You can get Single Payer on the table - we just need 1 more senator to help

From Health Care Now: TAKE ACTION THIS MONDAY

This Tuesday, May 12, the Senate Finance Subcommittee is holding its final roundtable on healthcare reform.

Single-Payer New York met with Senator Schumer , member of the Senate Finance Committee, on Friday evening. He agreed to ask Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus to include a single-payer expert if we can get another Senator on the committee to join him.
If you are a constituent of the following Senators, you can call and ask them to join Senator Schumer to ask Senator Baucus to include a single-payer expert in Tuesday's Hearing:

Stabenow - Washington DC office 202-224-4822=20
Kerry - Washington DC office (202) 224-2742
Rockefeller - Washington DC office (202) 224-6472

Other Finance Committee members are:

> Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) 224-5521
> Maria Cantwell (D-WA) 224-3441
> Thomas Carper (D-DE) 224-2441
> Kent Conrad (D-ND) 224-2043
> Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AK) 224-4843
> Robert Menendez (D-NJ) 224-4744
> Bill Nelson (D-FL) 224-5274
> Ron Wyden (D-OR) 224-524

If you are not a constituent of Senators on the Finance Committee, please
call Sen. Baucus' office in Washington and urge him to extend the invitations
at 202-224-2651, or fax him at (202) 224-9412.

Background: The California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Commmittee has issued a request to include Roseann Demoro

Executive Director of CNA / NNOC and longtime leader in the single-payer movement. PNHP has formally submitted the names of two outstanding physicians,

Drs. Marcia Angell and Steffie Woolhandler, to testify as expert witnesses. These voices must be heard. Nurses and doctors are on the front lines of our broken health care system, and they should be the first in line to testify on health reform.

As you probably heard, at the last Senate Finance Committee hearing, physicians and single-payer advocates stood one-by-one to ask to have a seat at the table. The Senators laughed and had each one arrested. We need to end the exclusion of the only plan that will be truly universal and contain costs. Our health depends on it

:toast:

Proudly Recommended!

I'm in California but I'll call AND fax Senator Baucus's office tomorrow morning.

This one will likely be off the front page before most people even wake up.

concentrating on this morning)

Call Baucus, Lincoln and the other Senators on the Committee and tell them they are supposed to represent the people of American, not the Corporations of America. He is a disgrace as is Blanche Lincoln and the others that are stopping affordable healthcare in this country. People are dying because they don't have or can't afford to have decent healthcare. Every Senator and every Congressperson has FREE healthcare. We need to take it away from them if they don't want to represent the interests of the American people and not the Corporations.

The last time I looked we were a government of, by and for the people---not of, by and for the Corporations.

Call Baucus and YELL at him to show your anger. 202-224-3121. Frighten this pig and pawn of the Insurance Companies and Big Pharma to make him understand we are not going to take defeat of decent healthcare lightly.

I don't have much hope it will help but who knows.

I will call this morning. Thanks for the heads-up.

:fistbump:

Edit: How about a link to the Health Care Now article?

Edit again: Just curious, why is it that these first three committee members are especially singled out for our attention?

Thanks for the heads-up...

K&R

We know how they save money: CLAIM DENIED!!

And in the same letter "Your coverage cost will increase $300.00 per quarter"...It costs a lot of money to fund toady politicians and they want to pass that on to you too.

"Change" is what's left of your paycheck...

Dare we hope?

This just came in from PNHP.

After viewing the clip, you may want to call our Sen. Maria Cantwell, who sits on the Justice Committee chaired by Sen. Baucus. Below are phone numbers for her office:

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell –

• In D.C. – email thru website at http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact or phone 1 (202) 224-3441 and ask to speak with Mark Iozzi.

• In Seattle - 206-220-6400 and ask to speak to Nate Caminos

In Tacoma - 250-572-3636 and ask to speak to Kristine M. Reeves

Toll Free: 1-888-648-7328

I did the same.

Great idea, thanks. :hi:

:kick:

what do you say when you call a senator's office? I've only sent emails?

