FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2009
8:20 AM
CONTACT: <http://www.pnhp.org/>Physicians for a National Health Program
Cathy Albisa on 212-253-1710 x 303 or
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
Victoria Grant on 212-253-1710 x 308 or
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
New Report Casts Exclusion of Single Payer Option as a Question of
Democracy and Human Rights
NEW YORK - May 28 - At a critical moment for health care reform in
the United States, The National Economic & Social Rights Initiative
has published an
<http://www.nesri.org/Single_Payer_Human_Rights_Analysis.pdf>in-depth
assessment of single payer proposals, finding that a single payer
system goes further towards meeting key human rights principles than
market-based plans.
The question of whether national leaders will consider a single payer
system as an option for health care reform has become a question of
basic democracy. Despite most Americans supporting a single payer
solution, the Obama Administration and congressional leaders have
denied it consideration. Key stakeholders such as health care
professionals, patients and single payer advocates have been excluded
from hearings regarding health reform, prompting courageous civil
disobedience actions by health care advocates. One of the protesters
at the recent Senate Finance Hearings, Dr Margaret Flowers of PNHP
Maryland, said: "We have entered a new phase in the movement for
health care as a human right: acts of civil disobedience. It is time
to directly challenge corporate interests. History has shown that in
order to gain human rights, we must be willing to speak out and risk
arrest".
<http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/05/17-0>In a recent article,
Donna Smith of the California Nurses Association critically suggests
that any health care reform bill that comes out of Washington will be
falsely advertised as a "human rights victory". But what would a true
human rights victory look like? NESRI's report addresses that
question.
The report analyzes four bills (Conyers HR676, Sanders S703/McDermott
HR1200, Vermont S99/H100 and Minnesota SF118/HF135) against key human
rights principles such as universality, equity, affordability and
comprehensiveness. It shows that if health care reformers are serious
about achieving a system that respects human rights, single payer
proposals must be given consideration as they would vastly increase
access to quality care for all individuals and secure long-term
financial sustainability.
NESRI's report is intended to support the efforts of human right to
health care advocates by providing a serious analysis of the benefits
of a single payer plan. Cathy Albisa, co-founder of NESRI, said: "We
have a fundamental choice to make as a country; we can either be
guided by human rights that reflect our founding values or we can
continue down the path of special corporate interests. The kind of
health care system our government puts in place and what weight is
given to the opinion of the American people in the upcoming debate is
an important barometer of the health of our democracy and our ability
to move towards a more equitable society."
<http://www.nesri.org/Single_Payer_Human_Rights_Analysis.pdf>"A Human
Rights Assessment of Single Payer Plans" is available for download at
<http://www.nesri.org./>www.nesri.org.
###
NESRI - 90 John Street, Suite 308 - New York, NY 10038 - Ph:
212.253.1710 - <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
###
Physicians for a National Health Program is a single issue
organization advocating a universal, comprehensive single-payer
national health program. PNHP has more than 15,000 members and
chapters across the United States.
<http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/05/28-2>http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/05/28-2
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