as emblems of caring values that enrich us as a nation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt won passage of the Social Security Act in 1935 and President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare legislation in 1965. Social Security and Medicare work beautifully…

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Middle Class Healthcare Reform? Bend Over…

By Donna Smith – It’s coming. You and me and every middle class, working person in this nation is about to start handing over more and more of their hard earned cash to the private insurance industry, courtesy of our own elected members of Congress and our very popular President. Fire up those Treasury Department…

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Montana AFL-CIO State Convention Reaffirms Endorsement of HR 676

The 53rd Annual Montana AFL-CIO State Convention reaffirmed its previous endorsement of HR 676, single payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). The Montana AFL-CIO endorsed HR 676 for the first time at its 2008 Convention. This year’s Convention resolution resolved “that the Montana State AFL-CIO reaffirms its endorsement of and commitment…

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Open Letter to the President from the Canadian Health Coalition

Dear Mr. President: As the national voice for Canadians who want to protect and expand our national public healthcare system, the Canadian Health Coalition would like to encourage your efforts to make health care available and affordable for all Americans. Canada’s national Medicare system is one that all Canadians value and depend on for quality…

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Diane Rehm Show on Single-Payer

Proponents of a single-payer plan argue it is the best solution for the nation’s health-care system. But chances of such a program making it into law appear remote. How a single-payer plan might work and why it faces an uphill battle in Congress. Guests Roger Hickey, Co-director of the Campaign for America’s Future Dr. David…

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Baucus’ Raucous Caucus

By Amy Goodman for Truthdig— Barack Obama appeared this week with health-industry bigwigs, proclaiming light at the end of the health-care tunnel. Among those gathered were executives from HMO giants Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Health Net Inc., and the health-insurance lobbying group America’s Health Insurance Plans; from the American Hospital Association and the American…

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Obama for Single-Payer Before He Was Against It

By David Sirota for AlterNet— How Political Elites Have Made Single Payer “Politically Impossible” In light of the White House’s big hand-holding session today with the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries today, let me take this moment to note that a cynic – or, perhaps, a realist – might look at President Obama’s statements on…

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Indiana IBEW Local Endorses HR 676

IBEW Local 725 has endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). Local 725 is a construction local with jurisdiction in nine Indiana and six Illinois counties. R. Todd Thacker, Local 725 Business Manager, said: “Health care coverage continues to be a critical issue, either in finding coverage or dealing…

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