Baucus to meet with single-payer advocates By JOHN S. ADAMS Tribune Capitol Bureau
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090602/NEWS01/906020310/Baucus+to+meet+with+single-payer+advocates HELENA - Sen. Max Baucus is set to meet with five single-payer health care advocates in Washington, D.C., this week. Baucus, as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, has made health care reform his top priority this session. However, Baucus has consistently said single-payer - a system in which the federal government acts as the nation's sole health insurance provider - is off the table. "For more than a year, Senator Baucus has met with thousands of people, representing hundreds of views on how to reform our health care system," Baucus spokesman Ty Matsdorf stated in an e-mail. "This meeting is no different. Max hopes to talk, and listen, to these folks totry and find the best way to make sure every Montanan has access to quality, affordable health care." Last week, members of Baucus' staff held 20 listening sessions across the state on health care reform. At several of those meetings, Montanans expressed anger over Baucus' steadfast refusal to consider a single-payer option. Last month Baucus had 13 protesters removed from Senate Finance Committee hearings after the protesters demanded that single-payer advocates be given a seat at the table during health care reform hearings. According to the Web site SinglePayerAction.org, Baucus will meet with Dr. David Himmelstein, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP); Dr. Marcia Angell, senior lecturer, Harvard Medical School and former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine; Dr. Oliver Fein, associate dean, Cornell Weill Medical School and president of PNHP; Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the California Nurses Association; and Geri Jenkins, president of California Nurses Association. Angell said the group plans to urge Baucus to give serious consideration to Congress' two primary single-payer bills, S. 703, by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and H.R. 676, by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. "We will make a case that there should be full hearings on Sanders' bill, and we'll make the case that the (Congressional Budget Office) should cost-out the Sanders and Conyers bills," Angell said in an interview Monday. "We'll make the case that single-payer advocates should have a chance to meet with the president. We will argue for holding public hearings on health reform that include single payer witnesses." Matsdorf said the June 3 meeting was scheduled prior to last week's well-attended health care listening sessions, but Angell said she believes the pressure Montanans put on Baucus in recent weeks helped open the door for Wednesday's meeting. "I think Sen. Baucus may be surprised at the amount of push-back he has gotten for just ruling (single-payer) off the table," Angell said. "It may indicate that he's starting to feel pressure, and that's all for the good." <http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090602/NEWS01/906020310/Baucus+to+meet+with+single-payer+advocates> ===================================== From: <mailto:[email protected]>Townsend L. Walker Sr. Senator Max Baucus and the Finance Committee are feeling the pressure. This Wednesday Sen. Baucus will meet with a delegation of leading single payer national health plan advocates. The delegation includes: Dr. David Himmelstein, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), Dr. Marcia Angell, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Medical School and former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Oliver Fein, Associate Dean, Cornell Weill Medical School, and President of PNHP, Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the California Nurses Association, and Geri Jenkins, president of California Nurses Association. Unfortunately when legislators act in such an "unofficial" manner, people realize they are merely being humored and dismissed with a condescending pat on the head. This will not do. A private meeting with single payer advocates does not mean that single payer is on the table or will get a fair hearing. We are pleased Sen. Baucus is feeling the pressure and reacting but an off-the-record meeting is not enough. We want single payer on the table and really being considered. We know that on every measure: cost, patient choice, improved health care and covering all people -- single payer wins every argument. It isn't even a close question which is why a super majority of Americans support single payer -- improved Medicare for all. Please take action and write Senator Baucus and the Senate Finance Committee today. Tell them that while we appreciate the private meeting for single payer -- that is not good enough. Single payer needs to be on the table, because with fair consideration single payer will be the health care plan adopted by the nation. Please click on this link to send a letter now. <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1312/t/9277/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27348>http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1312/t/9277/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27348 The multi-payer system that Senator Baucus is pushing will be a gift to the insurance industry that has so generously supported him throughout his political career. It will push, perhaps even force, people to buy insurance, it will subsidize the industry even more than it already is, it will not control costs indeed it will increase taxes to pay for insurance subsidies, and, if there is a public insurance option it will have so many strings attached that it will fail. This is not reform that provide health care to all at a price the nation can afford. We're making progress. Please take action now to keep the pressure on. It is time to put single payer on the table, indeed it is time to make it America's national health policy. A private meeting should spur our movement to increase the pressure senators are feeling. We want real change not symbolic meetings. WHAT ARE YOU PREPARED TO DO? WHAT IS SINGLE PAYER? [this is the great 4-minute youtube video that summarizes why single payer is the answer.] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAvy9jew9dM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eprosperityagenda%2Eus%2F&feature=player_embedded>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAvy9jew9dM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eprosperityagenda%2Eus%2F&feature=player_embedded HERE'S WHAT SOME WERE PREPARED TO DO: [this is a video of the healthcare congressional meeting where single payer advocates were arrested for speaking out] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKP05AyfRsI&feature=related>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKP05AyfRsI&feature=related __,_._,___ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. 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