Posts in the category Affordable Healthcare

Ohioans for Healthy Families Vows to Win Ballot Fight

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:09:26 EDT

COALITION : COMPROMISE KILLED BY "HYPOCRITICAL IDEOLOGUES"

Ohioans for Healthy Families Vows to Win Ballot Fight

Columbus.....Ohioans for Healthy Families ---the 220 organization coalition trying to bring paid sick days to Ohio workers ---today blamed the collapse of compromise negotiations between it and the business community on "hypocritical ideologues who oppose allowing anyone but themselves to earn such a benefit."

The Coalition said it and certain members of the business community bargained in good faith and that the coalition had even agreed to reduce the number of paid sick days from 7 to 5 and made other concessions in hopes of reaching a deal. "But in the end", said communications director Dale Butland, "those ideologically opposed to paid sick days submitted a final proposal that we could not agree to without gutting the entire concept ."

"The 4 paid days they were willing to grant could only be used for undefined 'medical emergencies', Butland said. "In other words, workers suffering from the flu, a 24-hour stomach virus, or a high fever were out of luck. Children were too, since paid sick days could not be used to care for them at home or even take them to a doctor's office. These people didn't want compromise --they wanted capitulation."

"Their proposal did nothing to help the 2.2 million Ohioans who have no paid sick days and would still be forced to choose between their paychecks and taking care of their families", Butland continued. "And since CEOs, executives and politicians all have paid sick days themselves, it's real easy to deny them to everyone else. Apparently, paid sick days are economically harmful only if regular people are able to earn them."

"Over 500,000 Ohio voters signed petitions in favor of the Healthy Families Act", Butland concluded, "and polls have consistently shown 70% support for it. Voters simply aren't buying the scare tactics of business people and politicians who swear we can't afford paid sick days ---but vow to spend millions of dollars on television ads to keep people from getting them. The business community and the state legislature have failed to do the right thing. Come November, the people will."

CALIFORNIA BUSINESS GROUP DISPUTES OHIO CHAMBER ON PAID SICK DAYS

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:41:27 EDT

CALIFORNIA BUSINESS GROUP DISPUTES OHIO CHAMBER ON PAID SICK DAYS

San Francisco Restaurant Association Calls New Law "Successful"

Hartford, Conn.....An Associated Press wire story released nationally today reports that a spokesperson for a major business association in San Francisco regards the paid sick day law enacted in that city as "successful."

Kevin Westlye, Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association which represents 900 San Francisco restaurants, said:

"There's been some concern that employees are abusing the ordinance. There's been a little bit of that, but not as widespread as people thought at the beginning."

The story also quotes Westlye as saying "the law has been successful."

Westlye's comments are especially interesting because the Golden Gate Restaurant Association is a member of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is fiercely opposing the Ohio Healthy Families Act, in part because it says there is likely to be widespread cheating by workers who call in sick when they aren't. National statistics, however, have shown that among workers who currently have paid sick days, over half (54%) never use even a single day during the course of an average year.

Dale Butland, communications director for Ohioans for Healthy Families, said:

"The Ohio Chamber's claim that passage of the OHFA will lead to widespread lying and cheating among employees is simply not borne out by the facts ---either nationally or now among businesses that actually have experience with paid sick day legislation. Is the Chamber willing to concede that it's doomsday, the-sky-is-going-to-fall predictions are false? Or do they really expect us to believe Ohio workers are less honest than workers in San Francisco?

No wonder polls consistently show 70% of Ohioans support paid sick days ---and that the Quinnipiac poll reported this month that Ohioans 'aren't buying' the arguments and scare tactics of executives who have paid sick days themselves, but want to deny them to everyone else."

The full AP story can be read at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_bi_ge/paid_sick_days

Hey Congress, Which Side Are You On?

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:44:36 EDT

Where does your member of Congress stand on health care? Are they with us for quality affordable health care for all? Or are they with the insurance industry, working to preserve our broken system?

Don't know?

Click here to call your member of Congress and find out!

Over the next few weeks, we are going to ask every member of Congress which side they are on. We've already sent a formal letter to every office asking them to get on our side. And over the next few weeks, members of Congress will be getting personal visits from Health Care for America Now supporters in every state asking them which side they're on. But we need your help to get the message across.

Our goal is to make 100,000 calls to Congress, making sure every member is asked at least a few times which side they are on.

Can you help us reach that goal?

Click to call your member of Congress!

With formal letters, in-person visits, and tens of thousands of phone calls, our message will be impossible to ignore: We want quality, affordable health care for all, and we want every member of Congress on our side!

We've put together an easy-to-use webpage for you to call your members of Congress. Just click here, enter in your information - including your phone number - and click the "Call" button. In a few moments, you'll receive a call to that phone number that will automatically put you in touch with your member of Congress. It couldn't be easier!

Or, if you'd prefer, you can be automatically connected to Congress by calling, toll free, 1-888-436-8427.

Either way, can you help us make 100,000 calls to Congress?

Click here to call!

Thank you for your efforts and all that you do.

Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org

Click to Subscribe to "Shadows on High"

Please forward to your friends and colleagues!