You would say, "good Morning. My name is (your name) and I am a constituent of (your senator). I am calling to ask that Senator (Senators name) join in the call of millions of other Americans desire to have a representative of Single-Payer at the table during committee debate. This is a life and death situation facing this country and having a single-payer system would be a wondeful alternative to our present health-care system. I would like to know how Senator (senators name) will address my concern?

How do you like that for a form-letter script? I just surprised myself. If anyone else doesn't know what to say to their Senator, my rates are cheap.....I can help.

Judd Gregg would walk around my body on the street and complain about littering, Shaheen would at least call an ambulance. But I'll contact Baucus for whatever that's worth.

http://crooksandliars.com/node/27986
EXCERPT:
I can't recall a better corporate news video segment in at least the past decade than the story that Ed Schultz just aired on MSNBC in which he interviews Margaret Flowers of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) and Senator Debbie Stabenow on the topic of healthcare reform.

Baucus and his allies are not only refusing to put single-payer on the table, they are laughing at the hero-activists of PNHP who are trying to be heard in these Senate hearings!

Let's keep this visible so people can call.

I had to leave a message but that's OK. Guess I'll follow that up with an email message at his website.

Thanks for posting this.

:yourock:

Why does he need one more Senator to make the request before he will make the request? I'll do this, but, if this is true then Schumer is being a coward.

to be voted upon.

I'm making my calls right now.

This reminds me of John Conyer's 'promise' to support impeachment if just three more House members were to support it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3392226

Got an answering machine, so I left a message. Hopefully got the machine because a lot of other people are calling now, too.

Thanks for posting this!!!

Sometimes she's good, other times not.

Also, why do you have the list separated into two parts? Are the first three somehow more relevant to the issue?

kick

:applause:

but didn't Conyers try this trick? Three more representatives and then we'll impeach...

:kick:

how convenient!!!

Baucus ignoring single payer affects constituents of all 50 states. I'm tired of these clown legislators using that excuse when their actions move beyond the borders of their home states.

AR - Arkansas
AK - Alaska
AZ - Arizona

few friends & relatives in Florida, NJ & ND who I know think that a single-payer plan is a good idea. I've told them that I'll call on their behalf.

:kick:

Its now or NEVER.

ITs Right NOW.- Its time to finish what we started


Channel your Bon Jovi , Van Halen ...


Call the numbers above!!!!!


Are you still reading my post???


CALL NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I did finish reading it!

:kick:

:kick:

Recommend.

:kick:

but you're just going to have to deal with it.

:kick:

:D

:kick:

I called and left an earfull for Baucus to think about.

:kick:

Called Stabenow. Said they would pass it on.

I live in Maine and she's one of the repukes on the committee. I don't know if it will help, but thought it was worth a try.

when there are so many more people advocating the other positions? I think we should be asking the Senators to recommend putting all three experts named in your post on the list to testify. Even that is a modest request. Isn't that "Negotiating 101"? I'm from NY so I'll be calling Schumer to say I expect him to honor his offer, and to ask him to request all 3 experts. That way Baucus can accept 1 single payer expert and still say to Big Insurance that he turned down part of the demand. And thank you very much, WYVBC, for alerting us to this opportunity.

Schumer has really increased my respect of him since he listened to Stiglitz, faced down Paulson, and tried to prevent so much money from going to the bank bailout. I think Schumer found the gap between the recommendations and predictions of prominent economists on the one hand, and the way most in government kept listening and acceeding to the demands of the same people who brought the house down on the other, as what we in the 1960's called a "radicalizing moment". It is especially significant since Wall Street is in his state.

I think he is only being realistic to demand that another Senator be on board before he tries to get something from Baucus.

On a related situation, for DUers who also belong to DFA, out of the 105 people nominated on the DFA website here to have their expenses paid to attend the Netroots Nation convention, three of them are activists for single payer health. Only ten of the 105 will actually get the "scholarships", and DFA is taking votes from their membership as part of the decision on who will get them. The names of the three are: Bruce Fealk, Rick Staggenborg MD, and Kathy R.. Members are allowed to vote for as many nominees as they wish.

