Archive for July 2009
Labor Delegation Persuades John Murtha To Co-Sponsor HR 676
After meeting with western Pennsylvania labor leaders on June 29, Representative John Murtha agreed to sign on as a co-sponsor of HR 676, national single payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). Eighty-five House members, in addition to Conyers, now have their names on HR 676. Murtha, who has represented Pennsylvania’s 12th…
Read MoreFormer Insurance Industry Insider on Profits Before Patients
With almost 20 years inside the health insurance industry, Wendell Potter saw for-profit insurers hijack our health care system and put profits before patients. Now, he speaks with Bill Moyers about how those companies are standing in the way of health care reform. Watch the full interview here. Or watch this opening clip.
Read MoreUSW president supports single-payer health care (Video)
Leo Gerard: I think we should fight for single-payer health care, fight for a principled position Paul Jay speaks to Leo Gerard, President of the United Steelworkers’ union about his fight for single-payer health care reform and the unionization legislation. Gerard says that, “the unions are first and foremost going to be very active in…
Read MoreFormer Health Insurance Exec. on Bill Moyers this Week
This week on the Journal, Bill Moyers sits down with Wendell Potter, former health insurance industry executive turned health care reform advocate. Potter discusses what he calls the hijacking of health care by insurance companies and discusses the obstacles they present to health care reform. PBS hopes you’ll tune in and then weigh in at…
Read MoreAction Alert: State Legislators for HR 676
Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo and NY State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried recently launched a campaign to win state legislator support for HR 676. About a month ago, Senator Ferlo sent letters to every state legislator in the country, asking them to support national, single-payer healthcare. We need your help increasing the list of signers between…
Read MorePublic Citizen: Take Action for Single-Payer
Help Public Citizen reach its goal of 50,000 emails to Congress! Our nation is facing a health care crisis. Single-payer health care is the only reform that will provide universal coverage and contain skyrocketing costs. Public Citizen needs you to take action immediately and tell Congress loud and clear that lawmakers must order the Congressional…
Read MoreFormer Capitol Hill Staff Hired by Healthcare Companies to Lobby Congress
The Washington Post produced a graphic on how the Congressional committees working on health reform legislation are being lobbied by people who use to work for them. According to the graphic, “nearly half of the former Capitol Hill aides hired by major health-care companies to lobby Congress during the first quarter of 2009 previously worked…
Read MoreCongress Needs to Protect Americans, Not Insurance Companies
By Mark Dunlea, Executive Director, Hunger Action Network of NYS – As Congress negotiates health care reform, Democratic leaders have put the interests of insurance companies ahead of the needs of American citizens. If Americans want an affordable, quality health care system that enables consumers to choose whom they receive health care services from, private…
Read MoreObama health czar directed firms in trouble
DeParle made millions from companies under federal investigation By Fred Schulte for MSNBC – Nancy-Ann DeParle, President Barack Obama’s health policy czar, served as a director of corporations that faced scores of federal investigations, whistleblower lawsuits and other regulatory actions, according to government records reviewed by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University. Several of…
Read MoreBaucus 13 Settle Charges
Legal charges against the “Baucus 13” were settled in a series of court hearings held earlier this week. The 13 were charged with disruption of congress after they attempted to speak on behalf of single payer healthcare reform at two Senate Finance Committee hearings on healthcare in May. Senator Baucus, the chair of the Finance…
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