The first poll is out asking about Single Payer support. Time Magazine commissioned a poll from SRBI, which found that 55% of Americans want a major overhaul. 60% think the insurance companies are doing a fair or poor job of providing services. 55% think the American health care system is fair or poor. 90% want tax breaks for small businesses to make health insurance more affordable. 80% want pre-existng conditions covered. 63% want coverage for all Americans, even if the government needs to subsidize it. 56% want a public option.

The Single Payer question read:

Would you favor or oppose a program that creates a national single-payer plan similar to Medicare for all, in which the government would provide healthcare insurance to all Americans?

49% of the respondents said "yes".

Believe it or not, that's a huge number. First, because most people don't actually know what "Single Payer" means. Second, because the opposition is out in force. And third, because based on other answers in the poll, it's likely that the sample was skewed.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

WHAT IS SINGLE PAYER? IS IT SOCIALIZED MEDICINE?
July 23 
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What is single payer? Is it socialized medicine?

by: DocJess
Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 09:30:00 AM EDT
Reprinted with permission from DCW: DemConWatch - Click here to visit DemConWatch.

The Single Payer bill furthest along in the legislative process belongs to the state of Pennsylvania, where the House bill was resubmitted last week, with 36 co-sponsors. You can read the whole bill here. (Don't worry, it's only 27 pages)

Basically:

The plan shall provide health care coverage for all citizens of this Commonwealth and for certain eligible visitors. The agency shall work simultaneously to control health care costs, achieve measurable improvement in health care outcomes, promote a culture of health awareness and develop an integrated health care database to support health care planning and quality assurance.

I'll answer in detail after the jump, but this is NOT socialized medicine.

PITTSBURGH PA CITY COUNCIL ENDORSES THE SINGLE PAYER SOLUTION - PA HB1660 AND SB 400
July 23 
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NEWS RELEASE
PITTSBURGH, PA
JULY 21, 2001

Contacts:
412.758.9082 Dr. Mary Pat Donegan, Healthcare4AllPA
412.398.2163 Molly Rush, Pennsylvania United for Single-payer Healthcare

State health care solution is PA House Bill 1660

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously today to pass a Will of Council which calls on the State Assembly to pass SB 400 and HB 1660, The Family and Business Healthcare Security Act and for Governor Rendell to sign it into law. When passed, this Act will provide comprehensive, quality healthcare to city employees and all residents of Pennsylvania. The City of Pittsburgh would realize an estimated $20,966,457, nearly $21 million in savings if it is passed this year. Over a five-year period, it is estimated the City of Pittsburgh would save over $162 million. These savings would end the citys fiscal crisis and eliminate the need to send Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to Harrisburg to seek support for unpopular measures, such as raising the Pittsburgh wage tax for those who work in Pittsburgh but live elsewhere. For more information on legislation go to www.healthcare4allpa.org

WENDELL POTTER, FORMER CIGNA EXECUTIVE, ENDORSES STATE-BASED SINGLE PAYER LEGISLATION IN PENNSYLVANIA
July 21 
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WHYY-FM Radio: Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane

Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA healthcare executive, is interviewed by Marty Moss-Coane on Radio Times. He describes his time with CIGNA, and what led to his decision to leave his position. In the second half of the show, he responds to a question posed by Chuck Pennacchio, Executive director of HealthCare4ALLPA, and comes out in support of state-based single payer initiatives, including HB1660 and SB400 in Pennsylvania.

Click here to listen to the July 21 edition of WHYY-FM Radio: Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane.

Listen to Chuck's question to Mr. Potter, and Mr. Potter's response, contained in the player below.

HB1660 HAS BEEN INTRODUCED IN THE PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE
July 17 
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Pennsylvania House Bill 1660 has been introduced by Rep. Kathy Manderino (194th Legislative District, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties). Click here to see if your legislator is signed on as a co-sponsor! Click here to read the bill (.pdf).

HEALTHCARE4ALLPA BERKS COUNTY COORDINATORS RON AND ROSIE APPEAR ON BERKS COMMUNITY TELEVISION PROGRAM
July 17 

HealthCare4ALLPA Berks County organizers, Ron Stoufer and Rosie Skomitz, appear on Inside Your City with Vaughn Spencer, Reading City Council President.

Using IE - Watch the video by clicking the play button below!
Using Firefox - Watch the video by right clicking and selecting "play"

TAXPAYER SAVINGS UNDER HB1660 AND SB400
July 15 

HEALTHCARE4ALLPA, HB1660 / SB400 IN LEBANON DAILY NEWS
July 9 

Insist on single-payer option
Editor:
Lebanon Daily News
Updated: 07/09/2009 01:53:13 AM EDT

The current health-care reform debate is not being conducted with the openness and honesty that President Barack Obama advocated as a candidate. There are three major problems.

