Archive for August 2009
Obama’s PhRMA deal
By the Real News Network – The unlikely union of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America or PhRMA and the White House has many wondering about the true nature of this partnership. Especially taking into consideration the powerful lobby’s opposition to any kind of health care reform for years. The Real News spoke with Donna…
Read MoreHealthcare Memo: Don’t Mourn, Escalate
By Deborah Burger, R.N., President of the California Nurses Assn. – There’s a fundamental lesson in collective bargaining that seems to have been lost on the White House, and those in Congress who devised their failing strategy on healthcare reform: Don’t make all your compromises before you walk in the room. For all those now…
Read MoreLeft Out? (Video)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich visits the Ed Show on MSNBC to talk about HR 676, single-payer healthcare, and the “public option.”
Read MoreTwo New Resources from PNHP On Disruptive Town Halls and Lobbying
Health care town hall meeting across the country are being attacked by a vocal minority uninterested in democratic debate. It is still important to attend these meetings as there will be many in the audience that are unfamiliar with single payer AND willing to listen and learn. Here are a few tips on what to…
Read MoreCongress, President Ready to Legislate More Women’s Health Disparity
By Donna Smith – It’s 2009. We’ve elected President Barack Obama. We’ve elected a Democratic majority in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Those bastions of social policy are now in place to protect basic human rights. Good things should be in the offing – at least we should make progress in…
Read MoreHow Insurance Firms Drive the Debate
By Wendell Potter, a former health insurance PR executive – Having grown up in one of the most conservative and Republican places in the country — East Tennessee — I understand why many of the people who are showing up at town hall meetings this month are reacting, sometimes violently, when members of Congress try…
Read More“You Don’t Cut Deals with the System that Has to Be Replaced”
Ralph Nader on Secret White House Agreements with the Drug Industry From Democracy Now – The Obama administration admitted last week it promised to oppose proposals to let the government negotiate drug prices and extract additional savings from drug companies. In return, drug companies reportedly pledged to reduce costs by up to $80 billion. The…
Read MoreNew poll shows Canadians overwhelmingly support public health care
Group says advocates of private system are out of touch with most Canadians In a last-ditch effort to convince Canadians that their public health care system should be privatized, Canadian Medical Association (CMA) President Robert Ouellet has promised to “pull out all the stops” during the association’s annual meeting next week. Trouble is, Ouellet’s mission…
Read MoreSaying Goodbye to Another Single-Payer Warrior, a Shooting Star
By Donna Smith – For those of us who advocate for a single-payer healthcare system, publicly funded and privately delivered care for everyone, the past few weeks have included tremendous gains and two devastating losses. The gains came in our shared victories as single-payer advocates in Congress secured legislative opportunities for real progress. In the…
Read MoreA Month of Single-Payer Action
For the first time ever, single-payer legislation will be debated and voted on by Congress in September. The day after thousands of grassroots activists rallied in Washinton, DC for national healthcare on Medicare’s 44th birthday, Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY-9) introduced an amendment to President Obama’s healthcare reform bill (HR 3200) to replace it with HR…
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