ProgressOhio - "We're Powered By You"

PDA Pushes Single-Payer in Dem Platform and in Denver

Michael Carano — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:03:02 EDT

Victorious On Platform, Progressive Dems Push Single-Payer Bill Thursday, August 14, 2008(From On The Hill : Inside the chambers of the U.S. Congress and the halls of Washington policymaking.) Having won their fight to enshrine a "guaranteed health care for all" statement in the Democratic Party platform, a group of progressive Democrats are now pushing a bill in Congress to move to a single-payer health system.

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and other Democratic groups mounted a campaign to get delegates to the upcoming Democratic National Convention to include the guarantee for health care in the draft platform at a platform meeting last week in Pittsburgh.

Language inserted into the platform on healthcare was a "compromise," according to PDA.

PDA says that Bob Remer of Chicago offered a five-point statement, drafted by Norman Solomon, a Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign co-chair, and others.

It reads:

Our nation should enact universal health care that will:

* Guarantee accessible health care for all.
* Create a single standard of high quality, comprehensive, and preventive health care for all.
* Allow freedom of choice of physician, hospital, and other health careproviders.
* Eliminate financial barriers that prevent families and individuals fromobtaining the medically necessary care they need.
* Allow physicians, nurses and other licensed health care providers to makehealth care decisions based on what is best for the health of the patient.

"Important as that victory was, it's just a step toward answering the key question: 'How can we really implement guaranteed health care for all?' The only realistic answer, a system of publicly funded, privately delivered health care, also known as 'single payer,' exists in legislative form: Rep. John Conyers' bill H.R. 676, which has 90 co-sponsors in the House," PDA says in an email to supporters signed by Solomon.

Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, is a longtime and powerful lawmaker and serves as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

The single-payer health approach is controversial -- rejected by conservatives. That approach was set aside by President Bill Clinton in his unsuccessful health-care reform effort in 1994.

"So, while continuing to encourage Democratic National Convention delegates to become signers of the Guaranteed Health Care for All statement, today PDA is starting a renewed push for the Healthcare NOT Warfare petition--promoting H.R. 676 and serving as an important tool to organize on behalf of single payer nationwide," the PDA email says. "Please sign the petition, and urge all your friends, family and associates to sign as well."

An ABC/Washington Post poll in June asked 1,125 respondents the question, "Which of these do you think is more important: providing health care coverage for all Americans, even if it means raising taxes, OR, holding down taxes, even if it means some Americans do not have health care coverage?"

Some 66 percent said "Coverage for all," but that percentage is down from 79 percent registered in a poll taken in 2003.

With the California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Committee, PDA will be hosting a "Medicare for All" reception Tuesday night, Aug. 26, in support of H.R. 676, at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the email says.

"When I'm on the floor of the convention as an elected [Barack] Obama delegate, I'll be wearing a 'Healthcare NOT Warfare' sticker next to a 'Yes We Can!' button." says Solomon's email. "Bringing about single-payer health care and overcoming the warfare state won't be easy. Just imperative."

http://onthehillblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/victorious-on-platform-progressive-dems.html

Note: Though the list of actions to put an article relating to "healthcare" at the Progress Ohio posting site has one option, namely "Affordable Healthcare," we of PDA believe the word "affordable" relates directly to involvement of the insurance industry in health care delivery. Being for a "single-payer, doctor-patient run, publicly funded and privately run health care system" we seek the elimination of the grip that the insurance industry has over health care and would prefer that "affordable" be taken out of the posting list and replaced with simply the word "healthcare." Just a friendly suggestion for accuracies sake.

Norovirus Outbreak Cost Kent Community Up To $305,000

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:20:25 EDT

When more than 500 people in Kent, Ohio got a gastrointestinal virus last April, the community incurred substantial costs.

Like most Ohio restaurants, the Chipotle restaurant where nearly all of the victims caught norovirus didn't provide paid sick days.

This report takes a look at the costs of this virus, which might have been averted if the sick workers had been able to stay home.

Press Release

Executive Summary

Full Report

OVER 1100 VOTERS ASK STRICKLAND TO SUPPORT PAID SICK DAYS

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:00:24 EDT

Columbus In less than 48 hours, over 1100 voters from every corner of Ohio signed a letter to Gov. Strickland saying that they are "counting on him" to support paid sick days, and specifically asking him to support the Ohio Healthy Families Act as currently written if necessary. Ohioans for Healthy Families, the 220-organization coalition sponsoring the Act, will present the Governor with a bound copy of the letters today.

The Coalition's appeal for a show of popular support for its ballot initiative resulted from news reports indicating that Strickland has come under enormous pressure from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and certain other business groups to oppose it. The Governor is currently engaged in a dialogue aimed at finding a paid sick day "compromise" that both supporters and opponents can endorse. The Coalition is participating in those talks, as are a number of major Ohio business organizations. A handful of other business groups ---including the Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Merchants, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)--- have refused to participate, saying that they are opposed to paid sick day legislation of any kind. Governor Strickland has set a Friday deadline to reach an agreement.