First, our attention is being diverted by speaking of "health-care reform." While many things could be improved in our system, what most people worry about is not the care but paying for it.

They have good reason to worry. Any change of jobs or employer ownership imperils health coverage; if they happen to get sick during an uninsured period, the illness will likely bankrupt them. Half of bankruptcies comes from medical expenses and, even worse, most of those were insured!

The second problem is the use of code words like "a uniquely American solution." This devalues any reference to the experience of other countries. Of the 77 largest economies in the world, 76 have some kind of universal health coverage, and the average cost of health care here is at least twice as expensive as in any of those 76 countries.

The third problem is that the single-payer plan, favored by up to 76 percent of Americans surveyed, is not being considered.

Single payer is an expanded version of Medicare for all. Here are the facts about this option: much less cost, covers everyone, same doctors, same hospitals, full drug coverage, wellness-friendly, no coverage gaps, no co-pays, no co-insurance, no exclusions, no deductibles, no lifetime caps, no sneaky traps, no job enslavement for health insurance. It's the only financially viable plan. Plans now on the table nibble at the $1 trillion level.

Visit http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php

It is not just at the national level that these benefits could be achieved. SB400 and HB1660 would establish a single-payer system in Pennsylvania to cover everyone at less cost to individuals and businesses. Visit www.healthcare4allpa.org for more

When policies were proposed to President Franklin Roosevelt during the Depression, he would say, "That sounds good. Make me do it."

So also now. Gov. Ed Rendell has said he would welcome either of the Pennsylvania bills if they came before him; Obama has also said single-payer works well where it is in place.

Supporters of a single-payer plan are part of a strong majority in the country. We must insist that our national and state legislators respond to the will of this majority. If enough speak up, the majority will rule.

John Rose
Lickdale

CHECK OUT OUR "EVENTS" PAGE AND OUR NEW CALENDAR!
July 9 

Click here to check out the new HealthCare4ALLPA events calendar!

HEALTHCARE4ALLPA LETTER TO THE EDITOR - THE CITIZENS VOICE, WILKES-BARRE, PA
July 7 

HealthCare4ALLPA State Co-chair Cindy Purvis (Erie, PA) had a letter to the editor published in the July 2nd, 2009 edition of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice.

State health care solution is PA House Bill 1660

Adult Basic is a health insurance program run by the Commonwealth for adults who do not receive coverage through their employer, make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but who are unable to afford to purchase insurance on their own.

Currently there are about 46,000 adults on this program.

At the end of last year the waiting list had grown to 145,000.

At the end of May it had swelled to 255,289.

Pennsylvania Representative Todd Eachus, Majority Floor Leader, represents Luzerne County. He worked hard to get House Bill 1 passed in the Pennsylvania General Assembly which would have added another 130,000 to the roles of Adult Basic. The bill is not expected to be passed in the Senate due to the cost.

Too bad that Representative Eachus does not support House Bill 1660. Not only will this legislation give comprehensive health care to every Pennsylvanian, it will save taxpayers in our commonwealth billions.

Just to give an example, Luzerne County municipalities and school districts will save a combined total of $45,104,198 on employee costs while every citizen of Luzerne County would have comprehensive health care.

Under HB 1660 there would be no co-pays and no deductibles.

When is the majority leader in the House going to look around and back true health care reform?

Who is he supporting if not the working people of Luzerne County?

We don't need representatives who want to slash programs and raise taxes; we need leaders who can work for our best interests.

Cindy Purvis

Erie

CHECK OUT OUR NEWLY UPDATED BROCHURE
July 6 

Click here to open the brochure in a new window.

CHUCK PENNACCHIO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HEALTHCARE4ALLPA IS FEATURED ON THE UNION EDGE TALK RADIO
July 2 

Chuck Pennacchio is the featured guest on the July 2, 2009 broadcast of The Union Edge, a daily talk show hosted by Charles Showalter that deals with issues affecting working families.

BATTLE FOR HEALTHCARE IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT
July 1 

Like a flower blooming in time lapse photography, Allen Minchs sequenced photographs of the June 11 single-payer (PA Family and Business Health Care Security Act - HB1660/SB400) rally at the Capitol rotunda showed the blossom of a movement. After the initial trickle of supporters, carloads and busloads arrived filling the ground floor surrounding the steps, spilling up the steps and into the balcony. What the pictures dont reveal is the loud clamor of citizens eager to raise their voices in support of an idea whose time has come.

