As Senate Panel Debates Public Option, Groups Take Direct Action to Promote Single Payer

From Democracy Now! –

As debate continues over healthcare reform on Capitol Hill, we hear from two groups taking action to call for a single-payer system: Mad As Hell Doctors, who have been driving across the country in the lead-up to a rally tomorrow in Washington, DC, and Mobilization for Health Care for All, which is launching “Patients Not Profit” sit-ins at insurance company offices nationwide.

As the Senate Finance Committee debates the health care bill today, Democratic Senators John Rockefeller of West Virginian and Charles Schumer of New York are expected to include an amendment on the public option in the bill. Well, we turn now to two groups that say that’s not enough. They are calling for a single payer plan.

The Mad as Hell Doctors are a group of Oregon-based doctors who have traveled across the country all month to push for real health care reform. They are rallying in Washington, DC Wednesday. Dr. Paul Hochfeld joins us from Cleveland, Ohio. He’s an emergency room physician at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis, Oregon.

We’re also joined here in the firehouse studio by Kevin Zeese who is the executive director of The Prosperity Agenda. He is helping to launch a national campaign of “Patients Not Profit” sit-ins at insurance company offices. There is a sit-in and a rally in front of Aetna headquarters in New York today.

Guests:
Kevin Zeese, executive director of the Prosperity Agenda. He is helping to launch a national campaign of “Patients Not Profit” sit-ins at insurance company offices.

Dr. Paul Hochfeld, Mad As Hell doctor from Corvallis, Oregon, where he is an emergency room physician at the Good Samaritan Hospital.

2 Comments

  1. Chris Curley on September 30, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    I think it is an indictment of the GOP that not an udderance was heard about funding an unnecessary war,killing thousand,s of young Americans but shout down people promoting health care for all.So Republicans are for killing young Americans while simultaneously denying millions more peace of mind and good health care.They have become such a disgrace it boggles the mind how anyone could be with these scum.



  2. Darren on October 2, 2009 at 1:45 am

    I agree with Chris that the GOP has been disgusting on health care and his war VS health analysis is bang on. I’m just not sure that the Democrats have been much better. With a few exceptions, I haven’t really see them finding the backbone to stand up to the Republicans. In fact, I am not convinced that they are even interested in standing up to them, given the money they receive from the health care industry (http://www.dumpthesick.com/2009/09/16/hmo-long-term-contributions).

    This is the big question – how do you get the Dems to actually stand up to the Republicans on healthcare when they are so beholden to the health industry? I think the answer lies in the mobilizations that are taking place which have the potential to force the issue of single-payer on to the agenda. THese mobilizations might be the only chance to keep the Democrats from their continued drift to the right.