Action Alert: Single Payer on the Table

Representative Weiner goes for broke with single-payer proposal


Today, Monday July 20, the silence in the House of Representatives around single payer and H.R. 676 will end. Rep. Anthony Weiner, (D-NY09), who has already rankled Republicans and Blue Dogs with his no-nonsense statements before the House Energy and Commerce hearing on H.R. 3200, will move to amend the current bill. His proposal is essentially to replace H.R. 3200 with H.R. 676—single payer Medicare for All.

This exciting and potentially monumental move needs our support. We pushed Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s amendment to victory last Friday, and we can do it for Representative Weiner, too.

The full committee and its five subcommittees are spending the next three days debating the bill and performing their markups. This is the time to act, and Representative Weiner is making his move.

Call or fax the committee members and tell them you want them to support Representative Weiner’s proposal. Listen to his blunt analysis in Friday’s session of what real healthcare reform is made of, and you’ll get some good ideas of what to say when you call or fax. It’s a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners approach to the legislative process almost never heard on the House floor.

Energy and Commerce Committee Phone: (202) 225-2927, Fax: (202) 225-2525
Henry A. Waxman, CA, Chair Phone: (202) 225-3976, Fax: (202) 225-4099
John D. Dingell, MI Phone: (202) 225-4071, Fax: (202) 226-0371
Edward J. Markey, MA Phone: (202) 225-2836, Fax: (202) 226-0092
Rick Boucher, VA Phone: (202) 225-3861, Fax: (202) 225-0442
Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ Phone: (202) 225-4671, Fax: (202) 225-9665
Bart Gordon, TN Phone: (202) 225-4231, Fax: (202) 225-6887
Bobby L. Rush, IL Phone: (202) 225-4372, Fax: (202) 226-0333
Anna G. Eshoo, CA Phone: (202) 225-8104, Fax: (202) 225-8890
Bart Stupak, MI Phone: (202) 225-4735, Fax: (202) 225-4744
Eliot L. Engel, NY Phone: (202) 225-2464, Fax: (202) 225-5513
Gene Green, TX Phone: (202) 225-1688, Fax: (202) 225-9903
Diana DeGette, CO Phone: (202) 225-4431, Fax: (202) 225-5657
Lois Capps, CA Phone: (202) 225-3601, Fax: (202) 225-5632
Mike Doyle, PA Phone: (202) 225-2135, Fax: (202) 225-3084
Jane Harman, CA Phone: (202) 225-8220, Fax: (202) 226-7290
Jan Schakowsky, IL Phone: (202) 225-2111, Fax: (202) 226-6890
Charles A. Gonzalez, TX Phone: (202) 225-3236, Fax: (202) 225-1915
Jay Inslee, WA Phone: (202) 225-6311, Fax: (202) 226-1606
Tammy Baldwin, WI Phone: (202) 225-2906, Fax: (202) 225-6942
Mike Ross, AR Phone: (202) 225-3772, Fax: (202) 225-1314
Anthony D. Weiner, NY Phone: (202) 225-6616, Fax: (202) 226-0218
Jim Matheson, UT Phone: (202) 225-3011, Fax: (202) 225-5638
G.K. Butterfield, NC Phone: (202) 225-3101, Fax: (202) 225-3354
Charlie Melancon, LA Phone: (202) 225-4031, Fax: (202) 226-3944
John Barrow, GA Phone: (202) 225-2823, Fax: (202) 225-3377
Baron P. Hill, IN Phone: (202) 225-5315, Fax: (202) 226-6866
Doris O. Matsui, CA Phone: (202) 225-7163, Fax: (202) 225-0566
Donna M. Christensen, VI Phone: (202) 225-1790, Fax: (202) 225-5517
Kathy Castor, FL Phone: (202) 225-3376, Fax: (202) 225-5652
John P. Sarbanes, MD Phone: (202) 225-4016, Fax: (202) 225-9219
Christopher S. Murphy, CT Phone: (202) 225-4476, Fax: (202) 225-5933
Zachary T. Space, OH Phone: (202) 225-6265, Fax: (202) 225-3394
Jerry McNerney, CA Phone: (202) 225-1947, Fax: (202) 225-4060
Betty Sutton, OH Phone: (202) 225-3401, Fax: (202) 225-2266
Bruce L. Braley, IA Phone: (202) 225-2911, Fax: (202) 225-6666
Peter Welch, VT Phone: (202) 225-4115, Fax: (202) 225-6790

Check out PDA’s Healthcare for All Issue Organizing Team (IOT) pages for recent news on healthcare reform and single payer, as well as resources on legislation and issues.