The folk strains of Anne Feeney and the hard-hitting, gritty, in-your-face rock of Mike Stout opened the event and set the tone for the tumultuous outpouring of support.

As we reported last month, shouts of "Single-Payer Now!" rose to the rooftop and echoed through the halls of the Pennsylvania Legislature. The energy and enthusiasm of the more than 400 who traveled to the Capitol from all corners of the state were absolutely contagious.

Musician Mike Stout wears many hats. The entertainer is also a businessman and union member. He offers the following observations on the rally. "The crowd was fired up, militant, and ready for more action down the roadOur movement at that moment was a fist instead of a bunch of limp fingers. Organizers and speaker after speaker announced their intention to come back in the fall with 3, 5, or 10 times as many people. This is what will grab the attention of our elected representatives and unglue their ears and pockets from the insurance and big Pharma lobbyists."

An assortment of speakers representing a variety of constituencies addressed the gathering. They all remarked on how impressed they were with the enormous and enthusiastic crowd and agreed that the health insurance industry is largely responsible for our current crisis.

SQUIDOO LENS ABOUT HEALTHCARE REFORM
June 19 

Check out this page (a lens on Squidoo) that is jam packed with information about the Single Payer Solution in PA

You can also read a blog post about the June 11 HealthCare4ALLPA rally in Harrisburg PA by clicking here

WEST READING COUNCIL BACKS SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
June 18 

Faced with the prospects of rising health care costs, West Reading Borough Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to support a single-payer system.

The move is symbolic, but backers hope it will get the attention of lawmakers in Harrisburg.

Health care costs are eating up a significant portion of municipal budgets, said Councilman Michael W. Morrill, a proponent of health care reform.

Businesses also are faced with skyrocketing costs to provide insurance for their workers, he said.

Bills before the state House and Senate would institute a single-payer system funded through a 3 percent personal-income tax and a 10 percent payroll tax for municipalities and businesses, Morrill said.

That would provide significant savings and better coverage than private insurance, he said.

"We need to take this issue into our own hands and ask ourselves how can Pennsylvania provide better coverage for everyone with lower costs," he said.

Michael Doyle voted against the measure without comment. James Gallen and Philip Wert were absent.

West Reading pays more than $400,000 a year for health insurance, about 22 percent of its budget, Morrill said. A single-payer system would cost the borough about $193,000 a year, he said.

Morrill invited Ron Stouffer and Rosie Skomitz, volunteers with Health Care 4 All PA, to the meeting to explain the advantages of a single-payer system.

Stouffer said money from payroll and personal-income taxes would be put into a state fund to pay doctors and health care providers. In most cases, Pennsylvanians' access to health care would greatly improve, he said.

Contact Darrin Youker: 610-371-5032 or dyouker@readingeagle.com.
The full article can be found by clicking here.

DR. WALTER TSOU, MD, MPH, AND HEALTHCARE4ALLPA BOARD MEMBER TESTIFIES TO CONGRESS ABOUT THE SINGLE PAYER OPTION
June 18 

SLIDESHOW OF JUNE 11 HEALTHCARE4ALLPA RALLY IN HARRISBURG PA
June 18 

CHUCK PENNACCHIO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HEALTHCARE4ALLPA IS FEATURED ON SMART TALK - WITF FM
June 17 

WITF FM (89.5 FM amd 93.3 FM, serving the Susquehanna Valley in South Central Pennsylvania) featured Chuck Pennacchio, Ph.D on Tuesdat June 16 on its program Smart Talk. Listen to the full broadcast below. You can also visit the Smart Talk website for June 16, 2009 by clicking here.

BLUE RIDGE CABLE 11'S NICHELLE MCKELVEY REPORTS ON THE JUNE 11 HEALTHCARE4ALLPA RALLY IN HARRISBURG.
June 16 

VIDEO FROM JUNE 11 RALLY IN HARRISBURG
June 16 

PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE RADIO SPOT
June 12 

RALLY FOR SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE FOR ALL HELP US FILL THE CAPITOL STEPS ON JUNE 11TH!!!

Healthcare for All PA, and a coalition of like-minded organizations that includes the Pa. AFL-CIO; Pa. Council of Churches; Pa. Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP); The American Medical Student Association (AMSA); Pa. League of Women Voters, and others invites you to join us in Harrisburg on Thursday, June 11 from 11AM to 12:30 PM for a RALLY FOR SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE FOR ALL on the Capitol Steps. Entertainment kicks off at 11 AM followed by speakers you wont want to miss beginning at 11:30 AM. Speakers will include Donna Smith (star of Michael Moores "SiCKO"); Bill George (President of the Pa. AFL-CIO); Walter Tsou (nationally recognized expert and consultant on public healthcare reform and former Philadelphia Health Commissioner); Chuck Pennacchio (Executive Director of HealthCare For ALLPA and 2006 Primary candidate for the Pa. Democratic Senate race) and several more including some to be announced.

