Healthcare-NOW

Insurance firms seeking to sow doubt about single-payer in Vermont

By Wendell Potter for IWatchNews.org – You can’t see them. They’re hidden from view and probably always will be. But the health insurance industry’s big guns are in place and pointed directly at the citizens of Vermont. Health insurers were not able to stop the state’s drive last year toward a single-payer health care system,…

Why Are US Health Costs So High? Follow the Bills

By Ralph Nader – Looking at millions of individual bills that makeup the 2.7 trillion dollars of annual health care costs opens a gigantic window on the massive waste, redundancy, profiteering, fraud and sometimes criminal over-billing. Here is a partial example of what I mean, in the words of Philip M. Boffey, the estimable science…

Message from Senator Leno on California Single-Payer Setback

By Senator Mark Leno, from PDACommunity.org – Most of you have likely heard the disappointing news that our bill, SB 810, the California Universal Health Care Act, failed to move off the Senate Floor by January 31st, meaning it cannot advance further in the legislative process this year. Despite our unwavering advocacy, too few members…

California single-payer health care bill stalls in state Senate

From the Sacramento Bee – California’s “Medicare for all” universal health care legislation fell short of the 21 votes needed to pass the state Senate today. Senate Bill 810 failed on a 19-15 vote during this morning’s floor session, with four moderate Democrats abstaining and one voting no. Democratic Sen. Mark Leno, who authored the…

Single Payer System Continues to Draw Interest in Oregon

A grassroots campaign is forming to build public support for a ballot measure in 2013 By Amanda Waldroupe for TheLundReport.org – January 19, 2012—Healthcare advocates, medical professionals, and legislators are developing a state-wide grassroots campaign to start educating the public about a single payer health system to provide universal coverage for everyone. “It’s really the…

In Dire Health

Despite the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. medical system is near collapse. What will save it is a single-payer system and physicians in group practice. By Arnold Relman for the American Prospect – Most people assume that insurance is an essential part of the health-care system. Some think it should be provided…

Calif. health professional students rally for single payer

Note: What follows is some of the media coverage given to parallel marches and rallies held on Monday, Jan. 9, in Sacramento and Los Angeles protesting the continuing injustices in U.S. health care and calling for a universal, single-payer health system. The protests were sponsored by the California Health Professional Student Alliance (CaHPSA), the Campaign…

Occupy US Health Care

By Mary O’Brien for Common Dreams – After wincing a bit from the free flu shot, my young patient turned to me and said, “What you’re doing here is awesome – it’s so hard get health care!” “Here” happened to be New York City’s Zuccotti Park in mid-November, the epicenter of Occupy Wall Street, just…

Healthcare-NOW! Strategy Conference Agenda

Don’t forget! Healthcare-NOW!’s Annual Strategy Conference in Houston, TX on January 28th and 29th is fast approaching, so register soon if you haven’t already. Go to our Strategy Conference page to register. You can download the agenda here (.pdf). Registration ends on January 21st and you must reserve your hotel room by January 13th to…

We Need Your Support!

At Healthcare-NOW!, daily letters, emails, and phone calls remind us that the healthcare crisis continues. Vanessa, before becoming our Director of Organizing, joined Healthcare-NOW! in 2005. “Suffering from a chronic illness,” says Vanessa, “I tried hard to find health insurance in the public and private markets, but was always turned down. Meanwhile, I got sicker.…