I know it, you know it, Eric Massa knows it, why doesn’t the Senate know it?
Single payer health care. It’s what the country wants. Is it that the Senate doesn’t know? Or is it that they just don’t care? (I’m voting for the latter)
Last Tuesday several advocates were arrested for speaking up at a public roundtable discussion with the Senate Finance Committee. From Single Payer Central:
Drs. Margaret Flowers, Carol Paris, Pat Salomon and the others took this extraordinary and courageous step after it became clear that Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Committee, was determined to disregard the tens of thousands of requests - via letters, e-mails, phone calls, faxes and personal visits - urging him to invite a supporter of single-payer health reform to the discussion, i.e. to put single payer “on the table.”
Hel-looo! We’re out here looking for real reform. Without single payer on the table, there can be no real reform. It will continue to be about profits, not health care and as David Cay Johnston said, at last weeks forum, we can’t keep talking about this issue in regards to “insurance”. This has to be looked at from a health care perspective (We don’t get education insurance- we have public education. We don’t get Police insurance- we have a public Police department.)
The senators understand that most people want a national health system and that an improved Medicare for All would include everybody and provide better health care at a lower cost. These facts mean nothing to most of them because they respond to only one standard tool of advocacy: money, and lots of it.
The people seated at the table represented the corporate interests: private health insurers and big business and those who support their agenda. The people whose voices were heard all represented organizations which pay huge sums of money to political campaigns. These interests profit greatly from the current health care industry and do not want changes that will hurt their large, personal pocketbooks.
This Tuesday, May 12, the Senate Finance Committee is holding its third and last roundtable on health reform. PNHP has formally submitted the names of two outstanding physicians, Drs. Marcia Angell and Steffie Woolhandler, to testify as expert witnesses. As of this hour (Friday afternoon), however, no single-payer supporters have been invited. (You can call Sen. Baucus’ office in Washington and urge him to extend the invitations at 202-224-2651, or e-mail him here.)
During the May 12th roundtable, a demonstration will be occurring outside the Dirsken Senate Office Building.
On May 13th there will be a “Single-Payer Solidarity Rally” led by the California Nurses Association, as part of National Nurses Week (my bold):
Speakers will include Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT); Rep. John Conyers Jr. (MI-14); Rep. Eric Massa (NY-29); Rose Ann DeMoro, CNA/NNOC executive director; Mike Farrell, actor (http://www.1payer.net/videos/24-medicare-for-all/218-everybody-in-nobody-out.html); Dr Margaret Flowers, PNHP; and John Sweeney, president AFL-CIO.
They can’t ignore us forever. Massa won’t let them.
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