Health Care Action Day
May 13, 2005
Tuesday, June 14th
This is your chance to join in solidarity and stand for Health and Social Security
1st… Tuesday, June 14th 10:30am
George Bush will be Attending a Fundraiser for Santorum
That’s right, You’ve got a chance to come speak your mind about Social Security and the Bush/Santorum plan for Privatization and Benefit Cuts.
This is going to be really good
2nd… Tuesday, June 14th 4 pm
March for Healthcare Justice
March from the Clothespin to SEPTA HQ
1500 Market St to 1234 Market St.
The Pennsylvania State Legislature is finalizing massive cuts to our Medicaid Healthcare Safety-net. AND
Healthcare workers and Septa workers are in dispute to hold tight to the healthcare that they’ve fought for.
Advocates can support all of Pennsylvania’s Underinsured by coming to this march and backing these folks.
March with hundreds of Medicaid recipients, hospital workers and transit workers in their demand for health care justice. This action will target Faye Moore, General Manager of SEPTA, who seeks to raise health care co-pays and premiums of the SEPTA workers by $400 per month.
Come to the Clothespin, 15th and Market Streets, Philadelphia to support the Transport Workers Union and hospital workers in their negotiations for health benefits, 3:30 PM, June 14. Prepare for a march at 4:30 PM.
Single Payer Health Plan for Pennsylvania
May 13, 2005
Pennsylvanians United for Single Payer Health Care have introduced model parameters for an innovative plan for universal health care in Pennsylvania. For more information, including a draft of the bill, go to http://www.pahcsc.org.
“ONE PAGER” – SUMMARY
MODEL BILL – 2005 BALANCED HEALTH CARE REFORM
I. Implementation January 1, 2007
II. Comprehensive universal health coverage, single payer, no deductibles or co-pays, and no caps. Covers all cost of hospitalization, physicians, prescription drugs, dental, mental, optical, emergency transport, addiction, transplants, durable medical equipment, hospice, long term care, etc. No coverage for purely cosmetic procedures. Replaces all private insurance, Medicaid, Adult Basic, PaCHIP, and all other government programs excepting Medicare and VA. The Plan plugs all holes in the Medicare and VA coverage. Parties to collective bargaining agreements with benefits at least as generous as the Balanced Plan may opt out. Private insurers may cover anything not covered by the Plan.
III. Replace the current malpractice system with a consumer choice between: (1) An administrative no-fault program providing a reasonable and immediate set of benefits to anyone injured by their medical care regardless of how careful the health care provider may have been, and (2) Retaining their traditional fault based remedies. The Plan will fund both the no-fault and fault approaches essentially eliminating malpractice insurance premiums for health care providers except for those who elect to purchase additional coverage to insure traditional claims exceeding the $3 million limit provided by the Plan.
IV $1000 per year tax rebates for active volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and rescue workers.
V. Medical error reduction through an aggressive and fully funded program to investigate all claims of errors, to order and enforce better practices to reduce avoidable health care related injuries, and to seek license revocation where appropriate.
VI. Cost containment through a certificate of need requirement to avoid wasteful and duplicative capital investment in medical equipment or services in over served areas while encouraging development in under served parts of the Commonwealth.
VII. Total commitment to establishing a culture of wellness through: (1) A fully funded K through 12 health education and physical fitness curriculum that is considered no less important than any other “core” subject, and (2) Identifying and eliminating environmental health risks.
VIII. Generous transitional assistance to employees displaced by the move to a single payer system. Adoption of this legislation will also create tens of thousands of excellent new jobs in health care, education, substance abuse treatment, and long term care.
IX. Preservation of the private health care system and the right of patients to choose their doctor.
X. Funding of a 21st Century digital medical record system that will be cost-efficient, eliminate redundant testing, and will reduce prescription and treatment errors.
XI. Dedicated funding of the program through a 10% Health Care Levy on payrolls (including the self-employed) plus a 3% Wellness Tax on all personal income. This becomes 1% each for employers and employees with a qualifying collective bargaining agreement.
XII. Exercising the collective purchasing power of 12 million Pennsylvanians to lower the cost of prescription drugs and durable medical equipment.
Health Commissioner releases Phila Plan for Universal Health Care
May 5, 2005
Philadelphia releases plan for “Decent Health Care for All Philadelphians”
The City releases the Philadelphia plan for universal health care entitled, “Decent Health Care for All”. This plan is a first step toward crafting a plan for universal health care. It calls for the city to initiate a Health Leadership Partnership of key leaders to coordinate services for the uninsured. At the same time, we must fight potential cuts in Medicaid and Medicare which could jeopardize services. The plan can be downloaded at the http://www.phila.gov/health.
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