Help us spread the word far and wide. Lets fill those Capitol steps and send a real message to the Legislature and the media that we are a mass movement that wants real healthcare for all NOW!! EVERYBODY IN. NOBODY OUT!

Click here for rally flyer, click here for Harrisburg driving and parking directions, and click here for bus and rail service.

Email action@healthcare4allpa.org with questions, need a ride, or have room for passengers.

Taking on the Big Boys, Taking Back Our Health Care System
The savings the taxpayers in each county of Pennsylvania will see under the passage of the Family and Business Health Security Act are listed here.

Healthcare for All Pennsylvania is proud to announce the launching of our 'Print-and-Post' flier campaign to spread the good word about the only proven answer to our healthcare crisis: the Single Payer Solution. SO GO WILD! Print-and-then-Post wherever you work, play, and socialize. Click here for your copy of our flier.

CALL TO ACTION - Healthcare for All Pennsylvania/Pennsylvanians United for Single Payer Healthcare Organizing Summit: "Winning Passage of HB 1660/SB 400 AND hr 676 in 2009"
When: Saturday, March 28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Audience: All are Welcome
Where: 2210 Doherty Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
Presenters: Donna Smith (CA Nurses Assn. and PDA), Celeste Taylor (Black and White Reunion), local/regional/statewide organizers, and YOU
Cost: None -- though contributions are welcome
RSVP: Mary Pat Donegan, drdoneagain@yahoo.com

Healthcare for All Pennsylvania Public Hearing on HB 1660
When: Wednesday, March 18, 8:45 a.m.-10 a.m.
Audience: Pennsylvania Rural Healthcare Caucus (per invitation of Caucus Chair/Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, Republican, Centre County) and, YES, it is OPEN to the PUBLIC and MEDIA
Where: Irvis 302, State Capitol Bldg., Harrisburg, PA 17120
Testifiers: Dr. Bill Davidson (physician), Kate Loving Shenk (nurse), Alan Jacobs (business leader), Janice Horn (League of Women Voters), Wes Fisher (medical student), Chuck Pennacchio (Healthcare for All Pennsylvania)
More Info: Chuck Pennacchio, cpennacchio@gmail.com 215.828.5055; Pedro Rodriguez, pedroa.rodriguez@comcast.net, 215.300.5902

Inaugural Day, January 20, 2009
Even the cynics are smiling today.  So take lots of pictures, whether you're on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (as are my wife and kids), or whether you'll be watching history unfold on a television or computer screen at noon EST.  This is Day One of a presidency that succeeds (or fails), based primarily on what each of us is willing to do.  Anticipation has never been so high.  So be prepared to "step up" your own role and responsibility. (more)

Norman Solomon to headline December 6th Pennsylvania "Call to Action" Health Care for All Convention
Healthcare for All Pennsylvania is proud to announce that nationally-known media critic and Single Payer Solution leader on California's SB 840 and Congress' HR 676, Norman Solomon, will speak at our one-day convention in Harrisburg, 10 a.m.-3 p.m, Saturday, December 6th (schedule | flyer)

Chuck Pennacchio to Speak to PDA Virginia 
Chuck Pennacchio, PhD, Executive Director of Health Care for All PA, will speak to Progressive Democrats of America, Virginia branch on Sunday, Dec. 7th from 3-5pm concerning Single Payer Universal Healthcare.  (more) 

Chuck Pennacchio to Speak at Health Care Reform Meeting in Colorado 
Representative K. Jerry Frangas' Task Force on the Study of Health Care for Vulnerable Populations will be holding a hearing on health care reform on Dec. 3rd.  (more) 

Health Insurance Calculator
October 30 
An easy way to estimate how the Family and Business Health Security Act will affect your bottom line (Excel file).  (more) 

Health Care Debate - 11/01/08: Single Payer Health Insurance
October 27 
The public is invited to attend a political debate on health care to examine the following proposition: "Resolved:  That the United States convert the financing of all health care to a publicly financed, privately delivered, single payer insurance plan; that the benefits of the proposed plan include all necessary medical procedures and that coverage be universal for all people currently receiving health care in the U.S." This is scheduled for 8:00 AM on 11/1 at the Hometown Family Restaurant on Route 422 in Palmyra.  A family style breakfast will be offered for a price of $10.00 for members and $12.50 for non-members. RSVP by 10/29.  (more) 

Big Saturday Press Conference: Promoting "Guaranteed Healthcare for All"
August 7 
Healthcare for All Pennsylvania is co-sponsoring a press conference in Pittsburgh this Saturday morning, along with Congressman John Conyers, Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo, and Progressive Democrats of America to advance "Guaranteed Healthcare for All" amendment language be added to the Democratic Party Platform.  
 