Said Coalition spokesman Dale Butland:

"We thought it was important for Gov. Strickland to hear from supporters of paid sick days, not just opponents. The fact that it took us less than 48 hours to get over 1,100 voters to sign a letter asking the Governor to support the paid sick day bill in its current form is indicative of the support this measure will have if it goes to the ballot in November. We're participating in the Governor's negotiations, and we're acting in good faith. But if those negotiations break down or fail because a small band of ideologues torpedo them, we are fully prepared to take this issue to the people. Over half a million voters have already signed petitions supporting paid sick days, and polls show that our bill is favored by 70% of the electorate. If push comes to shove, the people expect their Governor to stand with them."

Copies of both the Coalition's appeal and the letter signed by the voters are available at the Ohioans For Healthy Families website, www.sickdaysohio.org

As of this posting now over 1200.

You can sign the petition to the Governor here.

Quinnipiac Finds Ohioans Strongly Support Paid Sick Days

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:51:42 EDT

The latest Quinnipiac University poll found Ohioans back a ballot proposal that will require companies with 25 or more employees to offer seven paid sick days a year by a 69%-27% margin. That remains basically unchanged since June when the poll showed Ohioans backed Paid Sick Days 71%-24%.

Even though Republican leaders oppose the labor-backed sick leave plan, and Strickland unsuccessfully sought a compromise to keep the measure off the ballot, it is in very strong position to pass, with independents in favor 67 - 28 percent and Republican voters split 49 - 47 percent. .

Although voters say 59 - 32 percent that Ohio's economy has been hurt by too much government regulation, by a 58 - 32 percent margin they don't think passage of the proposal will encourage companies to leave Ohio.

Who supports universal health care?

Michael Carano — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:23:51 EDT

http://www.ohio.com/editorial/commentary/26899979.html

Who supports universal health care? Published on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 By Marie Cocco

WASHINGTON: Before the energy-price crisis, before the mortgage crisis, before the credit crisis and the banking crisis, there was the crisis in health insurance that is in reality a crisis in care. This crisis has deepened in recent years as the number of uninsured has climbed and out-of-pocket costs for those still with insurance have soared. It has become common knowledge that a serious illness — even among those with insurance — can plunge families into bankruptcy.

Though ''problems paying for gas'' topped the financial challenges people listed in the most recent Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll, ''problems paying for health care and health insurance'' ranked third — just behind job concerns but well ahead of paying for food, dealing with credit card debt and paying the mortgage.

So it is downright shocking that there was a tussle over what the 2008 Democratic platform would say about the party's generations-long, bedrock commitment to health care for all Americans. In short, presumptive nominee Barack Obama did not draft a statement keeping that pledge. He presented instead his plan as one that would provide ''access to'' affordable and comprehensive health care.

A coalition of liberal activists and Hillary Clinton supporters managed to negotiate a change so that the platform says the party is ''united behind a commitment that every American man, woman and child be guaranteed to have affordable, comprehensive health care.'' Inclusion of the word ''guaranteed'' was the crucial point.

On the surface, this may look like a victory for Clinton supporters or even for the far larger group — that is, millions of Democrats — who have long believed that the promise of guaranteed, universal health care is a fundamental principle of their party.

I am less certain, and it's not because I know that politicians can discard party platforms faster than they rid themselves of scandal-tainted donors.

It is because Obama did not campaign during the primaries on a plan that would achieve universal coverage, and indeed, excoriated Clinton for her proposal to mandate that everyone have it.

In fact, even some of those involved in achieving the small health-care victory take little solace from it. ''I'm not sure that Obama will actually pursue the same kind of idea that we had inserted in the platform,'' says Donna Smith, who lobbied the platform panel as a member of Progressive Democrats of America. ''I think we will have to pursue our congressional representatives to bring legislation forward.''

Smith is not a Clinton delegate, or even a convention delegate. She and her husband, Larry, were featured in the Michael Moore film Sicko because they were forced into bankruptcy and lost their home trying to pay the out-of-pocket costs stemming from her treatment for uterine cancer and his for heart disease. '

'Our purpose was not to attack the party,'' says Smith, who says she wants Obama to be elected and describes herself and her husband as ''good and loyal Democrats.'' But certain lines have to be drawn.

''To say you're going to provide affordable coverage to people is not the same as giving them health care,'' she says. ''Just because you have insurance coverage does not guarantee you access to the care that you and your doctor decide you need. And people with insurance understand that.''

Most Democrats do, too.

In 1992, the party's platform said everyone should have ''universal'' access to health care ''not as a privilege, but as a right.'' In 1996, a party chastened after the collapse of President Bill Clinton's health care initiative nonetheless committed itself to ''ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health care.'' In 2000, the platform noted that ''for 50 years, the Democratic Party has been engaged in a battle to provide the kind of health care a great nation owes its people.'' In 2004, the platform said this: ''We believe that health care is a right and not a privilege.''

Securing that right is as important now as it was four, or even 50, years ago. When gas prices recede, when the housing market stabilizes and fears of imminent job losses ebb, there will still be an unconscionable gap between the glory of American medical science and the ability of millions of people to get the most basic care.

Obama avoided an intra-party brawl over the health platform. The unanswerable question is whether he will be as determined, as president, to take on the much larger — and excruciatingly harder — health-care fight.

Cocco writes for the Washington Post Writers Group. She can be e-mailed at

mariecocco@washpost.com.