He's my senator and I'm woefully underinformed about his actions. I just assumed he'd be in wall street's pocket, being an NY senator.

Baucas to put a rep from the California Nurses or the PNHP "at the table".. it's a good thing.

that anything I had in my documents has long since been deleted. There were newspaper and blog reports at the time, of him in a meeting of Paulson and the Joint Economic Committee, pounding a shoe on the table and shouting at Paulson (over a din, I assume) something about the bailout having to be in increments, not authorized as one lump sum. This was an effort to stall a major part of the giveaway until Obama took office. Schumer was definitely not taking orders from Wall Street. His staff seemed really interested when I called before the meeting with the URL's of analytical articles written by progressive economists, and I believe Schumer saw God in the form of impending bread lines. He's a decent man.

just in case.

I used to be a constituent of Kerry. I'm surprised he even needs calls. :(

Does 'former constituent' count?

From the response I gathered Kerry's sitting on his hands evaluating the different plans.

They pretty much told be Baucas runs the show - who is of course appointed by Harry Reid.

he needs to include single payer experts (s) in the meeting on Tuesday. You could tell the guy is already familiar with my request by his answer. I told him that there is going to be a war with the People against the establishment if Single Payer is not brought to the table and taken seriously. He said he would definitely make sure he got the message.

Also be careful in calling the number for Baucus as Foreign Relations has gotten several calls instead of the right number which is listed correctly. Foreign Relations number is 224 4651 which people must be calling by mistake like I did. Baucus is 202 224 2651 but she was very nice and transferred me.

We need everyone here to call now!!! It is being heard I could tell by the tone of voice with Baucus' office and when I called the White House she said yes she was very aware of my request to the President as she had had many calls. She said she would pass on the message regarding single payer and to hell with insurance companies.

Start calling everyone, White House Senators, etc.

Just added too that I really don't want to have to pay COBRA which many of us out of work wouldn't have to do if we had this option!

Wyden has no business being on the wrong side of this issue.

He is a good man, but he has said a public option needs to be off the table, and is "TOO DIVISIVE"

...said that a public option is "too divisive" and needs to bee off the table).


Wyden has no business being on the wrong side of this issue.


He's flat wrong:

62% of Americans favor a public healthcare plan modeled on Medicare:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x563496

left out.

How many sides does he have to his mouth????

I was quite impressed with him the other day.

Now, not so much.

:nuke:

edited to say... of course, I'm from the state of Udall, et al, who are TOTALLY pissing us off!

anyone who is represented by one of the listed senators must call their office TODAY

ETA I am VERY phone-phobic and just got off the phone with Senator Menendez's office. If I can do it anyone can.

single payer advocate at the hearings - that the prez is not for it and only 1 senator is; I said the information needed to be presented in order to have a balanced hearing

:banghead:

furious. The guy answered first than a woman came on. I told her that thousands of people may be reading right now what a guy in Baucus' office said that it was "politically unfeasible to have a single payer expert at the meeting. How dare he give his opinion. I said politically unfeasible! You have fools working there and better yet Baucus is a fool for laughing at single payer experts as they were arrested the other day. Better yet he is a fool and insulting to 2/3 of the American people. That he has gained many thousands of dollars from those insurance companies so we know where he speaks from. We are sick and tired of it! We will go to war with Senators who think this is politically unfeasible to ignore what the people want. We pay his wages he better stop being a fool. She said she will pass it on.

Am I pissed yes! And she knew it!

thread. Your response needs to be that we will not tolerate our legislators being influenced by corporate monies. We the people are who pay their wages.

She'll only stand up for public option
if the insurance FIX is in, though...

Maybe it's a good thing she hasn't taken
the right side yet....

the health care for all movement is just catching fire.

We have to push and we'll have to do it some more in order to get the results we want.

But we have a good start, I think that the big moment was the Baucus 8 event.

Stay tuned, I will be back with more on this.