(For the record, Healthcare for All Pennsylvania, a non-partisan organization, will be promoting the same amendment language in the run-up to the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities.)  (more) 

July 2008 Pennsylvania Single Payer Legislative and Campaign Update
July 31 
Healthcare for All Pennsylvania...ah, yes, Pennsylvania, where publicly-funded/privately-provided (single payer) House Bill 1660 and Senate Bill 400 have both the Signature-Guarantee of the Only Chief Executive in the Nation, Governor Ed Rendell, and the Funding Mechanism Built Right into the Legislation. (more)

Our Statement On The 43rd Birthday Of Medicare
July 30th 
Note: this accompanied the birthday cupcakes we presented to all 253 PA House and Senate members this afternoon.  Who says lobbying isn't fun? 

Today we celebrate the 43rd birthday of Medicare. When President Johnson signed Medicare into law on July 30, 1965, little did he know that Medicare, a single-payer, publicly financed, privately delivered health care plan for citizens age 65 and older would become the most successful and popular initiative in our nation's history! Medicare has fulfilled the promise of guaranteeing quality health care security for America's seniors.  (more)

Thousands In PA Declare: "Healthcare, Yes; Health Insurance, No"
June 19th
In an unprecedented show of citizen unity across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, physicians, nurses, medical students, business owners, union members, religious leaders, and legislators demanded an end to profit-first Health Insurance Company rip-offs of thirty (30) cents on every healthcare dollar, and a new beginning with patient-first Single Payer [publicly-funded, privately-provided] efficiency of three (3) cents overhead -- while guaranteeing quality, comprehensive, affordable, healthcare for all.  Such a proposal is embodied in PA House Bill 1660 and Senate Bill 330, and Congressional House Resolution 676. (more)

Become A Member of Healthcare For All Pennsylvania!
June 16th
You have a unique opportunity to be a part of history.  You can be part of the solution.  You can become a member of one of the largest grassroots, citizen-led movements in the history of the Commonwealth.  You can help pass the Family and Business Healthcare Security Act, House Bill (HB) 1660 and Senate Bill (SB) 400, which would provide quality, comprehensive, universal healthcare for each and every citizen of Pennsylvania.  (more)

Report: 42% of Adult Americans Uninsured/Underinsured In 2007
June 12th
June 10, The Commonwealth Fund released a report exposing how the chronic insecurity built in to the American healthcare system is racing up the economic ladder. Rates of underinsurance have tripled for workers with incomes over $40,000. Overall, the report tracked a breathtaking 60 percent increase in the number of underinsured working age adults in just four years. This means that about 42 percent of adults between 19 and 64 -- 75 million Americans -- were either underinsured or had no insurance in 2007. Read the full report here, some good quotes from the authors here.  Do something about it here or here.

Why We're Already Winning On The Single Payer Solution
June 11th
People ask me all the time: "How are we ever going to beat these health insurance giants?"  One word: HUBRIS.  The profit-first health insurers our our best ally in defeating the profit-first health insurers. Let me explain.  (more)

Leading The Nation June 19: PA Rallies Against Insurance Industry
June 10th
America's healthcare insurance industry is slowly eroding our welfare; killing, injuring, bankrupting, and rationing all in the name of the free market. June 19th, twenty cities across the US are hosts to protests against this toxic situation.  We're promoting instead a rational, civilized single payer option. Pennsylvania, leading the way, is host to five of these rallies in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Philadelphia, and Wilkes Barre. Come out, join nurses, doctors, patients and Americans of every stripe as we protest in memory of the countless victims of the insurance industry. We're timing the events to coincide with the annual health insurance lobbyist convention (AHIP, with 38,000 attendees) in San Francisco. It's going to be an afternoon to remember, so head to the rally near you and make some life-saving noise.

What All Of Us Must Do To Solve This Crisis
June 1st
(An op-ed from our friend Linda Beckman) In early May at the main branch of the Philadelphia Free Library I attended a forum  on our healthcare crisis.  The panelists advocated two different responses. Most  spoke in favor of Rendell's Pennsylvania ABC while only Walter Tsou, former Commissioner of Health for Philadelphia, spoke on behalf of HR 676 and HB 1660/SB 400, single payer bills in Congress and in the Pennsylvania state legislature.  Yet all indicated a preference for a single payer system as a solution. (more)