TELL GOVERNOR STRICKLAND YOU SUPPORT THE OHIO HEALTHY FAMILIES ACT!

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:23:10 EDT

For millions of Ohioans earning paid sick days isn't just a good idea-- it's a serious necessity for their families. Earning paid sick days allows hard working Ohioans to care for themselves or a sick family member in times of illness and need. Unfortunately, today over 2.2 million Ohio workers cannot earn a single paid sick day. Over 1 million more cannot use a paid sick day to care for a sick child. But we can change that.

TELL GOV STRICKLAND YOU SUPPORT THE OHIO HEALTHY FAMILIES ACT

Corporate lobbyists and business executives who oppose the Ohio Healthy Families Act are trying to pressure our political leaders and scare and confuse voters about this important law. They think government shouldn't impose any requirements on businesses to value the hardwork of middle class Ohioans.

Real Ohioans like you know better. You deserve to be heard on this critical issue that values our families and protects the public health of our state. The Ohioans for Healthy Families coalition of over 220 organizations needs you to speak up for average workers in Ohio. They have earned the same right to take care of their families that corporate big shots and politicians already have.

TELL GOV STRICKLAND YOU SUPPORT THE OHIO HEALTHY FAMILIES ACT

We've heard from thousands of Ohioans who know that earning paid sick days is no laughing matter. Here are just a few of their comments:

1)     "As a single Mother of two young girls, it was already impossible to pay all my bills but, when I or one of my girls got sick, I was the one who had to stay home and lose even more money. All of this because I did not have paid sick days. I actually believe it took me longer to recuperate because the whole time I was missing work, I was under twice the stress because I knew I would not make the bills that much."
-       Katina, Toledo, OH

2)    " I am currently at work with a bacterial blood infection from a root canal a dentist messed up (had to sacrifice pay for that procedure also). I have joint and muscle pain with bouts of dizziness topped off with profuse sweating which transitions into cold chills. My company does not allow any sick days and I have not earned enough hours off. So if I want to pay the mortgage and feed my two children I have to suffer here at work. I don't know how I will do seeing that the boss is giving me the evil eye because he thinks I am not being productive enough. I need help."
-       Arthur, Zanesville, OH

3)     "My daughter called me at work from her school crying. She was sick and scared. I left work to pick her up and take her home. I was gone from work for about two hours, but was still fired from my job."
-       Sara, Delaware, OH

SPEAK UP FOR MILLIONS OF OHIOANS NOW!!!

Tell Governor Strickland that as a working Ohioan you support the Ohio Healthy Families Act ballot initiative which will allow Ohio workers the ability to take care of themselves and their families. Furthermore, you support the Governor's principles to ensure that workers in Ohio have the ability to earn paid sick days for themselves and their families.

TELL GOV STRICKLAND YOU SUPPORT THE OHIO HEALTHY FAMILIES ACT

Thank You for Your Support!

Brian Dunn
Campaign Manager
Ohioans for Healthy Families
Ph: 866.530.SICK
Fax: 614.461.1549
www.sickdaysohio.org

Paid for by Ohioans for Healthy Families, Gloria J. Fauss, Treasurer.
1395 Dublin Road. Columbus, Ohio. 43215.

Dem Platform in Pittsburgh and Progressive Central in Denver

Michael Carano — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:16:19 EDT

Question: Do you want the Democratic Party’s platform for 2008 to reflect “real” change we can believe in?

Question: Would you like a bit of the audacity of truth to complement that bit of hope?

Well, in Pittsburgh, PDA is working to make truthful change the center of the Democratic Platform.

Almost 300 Delegates have signed onto the “Guaranteed Healthcare for All” language to be added to the DNC Platform. Guaranteed, comprehensive healthcare without financial barriers, that allows healthcare providers to make healthcare decisions based on what is best for the patient. A healthcare platform that represents real reform that progressive Democrats can believe in.

PDA’s Healthcare Not Warfare Co-Chairs Norm Solomon and Donna Smith brought their message to the Cleveland DNC Platform meeting on August 1 and 2nd but were not given time to speak.

And on Saturday, the DNC Platform committee meets for the last time before the Democratic Party Convention in Denver (August 24-28)

Last Question: Will you join us in Pittsburgh at the national-state health care coalition press conference being held before the DNC Platform meeting?

The press conference, co-sponsored by Progressive Democrats of America, will be held at the David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., downtown Pittsburgh, Saturday, August 9th at 10 am in Room 307, off the Main Ballroom. Ohio’s Congressional District Organizer Mary Nichols-Rhodes will address the attendees on Ohio’s single-payer initiative and PDA’s Healthcare Not Warfare campaign, along with PDA’s HCNW Co-Chair, Donna Smith, Founder of American Patients United, whom you may remember from her role in the movie, "SiCKO". Also presenting will be Congressman John Conyers , sponsor of the national health care House Resolution 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All; Chuck Pennacchio, Executive Director, Healthcare for All Pennsylvania, PA State Senator Jim Ferlo; and Ron Codario, MD of Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare. This video was made at last weekend’s PDA National Conference in Chicago. Watch Healthcare For All PA’s Executive Director Chuck Pinnacchio’s powerful words:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=1028

Join us at the press conference, help pass out flyers and stickers, and let’s work together to get the word out that healthcare is a right and not a privilege.

