Today I will join my friends to celebrate the great political victory for HCR in DC.
The Republicans chose HCR to be the defining battle of their hysterical anti-Obama strategy. They lost. Hurray!
But let's face it, even if the only provision in the bill had been to simply offer free vitamins, they would have opposed it too.
The victory validated the principle that health care is a human right.
The bill on the other hand is a far cry from what we need and it has the potential of being sabotaged by the insurance companies by simply increasing rates between now and 2014.
We need a Public Option and we need one that pays for itself and the only one that does so is Single Payer.
Even if the provision that prevents states from adopting their own Single Payer system survives reconciliation we will fight on...
...AND WE WILL WIN!!!
This Friday at 5PM with Pris in LA we re-launch our Single Payer Happy hours, now we re-brand them OneCare Happy Hour.
At the corner of Topanga Canyon and Califa in the Warner Center in Woodland Hills near the HQs for Wellpoint, Health Net, Blue Cross, Blue Shiled and others.
It's fun and after we hang out at the Friday's on Canoga and Califa.
The OneCare name comes from the California Onecarecampaign. This is the focal point of the Single Payer fight in California.
By the time the mandated insurance clause kicks in in 2014, we can have Single Payer in California.
So we need to pass SB 810
As California Onecare explained;
Health Care for All-California and the California OneCare Campaign are committed to health care reform that will provide comprehensive, affordable coverage for all people.
President Obama will soon sign an historic federal health care reform bill into law and, while we applaud the focus on reform, we believe California OneCare will serve us significantly better.
Single payer, California OneCare (Senate Bill 810) eliminates for-profit health insurance, simplifies financing and reduces cost of care, covers everyone for all needed medical, dental. mental health, medications, and hospital care, and provides choice of doctor.
HCA-CA Board members have analyzed the federal legislation and have noted still more shortcomings, including the following:
In 2019, there will still be 23 million people with no insurance
in the U.S.;
Americans will still needlessly pay 100% more per person for health care than residents of other nations with single payer health care;
The legislation does not limit rate hikes by private insurance companies;
Insurance companies are still shielded from anti-trust law;
Drug companies are protected from federal bulk purchasing power;
There are few meaningful curbs on the rising costs of health care.
For these reasons, among many more, HCA-CA is even more determined to pursue true health care reform in California and establish a non-profit system that is for the benefit of all people instead of insurance and pharmaceutical corporations. Now is the time for Californians to show the rest of the nation what real health care reform looks like.
We will win!
The 365 TV Spot campaign is awesome.
Here are some more of them;