In solidarity,

Tim Carpenter, National Director
Laura Bonham, Deputy Director
Conor Boylan, Field Coordinator

Progressive Democrats of America is a grassroots PAC that works both inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice. Our goal in 2009: Expand progressive influence in Congress as we build on our 2008 electoral successes. PDA's advisory board includes seven members of Congress and activist leaders such as Tom Hayden, Medea Benjamin, Thom Hartmann, Jim Hightower, and Lila Garrett.

Spread the Progressive Word

CREDO Action

Stop Dirty Coal in Michigan

The skies are getting darker in Michigan.

Right now, while Congress is debating climate change, the coal industry is moving quickly to build two more expensive, dirty coal plants in Michigan. Why the push to build more coal plants now, when Michigan's energy use is declining?

Coal industry lobbyists have been successful in introducing gaping loopholes into the climate change bill pending in Congress. As a result, most of the provisions aimed at reducing coal's massive effect on climate change only apply to new plants coming online As a result, most of the provisions aimed at reducing coal's massive effect on climate change only apply to new plants coming online years from now. That means Big Coal will try to build as many dirty plants as possible before these rules go into effect.

It gets even worse. The coal industry is trying to build these plants without full public hearings on the matter. People in Michigan deserve the right to speak out.

The Department of Environmental Quality and the Public Service Commission are taking public comments right now on the proposed coal plants, and we need to let them know that Michiganders want a clean energy future, and no new dirty coal plants. We've got to tell them: No new coal.

It's now or never in the fight against climate change The more people who respond with the message "No New Coal," the more chance we have at stopping these dirty and expensive coal plants, and moving Michigan towards a clean energy future.

Sign this petition now to tell the Department of Environmental Quality and the Public Service Commission: Michigan needs a clean energy future. No more coal.

Participate with your State PIRGs

U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), takes on powerful interests on behalf of the American public, working to win concrete results for our health and our well-being. The state PIRGs are independent, state-based, citizen-funded organizations that advocate for the public interest. Since 1970, we have been delivering results-oriented citizen activism to protect our environment, encourage a fair and sustainable economy, and foster a responsive democratic government. We uncover threats to public health and well-being and fight to end them, using the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation.

At each state PIRG, the staff works to achieve concrete, practical changes on issues ranging from air and water pollution to campaign finance reform, from genetic engineering to consumer privacy.

The state PIRGs employ close to 400 organizers, policy analysts, scientists and attorneys, and are active in 47 states and Washington, D.C.

Read more about the work of individual state PIRGs at their Web sites:

AkPIRG / Arizona PIRG / CALPIRG / CoPIRG / ConnPIRG / Florida PIRG / Georgia PIRG / Illinois PIRG / INPIRG / Iowa PIRG / Maryland PIRG / MASSPIRG / PIRGIM (PIRG in Michigan) / MoPIRG / NCPIRG / NHPIRG / NJPIRG / NMPIRG / NYPIRG / Ohio PIRG / OSPIRG / PennPIRG / RIPIRG / TexPIRG / WashPIRG / WISPIRG

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U.S. PIRG: The Federation of State PIRGs • 44 Winter Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
Federal Advocacy Office: 218 D Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

CRUNCH TIME FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

Hi Friends,

Right now it's crunch time for health care reform.

The president knows it: Our advocates on Capitol Hill have learned that Obama cleared his schedule for the next two weeks so that he can focus on health care.

The health care industry knows it, too: They're spending $1.4 million EVERY DAY to sway fence-sitting lawmakers and weaken or defeat the reforms.

If the leader of the free world has set all other business aside to accomplish real health care reform, can you help him out at this critical moment?

Please take a minute right now to call your senator and ask her to support the president's health care plan.

You can find talking points and report your call on our website.

Here's what else we'll be doing across the country:

* Building a grassroots movement. Our canvassers are talking with hundreds of thousands of Americans face-to-face about health care, to swell the ranks of our supporters.

* Dispelling myths. Big industry and their Washington lobbyists are trying to convince Mom and Pop small businesses that they can't afford health care reform. So next week, we're holding press conferences in 18 states to release a new report on how small businesses can tackle their health care problems.

