HR 676 for Universal Health Care!

HR 676: Universal Health Care For All

September 14th, 2009
On The Road... The Blog of the Solar Bus
http://solarbus.org/blog/?p=64




While the debate goes on about the “public option,” “triggers,” “non-profit co-ops,” “mandated purchasing, like car insurance,” for a bill that has “yet to be ironed out,” there is a completed bill sitting in the House, co-signed by 93 Representatives, which would bring universal health care to every US citizen.

HR 676 is titled, the United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act).

The bill has the following features:

Creates a universal, single payer, not-for-profit health care system which means the end of premiums, copays and deductibles
Establishes health care as a civil right
Provides a plan by which private health insurance companies can be converted to public providers

But don’t take my word for it. Read the bill here.

This is exactly what the health insurance companies DON’T want. It is what they are spending millions if not billions of lobbying money fighting against. But in truth, it is what we the people need.

In 2000, the World Health Organization studied the health care systems of the world and ranked the United States as number 37 in overal performance. 47 million Americans are uninsured and another 50 million are underinsured. People are spending their life’s savings when they get sick. People are dying because they can’t afford the treatments they need. Insurance companies are making millions in profit off illnesses and turning down treatments people need based on economics.

It’s time to stop the madness. Let’s do what the other countries do and make sure everyone gets treated when they’re sick. It’s as simple as that.

HR 676 has been endorsed by 558 union organizations in 49 states including 130 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO’s.

Even the physicians want it. Over 59 percent of physicians now support a national, single-payer health insurance system for everyone.

We can find a way to pay for it. We spend 10 times more than any other country in the world on military. Perhaps we can cut a little of that back and still spend, say, 8 times more than any other country and use some of the rest on our health. But in actuality, HR 676 would be mostly paid for by removing the insurance companies from the equation.

I am proud to say that my state’s Representative, Peter Welch (D-VT) is one of the co-signers. To find out if yours is, click here for the current list.


rest of article and links to what you can do to support HR 676:
http://solarbus.org/blog/?p=64

They ignored it, then they buried it in committee...

two years later, they can't pretend the health care crisis doesn't exist any longer, so they start from zero and come up with a compromised compromise before they even start compromising.
:kick: & R

Millions suffer and die so that a few can have too much.
:kick:

Make us all feel like we've "won" something if 5% have access to a "public option".

Thanks for the heads up on this.

K&R

I want a party that works for the people not insurance and drug companies.

There needs to be a major Party platform fight in 2012.

If the DNC doesn't move left they'll need to find a new activists base a la 2000.

progressives supporting third-party candidates has the potential to backfire and get the republican elected. the ideal thing is to find progressives inside the democratic party and get them nominated. but unfortunately corporate interests make it difficult for real progressives to make headway in the democratic party. then we're once again stuck between choosing a good third party candidate or the not-so-good-but-better-than-replubican democrat.

i believe eventually there will be enough outrage and momentum that things will change. hopefully.

But I'm not buying the narrative that either you support the Democratic Party or you put a Republican into office.

Why is it that the media portrays individuals who vote their conscious as responsible for a Republican being elected. Why is it never the Democratic candidate that threw his or her base overboard?

My dream is for Al Gore to run as a fire breathing FDR style liberal in the 2012 primary (if for no other reason then to create space for Obama to move left)... but if that doesn't happen I might vote third party for the first time in my life.

The elite will only allow the CENTER to move to the left if they fear someone truly radical might gain a toehold and start pushing really radical change so it is imperative that we have someone far to the left running in 2012.

I'm sick of the Democratic party and Obama being the modern face of Rockefeller Republicanism. Where's the change we can believe in?

:bounce:

Thanks for the thread, garybeck.:thumbsup:

:dem:

-Laelth