What is single payer health care HR 676 medicare for all. Following link explains:
http://www.grahamazon.com/sp/whatissinglepayer.php
In July, after extensive lobbying by single-payer activists, a House committee approved an amendment by Representative Dennis Kucinich. It would remove potential legal impediments for states to create single-payer systems by granting a federal waiver of ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act.
Opposition from large, multi-state employers is the biggest obstacle to keeping the Kucinich amendment in the final bill.
The Chamber of Commerce, National Retail Federation, and companies such as Boeing and AT&T have told Congress they can’t live with a state option for single payer.
Would it work? It did in Canada. Many in the United States believe a similar scenario will unfold here: once a state government implements a single-payer system and reaps the economic rewards and public health benefits, others will follow suit.
WHERE COULD IT HAPPEN?
California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont are states that have both vibrant single-payer movements and single-payer bills currently or recently in the hopper. They would likely respond quickly if the amendment becomes law.
California is a prime case. The state legislature has already passed single-payer bills twice, both vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarze****** who, to the relief of many, is barred by term limits from running again. A single-payer bill is already on the California legislative docket, ready for his replacement, due November 2010.
Single payer is also before the Pennsylvania legislature, where four Republican legislators are now sponsoring the bill following a presentation to their caucus about the economic benefits for the state’s citizens.
Several city governments in Pennsylvania have passed resolutions supporting single payer, and on October 20, advocates from a host of unions, the AFL-CIO state fed, community groups, and faith-based coalitions will rally and lobby at the state Capitol to support their state bills.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The labor movement has been divided on health care reform, between single-payer advocates and those who thought a “public option” to compete with private insurance was the only viable goal.
This week's AFL-CIO convention will be presented with around 60 resolutions from national unions, Central Labor Councils, and state feds, calling on the federation to take the lead in fighting for single payer. This is a large number of resolutions for an issue not supported by top officials.
But Congress will likely pass something, at best, similar to Massachusetts’ 2006 reforms. That plan has smashed into many roadblocks. The law forced all Massachusetts residents to buy insurance but failed to prevent price gouging. Many residents are still reeling from the continued high costs, and the state has had to limit enrollment in its subsidized plan and reduce covered services.
If, as expected, the final national bill reproduces similar problems, single-payer advocates will continue their fight both nationally and in individual states, says Mark Dudzic, organizer for the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer. They see state-level reform as “a path back to national single payer.”
RNs, who have long known that health care for profit interferes with their responsibility to advocate for patients, will be among the many labor and community organizers working this fall to give state-based single-payer options a chance.
http://labornotes.org/node/2397
http://www.grahamazon.com/sp/whatissinglepayer.php
In July, after extensive lobbying by single-payer activists, a House committee approved an amendment by Representative Dennis Kucinich. It would remove potential legal impediments for states to create single-payer systems by granting a federal waiver of ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act.
Opposition from large, multi-state employers is the biggest obstacle to keeping the Kucinich amendment in the final bill.
The Chamber of Commerce, National Retail Federation, and companies such as Boeing and AT&T have told Congress they can’t live with a state option for single payer.
Would it work? It did in Canada. Many in the United States believe a similar scenario will unfold here: once a state government implements a single-payer system and reaps the economic rewards and public health benefits, others will follow suit.
WHERE COULD IT HAPPEN?
California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont are states that have both vibrant single-payer movements and single-payer bills currently or recently in the hopper. They would likely respond quickly if the amendment becomes law.
California is a prime case. The state legislature has already passed single-payer bills twice, both vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarze****** who, to the relief of many, is barred by term limits from running again. A single-payer bill is already on the California legislative docket, ready for his replacement, due November 2010.
Single payer is also before the Pennsylvania legislature, where four Republican legislators are now sponsoring the bill following a presentation to their caucus about the economic benefits for the state’s citizens.
Several city governments in Pennsylvania have passed resolutions supporting single payer, and on October 20, advocates from a host of unions, the AFL-CIO state fed, community groups, and faith-based coalitions will rally and lobby at the state Capitol to support their state bills.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The labor movement has been divided on health care reform, between single-payer advocates and those who thought a “public option” to compete with private insurance was the only viable goal.
This week's AFL-CIO convention will be presented with around 60 resolutions from national unions, Central Labor Councils, and state feds, calling on the federation to take the lead in fighting for single payer. This is a large number of resolutions for an issue not supported by top officials.
But Congress will likely pass something, at best, similar to Massachusetts’ 2006 reforms. That plan has smashed into many roadblocks. The law forced all Massachusetts residents to buy insurance but failed to prevent price gouging. Many residents are still reeling from the continued high costs, and the state has had to limit enrollment in its subsidized plan and reduce covered services.
If, as expected, the final national bill reproduces similar problems, single-payer advocates will continue their fight both nationally and in individual states, says Mark Dudzic, organizer for the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer. They see state-level reform as “a path back to national single payer.”
RNs, who have long known that health care for profit interferes with their responsibility to advocate for patients, will be among the many labor and community organizers working this fall to give state-based single-payer options a chance.
http://labornotes.org/node/2397
