Healthcare-NOW

Health care bill does not fix health care system

By Peter Shapiro for fightbacknews.org – Passage of President Obama’s health care reform in late March made for great political theater. Here was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, skillfully maneuvering the bill through Congress after many had given it up for lost. Here was House minority leader and Republican point man John Boehner, reduced to ranting…

Healthcare overhaul won’t stop premium increases

The new law doesn’t prevent rate hikes such as Anthem Blue Cross’ double-digit increase last year. ‘It is a very big loophole,’ says Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is pushing regulatory legislation. By Noam N. Levey for the LA Times – Public outrage over double-digit rate hikes for health insurance may have helped push President Obama’s…

Leading Single-Payer Activists Discuss Health Insurance Reform

What did we get, what didn’t we get, and where to do we go from here? On April 11, 2010 we were lucky to be joined by Kevin Zeese (Prosperity Agenda) and Ethel Long Scott (Women’s Economic Agenda Project) on our monthly single-payer activists conference call to hear their excellent analysis of the health insurance…

Arrested Single-Payer Activists on FRONTLINE

Nearly one year ago, doctors, nurses, and single-payer advocates stood up in the Senate Finance Committee hearing led by Senator Max Baucus to protest the exclusion of single-payer advocates from the discussion. One by one they were arrested. Now, FRONTLINE examines the writing of a healthcare bill by a corporate-controlled Congress. In Obama’s Deal, airing…

Chicago Teamsters Local 705 Endorses HR 676

Teamsters Local 705 of Chicago has endorsed HR 676, the national single payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers. The local is among the largest representing over 15,000 members who work in the trucking, moving and shipping industries including United Parcel Services (UPS) in the Chicago area. The bill is still on the…

Pushing WellPoint Back to Nonprofit?

By Linda Greene for Counterpunch.org – When it comes to health care reform, single-payer advocate Rob Stone, M.D., says, “We’re still for it, and we’re not done yet.” The need is undeniable. Over 46 million Americans are uninsured, and a recent study reported in the American Journal of Public Health showed that 45,000 die each…

Health Insurance Restructuring: Women’s Status Declines, The Battle Continues

By Ethel Long-Scott – From Oakland, CA to the slums of Cairo, Egypt, to the earthquake torn shores of Haiti, Women are not just more likely to be poor than men, they also tend to need more health care than men. A recent New York Times article attributed that to the demands of pregnancy and…

Now That the Theater Has Ended, Real Talk about Real Health Care Reform

Featuring Dr. Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, Esq. When: Monday, April 12, 5:30 PM (Pacific) / 8:30 PM (Eastern) Three ways to participate: 1. CONFERENCE CALL: First, RSVP by email with “Health Care Reform” in the subject line, so we can reserve a spot for you on the call and send you instructions for cueing…

Vermont Senate passes health care bill that includes provision for a single payer option

Bill calls for custom-designed health care system MONTPELIER, VT — With an overwhelming 28-2 vote, the Senate today passed the Healthy Vermont bill (S.88). Senator Doug Racine (D-Chittenden) and the Health and Welfare Committee brought the bill to the Senate floor. The bill empowers the Health Care Reform Commission to hire a team of experts…

How Single-Payer Could Have Saved Newburgh, New York

By Billy Wharton for Counterpunch – New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli recently completed an audit of the city of Newburgh, New York. What he discovered set off budgetary alarms –a $6.3 million deficit. “Newburgh’s financial problems are severe,” said DiNapoli. “This is a very serious budget imbalance that could have severe consequences for the…