Also, you can sign up on these two list serves for more on supporting single payer or health care for all:

here is a Healthcare-NOW! list serve
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Healthcare-NOW/

Also, a new and energetic list serve through EQUAL is available here
join-equal@list.equalhealth.info through the Center for Policy Analysis.

witnessed him dodging a question posed by Ed on MSNBC. The question being is there going to be a place at the table for Single Payer tomorrow. Wyden did not answer him. He cares for the middle class and there are lots of options..Yea sure.

So in my call I said I want my comment to go to him that I am very upset as I had called earlier and said that I wanted Single Payer. And I witnessed his ignorance of how the people feel by his non answer to the question on this issue on MSNBC.

I said we want Single Payer. We are sick of the insurance companies deciding whether someone dies or not as they are controlling peoples health. They are profit mungers who could care less about the health of the citizens of this nation. I said I want no promises or pledges from the corporations who have killed our people and contolled whether we get treatment or not. I am sick of the legislators who think they can just ignore what the people want. We pay their wages. I could care less if it bankrupts those greedy creeps.

We have Medicare that is Single Payer, we have Veterans benefits that is Single Payer all done by the government. We do not want the insurance companies in control any longer. We are fed up! I want Sen. Wyden to know we are fed up with him and them not listening to us. We will scream from the rooftops if we do not get what we want. I said I worked hard for Obama but if he does not give us what he promised he will hear us as we spoke for him to be elected and we will speak to this issue and what we want that was promised.

I asked the guy's name and said I was putting our conversation on a forum that thousands read then Johnathan asked what my zip code was. I told him and then said I am following my comment to him by an email. I said are you really going to tell Wyden what I have said and he said he promised to do so.


No more corporations killing us citizens no more! I said.

The Healthy Americans Act
Following 60 years of gridlock on a desperately-needed overhaul of the nation's health care system, Senator Wyden has unveiled a groundbreaking proposal to provide affordable, high quality, private health coverage for everyone regardless of where they work or live.
http://wyden.senate.gov/issues/legislation.cfm


Coverage. That's his plan. :(

He should still let the public option be on the table. I told him so.

you have to pay insurance companies, those not working seem out of the loop and emphasis on preventative not the millions who are ill. No insurance companies in control...forget it.

about single payer (1 of 16) at a table.

Seriously, how hard is that?

profits big time and they know it. The Single Payer is simple, and will pay for everyone. Insurance who pays legislators to run for them (not us) are the reason for the season...criminals.

:kick:

http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum982.php

ACTION PAGE:
Why Is The Senate Not Even Considering The Only Health Care Plan That Really Works?
11,956 Submissions so far
How many police does it take to silence the voice of the people?

That's a question a despot might ask in a totalitarian police state. But this week the Senate Finance Committee thought it was a hilarious joke as they ejected one brave activist after another, for protesting that not even one spokesperson for single payer health care was being allowed to sit at the hearing table. Yes, Senator Max Baucus (MT), who had preemptively declared that consideration of a single payer option was off the table, actually joked "We need more police." <1:58 on video> And the rest of the Senate panel just laughed their heads off.

Senator Chuck Grassley (IA), the ranking Republican, not to be outdone in his contempt for the people, then asked if there was "somewhere they can watch it on television <2:05 on video>," which elicted additional hearty guffaws. Yes, what a wonderful entertaining show that would be, the spectacle of the will of the people being excluded while corporate special interests, like butchers, carve up our pocketbooks and our bodies.

It's time for the U.S. Senate to get the message that we the people are not just a joke to be laughed off. Why is it that not ONE senator on that committee has the integrity to stand up for a even handed debate of health care issues? Why should any of them be elected to public office ever again?

The one click form below will send your personal message to all your government representatives selected below, with the subject "Put Single Payer Health Care On The Table Now." At the same time you can send your personal comments only as a letter to the editor of your nearest local daily newspaper if you like.

you can sign up for action alerts here

Prosperity Agenda US
http://www.prosperityagenda.us/

but I will be back with more updates and action alerts so that we can get our health care
reform.

Why am I not surprised?