There is a rally at 5 P.M today Monday, August 31st\u00a0 at Sylvester Park calling for Health Care for and a Town Hall Meeting at 7 P.M. at the Washington Center meeting called by Congressperson Brian Baird.<\/p>\n
There will also be an meeting to organize for single payer health, tomorrow, Sept., 1 at 7 PM at the Olympia Center (see below)<\/p>\n
My thoughts on the current health care debate and reform plans follow.<\/p>\n
It is important that we stand up to the right-wing attack on health care reform. We should challenge the lies of the right and their love of our current\u00a0 broken health care system with 50 million uninsured and many millions more with inadequate coverage.\u00a0 This does not mean that we should support Obama’s and the House and Senate Democrats health care plan no matter what they propose.<\/p>\n
A decent health plan would cut out the insurance companies and include dental care, mental health care, prescription drugs and alternative medicine and be affordable to low and moderate income people and include coverage for immigrants. This together with a lot of federally funded and community controlled free clinics could make for a quality health care system for all, real universal health care. <\/strong><\/p>\n Single Payer or Medicare for all is not even being considered by the Democratic Party leadership. It should be and should be raised by us in all forums including Town Halls, in rallies, in letters to the editor. We should not just support Obama and Congressperson \u00a0Baird because their \u00a0inadequate health reform plans are being attacked by the insurance companies and Fox News.<\/p>\n The\u00a0so-called public option would permit people not being currently covered by their employer or by already existing public programs to choose a Medicare like plan where they would pay a monthly fee to the federal government and they could choose their doctor, hospital, etc. If the government could negotiate lower rates they would pay to hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies this public option plan could be quite a bit cheaper than one from a private insurance company. One growing problem is that the public option may either be removed from the proposed legislation or so weakened with restrictions that it will basically be meaningless. For example, if the government cannot try to get sharply reduced prices for prescription drugs or hospital stays, and\/or if it disproportionately covers the sickest people who have the most needs and costs and the public option choice \u00a0must break even and not cost the government any money,\u00a0 its price to people who purchase it will be very high. The price of this public option will be even higher if it has to break even immediately and\/or hold large reserves. With these possible restrictions, compromises the public option\u00a0will not be affordable and will not put much pressure on insurance companies to reduce its prices. \u00a0These are the restrictions on it being proposed in Congress by influential Democrats such as Senator Schumer of New York.<\/p>\n So let us build a movement for a health-care plan that really is accessible to all and affordable \u00a0and that is paid for by taxes on the wealthy and on corporations. \u00a0This is what we should organize and educate for rather than supporting the positions of President Obama, Congressman Baird and Senators Cantwell and Murray because the Republicans are attacking them. Their plans will leave many people without health coverage and the insurance companies will continue to make billions.<\/p>\n Let us make our voices heard today for a single payer health care system for all. Let\u2019s organize locally for a single payer system for all:<\/strong> Also check out the music video that follows.<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3UU8cPNcjKs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is a rally at 5 P.M today Monday, August 31st\u00a0 at Sylvester Park calling for Health Care for and a Town Hall Meeting at 7 P.M. at the Washington Center meeting called by Congressperson Brian Baird. There will also be an meeting to organize for single payer health, tomorrow, Sept., 1 at 7 PM … Continue reading Organizing for Health Care for All<\/span>
\nMonday, August, 31st 5 P.M–Rally at Sylvester Park for Health Care
\n7 P.M–Town Hall meeting with Brian Baird\u00a0 at the Washington Center
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nTuesday, Sept. 15th, from 7 \u2013 9 pm
\nOlympia Community Center in downtown Olympia,\u00a0 Room 204
\n222 Colombia St. NW<\/p>\n