* Working in the Capitol. We're meeting with lawmakers in D.C. and organizing support for health care reform in their districts.

* Foiling the opposition. We're also going to tour health care swing states, and we're bringing a special guest to help us sway fence-sitters. Stay tuned.

The House leadership just introduced the America's Affordable Health Choices Act, and is racing to win House passage by the August congressional recess. If your health care premiums are rising, if anyone you knew ever was denied care they needed, if you're sick of our broken health care system, now is the time you can actually do something about it.

Please click below to call your senator and demand real health care reform now.

http://www.uspirg.org/action/health-care/call-your-senator?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Andre Delattre
U.S. PIRG Executive Director
AndreD@uspirg.org
http://www.uspirg.org

P.S. Thanks for your continued support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your friends and family.

P.P.S. To read members' testimonials on our health care crisis, or submit your own, visit our health care stories page.

Tell Congress to support the president's plan to reform health care this year!

Current Campaign

Making Health Care Work

Health care costs have doubled in the past 10 years.

We need to seize the opportunity for real changes that can make health care more affordable, secure and dependable for all Americans by passing President Barack Obama’s health care plan. Read more.

How You Can Help

Tell Congress to support the president's plan to reform health care this year!

Contact your senators and tell them to support the President's comprehensive health reform plan.

U.S. PIRG's Larry McNeely talks about the public plan option and how it will make all insurers more competitive at the same time as it gives Americans a choice. Tune in every Monday for a new video briefing or catch all the briefings on our channel, here.

News

Washington, D.C.: Health Care Reform and the Biologics Bill - U.S. PIRG Supports Innovation, Not Monopoly 7/14/2009

Washington D.C.: U.S. PIRG Statement Supporting Senator Dodd’s Amendment to End Insurance Rescissions 7/10/2009

Washington, D.C.: New Weekly Video Briefings on Health Care Reform 7/07/2009

Newsroom

Reports

The Facts about Comparative Effectiveness Research 7/07/2009

More Bang for the Health Care Buck 5/21/2009

More Bang for the Health Care Buck: How an Efficiency Standard for Health Insurers Can Reduce Overhead and Deliver More Patient Care 5/05/2009

More Reports

Healthcare NOT Warfare, Sign the Petition

Healthcare NOT Warfare, Sign the Petition

As Martin Luther King Jr. observed forty years ago, "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." While the insurance and pharmaceutical industries post huge profits, the U.S. health care crisis grows steadily worse. Today, nearly one in six Americans has no health insurance. Tens of millions of others are woefully under-insured. Meanwhile the war in Iraq drains our resources and overburdens our budget. Our government's duty is to protect us--security begins with our health and well-being at home. In 2009, we have an historic opportunity to turn from warfare to health care for all. We call on the Democratic Party at all levels--in party platforms and resolutions--to commit to redirecting wasteful and unnecessary military spending to meet human needs. This commitment must start with comprehensive, guaranteed health care--driven by the needs of patients and the judgment of doctors. We call on Democrats to support a plan that eliminates any financial barriers between the patient and healthcare providers, resulting in a patient not receiving medically necessary care. We call on members of Congress to bring the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan and to pass H.R. 676, Rep. John Conyers' bill which guarantees comprehensive publicly-funded, privately-delivered health care for everyone in the U.S. Please fill out the form completely--we need your street address to determine who your member of Congress is. Continue

Overcome the power of the military-industrial complex

Dear Friends,

We are working on a several fronts when it comes to war and peace: torture accountability, stopping the ongoing wars and reducing the military budget.

These are big challenges but to achieve them elected officials need to be pushed further than they want to go. Right now, the Pentagon and weapons industry have the stronger voice. But, organized and persistent voices of voters can overcome the power of the military-industrial complex.

To be effective we need to expand the number of people working on these issues.

Please forward information to people you know who are concerned about these issues.

Click here to use the tell a friend tool and urge people to take action against torture. Or give them this link: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1312/t/6850/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27281

And, you can urge people to stop the ongoing wars by clicking here. Or give them this link: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1312/t/9050/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27366

If you want to keep up on the latest economic news, you can get our free daily news summary sent to your email box. To do so, register by clicking here.

Visit the activist toolbox for more ways you can help.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Kevin Zeese
Executive Director

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VotersForPeace is a nonpartisan organization that does not support or oppose candidates for office.

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