Rep. Mary Flowers and her series of statewide public hearings on HB 311 took the single payer discussion to the Kane County Gov. Center in lovely Geneva IL. Thursday, 8-14-08.
And we seriously couldn't be more pleased with the repercussions of the conversation...
"This time, it's finally about us"
-Front Page, Kane County Chronicle
That's right...
FRONT PAGE
Lil' history making first...
Find out how the single payer rally cry "Everybody in. Nobody out!" made it's way into the DNC platform. Hear from the people who congregated around tiny cocktail tables in Pittsburgh and choked down 3 dollar pretzels to shoulder our message in. Quite a story of chance and determination.
Listen hereto Donna Smith and Chuck Pennacchio of Health Care 4 All Pennsylvania
And don't forget to tip your servers.
Enjoy!
HB 311 the Health Care for All Illinois Act has had quite the journey this single payer summer. We've been called everything from Socialized Medicine to Dirty Chicago Politics.
But this time, we got a couple love letters...
Inside the Front Page of The Beacon News:
State Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, led a citizen hearing to clarify issues surrounding Illinois House Bill 311 and problems with the current health-care system in Illinois.
"We are not for sale," Flowers said of raising health insurance premiums. "This is about our lives."
HB 311 promises to provide comprehensive single-payer health insurance for all Illinois residents — a concept that is also gaining attention on a national level as the presidential election approaches.
The forum served as a chance for citizens to voice their opinions about the current health-care system. Frustrated doctors and desperate patients alike shared stories about their encounters with insurance.
One doctor who spoke at the hearing expressed his feelings about the inability to treat patients due to insurance issues.
"Please, please, please do not make doctors agents of insurance companies," he said.
The Kane County Chroniclewas a bit more reserved but they did get us ... I just need to say it again...
ON THE FRONT PAGE
GENEVA – State Rep. Mary Flowers believes that insurance companies have a place in the market.
She just doesn’t think those companies have any place in providing health care.
Sponsors of the bill include State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, and House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.
About 45 people turned out to listen and ask questions regarding the bill or offer testimony regarding their experiences with the health care system.
None spoke against the legislation.
NONE SPOKE AGAINST THE LEGISLATION.
A series of dauntless members of the community, and beyond, turned out to testify.
The hearing began with a relaxed and alert Nick Skala, author of HB 311, former PNHP.orgresearcher and co-founder of HealthCareIL.org.
Nick spoke the simple facts about how a single payer system would benefit our state and where we are now...
"We're in an economic downturn of catastrophic proportions, everyone understands that right? If you go into downtown Chicago, there's one other building under construction-other than the Trump building-It's the Blue Cross Blue Shield building. They're adding on about 10 new floors that will do nothing but billing and administration and waste. That's where are health system dollars go."
Kos nation...Meet Nick...And one of his 3 jackets...
Illinois wastes 17 billion dollars a year in administrative costs. We also have 1.8 million without health insurance.
Insurance, which ultimately discriminates against the sick.
As we heard over and over that evening, even if you do have insurance, you are not guaranteed access to health care.
Mary kept bringing that message home all night. To some degree we or someone we know has had some kind problem with health insurance. From lost paperwork to lost lives.
Mary took the podium, fresh from the most recent Special Session in Springfield and completely engaged in each testimony.
Our first story came from the lovely and brave Catra Knoernschild of Oswego who would become our front page heart breaker in the Chronicle.
Her 4 yr old son Kyle is a surviving twin and has cerebral palsy.
They've been through 3 insurance companies and have had to PETITION for care. This woman has been forced to jump through so many ineffectual and aggrandized insurance industry hoops just to provide care for her baby, that she could barely speak.
Kos Nation...Meet Catra....
We found a rising single payer rock star in Dr. Vincent Gaddis, Dept. Chair of History, Philosophy and Theology at Benedictine University and Senior Pastor at New Generation Christian Center in Aurora IL, who came to 'raise his voice in support of HB 311'
I've never seen Mary speechless but at the end of Dr. Gaddis' eloquent and forceful testimony
Mary said..."There's nothing more I need to say...He's said it all."
He was a little embarrassed to share his health care story after hearing about Kyle, but his story is indicative of how the health care 'system' as it stand treats people who are hurting...
Medicate them until they go away...
"If HB 311 can prevent the answer of...Put them on drugs and 30 days later they'll be all better because they're stoned, I'd be very appreciative!"
Kos Nation...Meet Dr. Vincent...
Donna Smith, featured in the documentary SiCKO and co-chair of PDA’s Health Care not Warfare campaign, offered her testimony as a returning resident to Illinois after being driven to bankruptcy by high medical bills that were not covered by her insurance.
"We said back in the 60’s that we were gonna rock the world...then we got busy...we didn’t keep our nose to the grindstone keeping the country the way it should be...Well...We’re back!"
Kos Nation...I think we all know Miss Donna...
Please check out her site http://americanpatientsunited.org/ (Happy Larry?)
Rep. Flowers encouraged everyone to help her by contacting their Representatives. Tell them to make this bill a priority. Tell them to make single payer a priority. It is a bold and brave solution to the fiscal cancer that is delaying and denying America to death.
"As long as I know I've got you behind me, I can do almost anything...We can rock this state and we're gonna rock it..."
Kos Nation...Please meet Miss Mary...
Thank you to all who attended and participated in the discussion.
Thank you Rep. Flowers for taking the single payer discussion anywhere and everywhere and being one of the most impassioned activists out there working to provide everyone in this state access to health care.
Thank you Rep. Chapa LaVia for opening the lines of communication as a public servant. See her speak here.
Thank you Rep. Greg Harriswho couldn’t attend but provided an encouraging video statement that can be accessed here along with highlights of the meeting itself.
Much love to PDA Illinois for webcasting the event and being all-around excellent people.
For those Representatives within the district who could not attend Thursday, we hope you can make the next hearing part of your schedule.
We all had a nice discussion on Thursday night, sorry you missed it.
The importance of guaranteed access to health care FOR ALL can no longer be ignored.
The next public hearing will be in Champaign County | September 18
Illinois Terminal Building
4th Floor
45 E. University Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Many thanks again and best wishes...
-mew