As of now we know that among the 120 people invited to the White House Health Summit there are two single payer advocates: Rep. John Conyers the lead sponsor for HR-676 and PNHP President Dr. Oli Fein.
What do we do now?
My suggestion for what would seem to be a non-radical, non-shrill, non-extremist demand:
"There must be a complete, honest, side-by-side comparison of all proposals, including HR-676, by the Congressional Budget Office.
The side-by-side comparison should include projected costs to state governments, employers and to households of different income levels. For 2010 and beyond."
Not just what Senator Baucus pre-determines to allow. What are they afraid of?
As we know, the many prior analysis, recently by Lewin Group for many state single payer proposals, and older for national bills by both the GAO and CBO, all suggest that only single payer can control total costs and costs to individuals while providing coverage that is both truly universal and comprehensive.
The most recent comparison by Lewin for Commonwealth was very revealing in comparing who pays what: Neither "Building Blocks" standing in for Baucus/Obama nor Wyden-Bennett could control total costs, which skyrocket under both. Wyden disengenuously shoves costs from the Federal side, to States, employers and individuals. Of the plans compared, only Stark's non-single payer verion of "Improved and Expanded Medicare for Most" (which Commonwealth/Lewin says they used to represent all such proposals including ours) actually controlled total national costs and total direct costs to individuals, while also providing universal and comprehensive coverage. Here is how it looks:
Total Change in National Health Expenditures, in 2010 (in Billions) Under Different Health Reform Proposals:
and
Change in Health Spending by Stakeholder Group, Billions of Dollars, 2010
Single payer wins, when given a honest hearing.
What are they afraid of?
The truth.
Other proposals including Baucus and Wyden cannot stand the full light of day and a thorough honest comparison.
So they have to try to take single Payer off the table without full and honest numbers.
Let there be a complete and honest debate with real numbers and real side-by-side comparisons.
Suggestions to call:
The White House (202) 456-1414 or (202) 456-1111.
The Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee:
Max Baucus, Chair, (202) 224-2651
John D Rockefeller IV (202) 224-6472
Kent Conrad (202) 224-2043
Jeff Bingaman (202) 224-5521
John Kerry (202) 224- 2742
Blanche Lincoln (202) 224-4843
Ron Wyden (202) 224-5244
Charles Schumer (202) 224-6542
Debbie Stabenow (202) 224-4822
Maria Cantwell (202) 224-3441
Bill Nelson (202) 224-5274
Robert Menendez (202) 224-4744
Thomas Carper (202) 224-2441
Key folks on the Senate health committee:
Edward Kennedy (202) 224-4543
Chris Dodd (202) 224-2823
Some guy named Harry Reid (202) 224-3542
Over in the House:
John Conyers, lead sponsor for HR-676 202-225-5126
Pete Stark, who is chair of the Ways & Means Health subcommittee 202-225-5065.
He used to be a co-sponsor of HR-676 and now has his own not-quite single payer version, but he is essentially on the side of good.
Congressman Frank Pallone, chair of the House committee that covers Health (202) 225-4671.
Updates:
- Getting a compete and honest Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis is criticial and as I and others have pointed out, Senator Baucus does not want this. What is he afraid of?
- The Summit is apparently being shown on C-Span and C-Span 3.
- So far as I know, CNA/NNOC are still being shut-out, on the basis that they are already represented by the AFL-CIO, according to a Congressional Quarterly report from yesterday. No word about HealthCare-Now or Progressive Democrats of America or Public Citizen, or the dozens of other groups that are part of the leadership coalition for single payer.
- In addition to the phone calls and emails by lots of us, PNHP had been planning a rally, wearing our doctors' White Coats at the White House, to call attention to being left out. Maybe all this helped. Or maybe it was theater all along: they say no, we complain, they let in a token representation, but no change in policy is made. We shall see!?!
- According to yesterday's CQ Politics, the White House’s Web site describes single-payer health systems as one "extreme" in the spectrum of health care overhaul proposals; the other, the White House says, is "letting the insurance companies operate without rules." "President Obama and Vice President Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong," the Web site says. That is a pretty obnoxious thing to say of your more progressive and honest allies, to say nothing of an approach that has 60% support of all Americans and American Physicians, and is only approach that actually controls costs, get to universal and comprehensive converage. Maybe we single payer folks would be less shrill, if our friends would be less dishonest in their being dismissive. Comparing single payer as an extreme somehow comparable to free market fundementalism. Assh*les!
- Senator Baucus, the Democrat from Montana who is chairman the critical Senate Finance committee is, frankly, quite the corporate lobbyist whore. Check out this quote from January, after he had already pre-determined that single payer was to be off the table:
Senator Baucus was attending a lavish pre-inaugural ball at a posh nightclub where he told Brian Ross of ABC News that "lobbyists just want what’s best for America." Baucus also had praise for the drug, insurance and other lobbyists who paid for the party, saying: "They really care about our country."
- However, there has been some local pushback against Baucus' "single payer is off the table" stance in his homestate newpapers; see here, here, here, here and here.