---------------------------

PDA is on to Denver…….

Progressive Democrats of America are setting up Progressive Central in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. This is a chance for Progressives to meet and participate in meaningful activities. PDA and Nation Magazine, are presenting the

“Nation Conversation Series”- daily conversations moderated by John Nichols with incredible guests such as Tom Hayden, Rep. John Conyers, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep.

Lynne Woolsey, and many others. Every afternoon, panel discussions include people such as Laura Flanders, Jeff Cohen, Norm Solomon, Medea Benjamin (CodePink),

Mimi Kennedy, Katrina vanden Heuvel, and so many more. Join PDA in Denver August 24-28!

https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/309/donate.asp?formid=meet&c=6468205

Big Pharma to Spasming Babies: Pony Up

Bret Thompson, ProgressOhio — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:30:57 EDT

In the past year 26 prescription drugs have more than doubled in price.

Questcor Pharmaceuticals last August raised the wholesale price on Acthar, which treats spasms in babies, from about $1,650 a vial to more than $23,000.

Want Real Reform--Then This is the Side to Be on; This the Place to Be

Michael Carano — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:05:39 EDT

ADVISORY/ANNOUNCEMENT: Saturday, August 9th, 10 a.m. press conference: Join us in promoting that "Guaranteed Healthcare for All" language be added to DNC Platform. Healthcare for All Pennsylvania is co-sponsoring a press conference in
Pittsburgh this Saturday morning, along with Congressman John Conyers, Mary Nichols-Rhodes, PDA Ohio CD Organizer, member of SPAN Ohio State Council (Single Payer Action Network Ohio), and LPN, Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo, Western PA Coalition for Healthcare, and Donna Smith of the California Nurses Association and Co-Chair of Progressive Democrats of America Health Care Committee.

(For the record, Single Payer Action Network (SPAN Ohio) and Healthcare for All Pennsylvania, are both non-partisan organizations. They will be promoting the same amendment language in the run-up to the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities. Both organizations know solving the health care crisis is a non-partisan issue since illness knows no party lines.)

The pro-Single Payer, national-state coalition press conference, cited above, will be held at the David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., downtown Pittsburgh, Saturday, August 9th at 10 am in Room 307, off the Main Ballroom, where the Platform meeting of the DNC congregates for a final meeting prior to the Democratic Party convention in Denver (August 24-28). Congressman John Conyers (HR 676, Chair of House Judiciary Cmte.), Senator Jim Ferlo (PA-SB 300), Donna Smith (California Nurses Assn, "SiCKO"), Dr. Scott Tyson (PUSH co-chair, HC4APA), HC4APA Executive Director Chuck Pennachio, PDA Organzier and LPN Mary Nichols-Rhodes, Western PA Coalition members, and labor, business, healthcare-provider representatives will address the economic, moral, and democratic underpinnings of the Single-Payer Solution -- "Guaranteed Healthcare for All" -- at the last Democratic Platform Committee meeting before the national Party convention in Denver.

As such, we are jointly advancing the following statement:

* Guarantee accessible health care for all.
* Create a single standard of high quality, comprehensive, and preventive
    health care for all.
* Allow freedom of choice of physician, hospital, and other health care     providers.
* Eliminate financial barriers that prevent families and individuals from
    obtaining the medically necessary care they need.
* Allow physicians, nurses and other licensed health care providers to make
    health care decisions based on what is best for the health of the patient.

The first 2008 Democratic National Convention delegate to become a signer of
this statement was Rep. John Conyers. 288 additional delegates have signed on as
of 5 p.m. this afternoon August 7th. We encourage all to call or write their delegates to the convention to ask them to also sign the statement. For more information on those working for “real” health care reform, see:http://pdamerica.org/leadership www.pdamerica.org
Questions? Call Ohio PDA State Coordinator Michael Carano at 330-715-2066 for more information.

Obama, Wilson, Wrong on Health Care

User from Struthers, OH — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:06:36 EDT

Obama, Wilson, Wrong on Health Care
August 8, 2008

Last week the Democratic Party Platform Committee met to discuss the 2008 Platform at the Democratic Convention.
During the proceedings, the following occurred:
* Number of times the Barack Obama plan mentions private "insurance" as central to the future of health care in the United States: 6
* Number of times the Guaranteed Health Care for All statement mentions private "insurance" as central to the future of health care in the United States: 0
And Incumbent Charlie Wilson went ahead and endorsed Mr. Obama on his web site by stating the following:
"It's an honor to pledge my full support to Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
I am pleased our party has such an inspirational nominee and I promise to work for Senator Obama as he leads this country in a bold new direction."

As the Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress in the 6th district, I do not find Mr. Obama's health care plan to be bold new direction.

As the Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress to the 6th District of Ohio that is why I back a Single-Payer Health Care Program. A program where care is publicly financed by privately delivered. Such programs have a proven track record of delivering better quality and comprehensive health care to everyone at a lower cost.

Sorry Charlie, you and Obama are wrong on Health Care.

WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio's 6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!

Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots

Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com

Millions of Chronically Ill, Lacking Insurance, Can't Get Needed Care

User from Struthers, OH — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:27:25 EDT

Millions of Chronically Ill, Lacking Insurance, Can't Get Needed Care

August 7, 2008
Over 11 million Americans with chronic physical illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and asthma are not getting the medical care they need because they don't have health insurance, a new study shows. The study provides the first national estimate of the number of uninsured adults with these potentially serious but treatable conditions.
According to an article published in the Aug. 5 edition of Annals of Internal Medicine, a leading medical journal, working-age adults with one or more chronic illnesses who reported they were uninsured were nearly four times more likely than their insured counterparts to have not seen a health professional within the past year (22.6 percent versus 6.2 percent). They were also six times more likely to identify a hospital emergency room as their standard site for care when sick (7.1 percent versus 1.1 percent).
"We have made dramatic advances in treatment of chronic illnesses like heart disease and high blood pressure," said Dr. Andrew Wilper, the study's lead author. "But many Americans are locked out of the system because they are uninsured and cannot afford this life-saving care.
"Many of these individuals end up with preventable emergency room visits, hospitalizations, amputations, kidney failure or worse because their chronic condition has gotten out of control," he said.
Wilper's team analyzed data from surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The team found that there are 11.4 million nonelderly adults with one or more chronic conditions who lack health insurance, including 1.3 million who survived a heart attack or stroke, 5.9 million with high blood pressure, 1.4 million with diabetes and 3.5 million with asthma or emphysema. Individuals with at least one of these conditions, or with high cholesterol or prior cancer (excluding minor skin cancers), were considered to have a chronic illness.
The 11.4 million figure represents about one-third of the total number of uninsured people in the United States between the ages of 18 and 64. Altogether, about 47 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The authors say they may have underestimated the number of chronically ill persons who lack insurance because the survey did not query participants about depression or other chronic mental illnesses, and because undiagnosed physical diseases among the uninsured may be common.
Uninsured people with chronic illnesses face serious obstacles to getting needed care, Wilper said. But he also observed that people who are enrolled in high-deductible health plans often face similar barriers to getting regular medical attention.
"Some plans, for example, require people to pay medical bills of $5,000 out-of-pocket before their insurance kicks in," he said. "These plans put people in the precarious state of being underinsured, which is not that much better than lacking health insurance altogether."
Wilper, who currently teaches at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, was a fellow at Harvard University and the Cambridge Health Alliance when the study was carried out.
Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a co-author of the study, is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard and a primary care physician in Cambridge, Mass. Woolhandler noted: "Some claim that uninsured Americans can get the care they need in emergency rooms. But emergency rooms may provide too little, too late for the millions of uninsured with chronic conditions. They need regular medical monitoring, and a steady supply of medications to control their illnesses, and a whole array of services that are out of reach for the uninsured.
"Only national health insurance can fix this broken system and save thousands of lives each year," she said.
As the Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress to the 6th District of Ohio that is why I back a Single-Payer Health Care Program. A program where care is publicly financed by privately delivered. Such programs have a proven track record of delivering better quality and comprehensive health care to everyone at a lower cost.

WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio's 6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!

Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots

Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com

Paid Sick Days: Good Idea For Politicians But Bad For Regular People?

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:37:58 EDT

Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland may be trying to negotiate a compromise between backers and opponents of a mandated paid sick days ballot proposal.

Republican legislative leaders - House Speaker Jon Husted of Kettering and Senate President Bill Harris of Ashland - however, aren’t in a negotiating mood and they’re the ones who’d have to pass legislative implementing a compromise.

Yesterday, Husted and Harris blasted the Paid Sick Days mandate.

House Speaker Jon Husted (R-Kettering) said the issue had the potential of becoming "the single largest job killer" the state had seen in decades.

"This will be devastating to businesses both small and large and will drive jobs out of the state. It would make us the only state in the nation with such an onerous system and diminish our potential to attract and retain jobs," he said.

Rep. Husted said the proposal would make Ohio's struggling economy even worse. "This proposal only makes the situation worse - it's like throwing an anchor to a drowning man," he said.

Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) said the mandate was more about earning clout for a national political movement than solving real problems facing Ohioans.

Dale Butland, spokesman for Ohioans for Healthy Families, the group backing the proposal, fired back:

“It’s easy to see why politicians like Mr. Husted and Mr. Harris are out of touch with average Ohioans. They both have paid sick days themselves —-courtesy of the taxpayers. So how come paid sick days are a good idea for politicians—-but a bad idea for regular people?”

Payday Lending Industry Front Group Website Goes Live

Free Fallin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:47:26 EDT

Industry Front Group Website Goes Live

The Community Financial Services Association's campaign to overturn House Bill 545 went live with a new website yesterday. Their website, Ohioans4financialfreedom, displays how out of touch they are with real Ohioans.

First, they say: "Protect 6,000 good-paying jobs that could be lost."

This is not accurate. House Bill 545 says absolutely nothing about closing any businesses or preventing the dispersion of payday loans. House Bill 545 simply caps interest rates and fees at 28% APR, protecting Ohio's consumers from predatory 391% APR interest. Payday lending stores have already started applying for licenses to continue operating under the new law from the Ohio Department of Commerce. If any stores close, it's because they choose to, not because they have to.

Second, they say: "Protect your financial freedom and private financial choices."

Payday lenders target low-income neighborhoods where it is easier for them to encourage people to walk through the door. Neon signs with "Get cash in minutes!" and "Easy cash quick," etc. Once a borrower is trapped in a cycle of payday loans, it becomes necessary for the consumer to keep taking out loans. This is not a choice! Usurious payday loans at 391% are bad for Ohioans and bad for the Ohio economy. Usury is not freedom!

Third, they say: "Protect your right to privacy about your personal finances."

This is a nice catch phrase that appeals to just about everyone! House Bill 545 includes a provision calling for the creation of a database that will let lenders know how many loans a person has taken out at a given time. This allows lenders to lend according to borrowers ability to repay - something neither predatory mortgage lenders nor payday lenders seem to care about.

And finally, once again, the industry uses their lame argument for why their referendum should be on the ballot: "Ohioans have a right to repeal bad laws."

Well, it bears repeating that House Bill 545 is one of the best consumer protection laws in the country and will help hundreds of thousands of Ohioans escape the debt trap. Ohioans do have a right to overturn bad laws, but this referendum effort is not being mounted by Ohioans, but by industry lobbyists and attorneys flown in on their corporate jets. Where are the citizens working on this referendum? Where are the consumers calling for 391% interest? They are nowhere to be found. Instead, the industry lobby CFSA is the sole donor to the effort to repeal House Bill 545. This is right in line with what they are doing in other states like Arizona where they've spent $8.7 million to overturn a consumer law and in Virginia where they succeeded in buying higher interest rates for a low, low price of $20 million.

The Ohio government should be PROTECTING consumers from predatory business practices that rely on borrowers getting trapped in a cycle of debt! Payday lending is bad for Ohio!

Meet Sherrod, Learn about Medicare in Cleveland this Thursday

Bret Thompson, ProgressOhio — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:36:11 EDT

What: Senior Voice Community Forum w/ Sen. Sherrod Brown

When: Thursday, August 7th 11:00am to 3pm

Where: 3250 Euclid Ave Cleveland OH

After a short hiatus, Senior Voice! is proud to announce a Community Forum-- Making Medicare real healthcare not heartaches, headaches, and hardships for Seniors, with Senator Brown as our keynote speaker.

Click here to RSVP.

ProgressOhio In the News: The Health Care Debate

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:38:14 EDT

The State of Ohio is a weekly news program spotlighting the latest happenings at the Statehouse, in the Governor’s office, at the Ohio Supreme Court and throughout the Buckeye State. Award-winning host Karen Kasler presents viewers with unique analysis and thoughtful perspective on important issues of statewide interest through interviews with political leaders, newsmakers, experts and Ohio citizens.

ProgressOhio Executive Director, Brian Rothenberg participates ln the debate on how to fix the health care system.

The Health Care Crisis - Part I:

Tales of soaring costs, bills that lead to bankruptcy and coverage that's out of reach for millions of Ohioans has voters very worried.

Watch it: (Health Care Debate begins at 7:00)

The Health Care Crisis - Part II:

The second half of a debate on the problems with the nation's health care system - and whether the solution is a choice between the best health care only some can afford, or a lesser quality system accessible to everyone.

Watch it: (Health Care Debate begins at 8:00)

Need Health Care? Leave the Country?

User from Struthers, OH — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:56:42 EDT

Need Health Care? Leave the Country?

July 31, 2008

Jason Rosenbaum, who works for Health Care America Now, reported this week that more than 45 million people in the U.S. have no health insurance. So, where do they go when they're sick or hurt?

Many leave and head out of the country where they can afford to pay for the care they need on a trip becoming known as medical tourism.

A torn bicep caused searing pain, and a dilemma for Stephen Hoyle. He could not afford the surgery to fix it.

"We are one of America's 20 million uninsured families, and started looking at costs approaching $20,000," Hoyle said.

Hoyle was priced out of the U.S. Health Care System, so he flew to Costa Rica, where medical costs are dramatically lower.

Hoyle joined an estimated 500,000 Americans traveling out of the U.S. every year for some type of medical care. Care they can't afford here.

It's simply amazing that it is cheaper to fly thousands of miles to a foreign country than to have a medical procedure here at home. It speaks to the incredible amount of waste and bloat in the private health care system that sick Americans routinely subject themselves to long trips in foreign lands because their country couldn't provide them quality, affordable coverage. And it's more than just health tourism, the health care crisis in America is forcing hard working people to contemplate leaving the country they love:

"My husband and I currently have very good health insurance through his job at a public school. Our insurance has been invaluable in the last year, because my husband was unexpectedly diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma (a cancer of the lymph nodes) last year, at the age of 23. All of his treatment was covered by our insurance, with low deductibles on our end, and he is now in remission.

We realize that such good insurance is not the case for most Americans, and are very concerned about health care in the future because we are planning on moving next year so I can go to graduate school. Thus, we will need new jobs and new insurance. We're very concerned that we might not be able to get adequate insurance because of his pre-existing condition. For this reason, we are looking at schools in Canada and the UK, where we know we would be covered.

As much as I love to travel, it makes me incredibly sad and angry to know that we might have to leave our own country because health care is not considered a right that all people deserve access to in the United States, as it is in so many industrialized nations."-Holly from Illinois

Holly is absolutely right. Why isn't health care a right in the United States? Because of our short-sighted policies, we stand to lose a teacher to a foreign country, a job that is always in demand. And it's about more than just losing skilled workers. Our businesses can't compete globally while shouldering skyrocketing health care costs.

Here in America, we pride ourselves on our tough, smart outlook on life. We are a great nation, and we are great enough to solve this problem. We can make health care affordable to all. We can make quality health care a right. And we can do it in a way that maintains choice.

That is why I support Single-Payer Health Care For All Americans.

WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio's 6th District

Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots

Campaign Site: Http://Votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com

How the American Health System got sick

User from Struthers, OH — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:24:03 EDT

How the American Health System got sick

July 29, 2008

New post at "Global Labor Strategies"

DOCTOR WALL STREET: How the American Health Care System Got So Sick
Normally the GLS Blog writes about issues that have a global
dimension. But GLS staff regularly work on national and local issues
as well. We wanted to give our readers a window into some of this
work, so below is a newly released pamphlet, entitled DOCTOR WALL
STREET: How the American Health Care System Got So Sick, prepared by
GLS staff member Jeremy Brecher and first published in Z Magazine. An
abstract and the pamphlet's introduction are below. Download the full
pamphlet here.

ABSTRACT: DOCTOR WALL STREET: How the American Health Care System Got
So Sick

Few people know the real truth about how the American healthcare
system came to be the way it is. They know the system has a lot of
problems, but they feel it must be the way it is for good reasons.
They are wary of reform because they fear attempts to fix the system
might put what they already have in jeopardy. DOCTOR WALL STREET: How
the American Health Care System Got So Sick is a short (3200 word)
easy-to-read pamphlet providing a unique historical account, based on
recent scholarship, of how the American healthcare system got the way
it is. It's a story of private interests - ranging from colonial era
physicians to today's drug corporations and private hospital chains -
who shaped the system to serve their own greed and self-interest, not
just patients' health. But it also shows that, when people have spoken
up forcefully, they have forced the system to provide healthcare to
wider and wider circles of Americans. This pamphlet provides
knowledge that will arm Americans in their contemporary struggle to
provide good healthcare to all.

Introduction

When ordinary Americans seek care for their health, they come up
against a most peculiar system.

The U.S. has some of the most advanced medical science in the world.
It spends more of its resources on health care than any other country
in the world. Yet Americans' health is rated near the bottom of
developed countries. In some of the poorest countries in the world
people live longer, and fewer die in infancy, than in the U.S.
Americans spend nearly twice as much as Japanese on health care, but
Japanese live on average four years longer.

The American health care system spends one-third of its cost on
paperwork, waste, and profit over and above the cost of actually
providing health care. Yet nearly one-third of Americans are without
health insurance over the course of a year. In all other developed
countries, more than 85% of citizens have health coverage under public
programs.

The American health care system is so complex that even experts - let
alone ordinary people trying to find care for themselves and their
loved ones -- are unable to fully understand it. It is highly
bureaucratic. This "system" is balkanized into medical fiefdoms,
making it difficult to access the care and caregivers you want and to
maintain continuity of care. People who have good health benefits in
one company or state are afraid to change jobs or locations because
they will lose their health benefits.

The American health care system is full of inequalities. People who
work for one company may have high quality insurance while those who
work for a similar company have none. People who would have Medicaid
insurance in one state are denied it in another. While on average 70
percent of Americans have private health coverage, 50 percent of
African Americans and 60 percent of Hispanics don't.

The quality of care provided by the system is uneven. While health
care personnel are often regarded as excellent both by patients and by
independent evaluators, they are subject to constant pressure and
speedup. And people are often refused treatment they need by managed
care officials who are not even doctors.

Despite its high cost to individuals, employers, and society, this
system leaves many people feeling desperately insecure. They worry:
What will happen to me if I get sick?

This pamphlet tries to answer the question: How did the American
health care system get the way it is? It aims to makes the work of
scholars who have studied the system's history accessible for ordinary
people who are trying to navigate the health care system - and to fix
it.

The American health care system is incompressible if we try to
understand it as a way to meet Americans' need for health care. But
it becomes easier to understand when we recognize that it was not
designed primarily by or for the people who were likely to need health
care. Rather it was constructed by private interests who aimed to
shape the system for their own benefit. At various times those
interests include employers, doctors and other medical professionals,
insurance companies, unions, and profit and non-profit health service
providers. The peculiar system we inherit today reflects their
struggles with each other and with the public interest.

But if private interests have shaped the health care system, why does
it protect ordinary people at all? In the background of this story is
a hidden reality. For a century, the American people have
increasingly believed that health care should be should be guaranteed
as a basic human right and demanded that it be available for all
Americans. Doctors, employers, and politicians have all had to pursue
their interests by tacking against this powerful wind.

When the people have spoken up forcefully, the health care system has
been pushed toward better meeting their needs. It has happened before
and it can happen again.
------------------------------------------------------
That's why I support Single-Payer Health Care.

WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio's 6th District

Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots

Campaign Site: Http://Votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com