There are health care bills in Congress; both the United States and New York State have similar bills introduced, aimed to cure our dysfunctional health care system. The New York State Assembly has the Gottfried bill, and the United States Congress has bill HR 676 introduced by Kucinich, Conyers, and McDermott. These are single-payer plans or a government insurance plan that will put all residents of the United States in one risk pool for necessary care, cut overhead, and save us billions of dollars. Also on the books is a proposal to form a committee to study a health care system for New York State, spearheaded by Assemblyman Gottfried the chairman of the health care committee in the Assembly.

Considering the problems this country is having; every political representative should be in support of these health care reform bills. So much of our present day problems are related to a bad health care system, and they could be alleviated by simply adopting a Single-Payer health care plan like an improved “Medicare for All” that would cover all necessary care including home care, dental care, eye care and prescription drugs. Payment has already been worked-out, and the government and employers would save billions of dollars.

Let’s discuss the problems our present for-profit and employer-based health care system are causing. Nobody can dispute the following problems:

1. Medicaid-- is in deep trouble and states are going in debt to pay for its costs. Why is it in trouble? It’s because so much of our health care costs are shifted to the government by for-profit health care, and private health care in turn is wasting billions of health care dollars on profits, CEOs salaries and overhead.

2. Medicare--its Medicare that is in trouble not Social Security--again double digit rising of health care costs are not being contained.

3. Double digit rising health care costs--under President Bush our health care costs have gone up 50 percent since 2000. This is unheard of in the rest of the world.

4. The invention and use of new technology--we must have a single-payer system so we can save billions of dollars. Some of the savings will go to improving our health with advanced technology and education.

5. Fraud--for-profit health care is open to all kinds of fraud. Each year it costs us plenty.

6. The high cost of prescription drugs--Double digit rises in health care cost are due in part to drug company’s high CEOs salaries and price gouging. Then the government; gives us a prescription drug plan where we can’t bargain for lower prescription drug prices; how absurd!

7. The influence of Corporate Money on the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

8. The influence of Corporate Money-- on the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

9. Corporate influence on Physician’s Practice of Medicine.

10. The growing number of the uninsured and the 45 million that are already uninsured. The growing number of people using the high-cost of emergency rooms for primary care, because they don’t have a primary doctor.

11. The growing number of the underinsured (anywhere for 50 to 90 million)

12. The annual number of bankruptcies related to becoming sick and not being able to pay for health care services. 50 percent of all bankruptcies in the United States are due to health care costs.

13. Many people are not able to earn a living wage.

14. We have a large trade deficit. American companies cannot compete on the global market because of high health care costs for their employees; an expense other industrialized don’t have to contend with.

15. Our huge national debt, which a single-payer health care system would help reduce. In President Bush’s terms we have gone from a large surplus to a large deficit. His prescription drug plan alone will probably cost us 1.8 trillion in debt not to say anything about his plan to privatize Social Security.

16. We have a huge wage gap in the United States. Many Americans have no way of paying for health care. CEOs and the top 5 percent have most of the wealth in this country. We have a dilemma of a dwindling middle class that cannot afford health care. Employers cannot afford health care, and unions also cannot afford health care.

17. We have the highest rate of child poverty of the industrialized countries (except Mexico). How are we supposed to care for their health and provide them with preventive medicine?

18. On top of all this we rate very low in quality of health care (37th), and (54th) in fairness (according to the World Health Organization). We rank high in infant mortality and lower on life expectancy.

Your representatives must be held responsible. We must ask the question, why are many of them not supporting the single-payer health care bills in Congress?

HR 676 United States National Insurance Act

The following is an executive summary of the US National Health Insurance Act (HR676). For a full version of the bill, click here. A PDF version is also available here. Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Bill to be introduced by Cong. John Conyers, 108th Congress Brief Summary of Legislation The United States National Health Insurance Act (HR676) establishes a new American national health insurance program by creating a single payer health care system. The bill would create a publicly financed, privately delivered health care program that uses the already existing Medicare program by expanding and improving it to all U.S. residents, and all residents living in U.S. territories. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that all Americans, guaranteed by law, will have access to the highest quality and cost effective health care services regardless of one's employment, income, or health care status. With over 42 million uninsured Americans, and another 40 million who are under insured, the time has come to change our inefficient and costly fragmented health care system. The USNHI program would reduce overall annual health care spending by over $50 billion in the first year. In addition, because it implements effective methods of cost-control, health spending is contained over time, ensuring affordable health care to future generations. In its first year, single-payer will save over $150 billion on paperwork and $50 billion by using rational bulk purchasing of medications. These savings are more than enough to cover all the uninsured, improve coverage for everyone else, including medication coverage and long-term care. Employers who currently provide coverage for their employees pay an average of 8.5% of payroll towards health coverage, while many employers can't afford to provide coverage at all. Under this Act, all employers will pay a modest 3.3% payroll tax per employee, while eliminating their payments towards private health plans. The average cost to an employer for an employee earning $35,000 per year will be reduced to $1,155, less than $100 per month. 95% of families will pay less for health care under national health insurance than they do today. Seniors and younger people will all have the comprehensive medication coverage they need. Who is Eligible Every person living in the United States and the U.S. Territories would receive a United States National Health Insurance Card and i.d number once they enroll at the appropriate location. Social Security numbers may not be used when assigning i.d cards. No co-pays or deductibles are permissible under this act. Benefits/Portability This program will cover all medically necessary services, including primary care, inpatient care, outpatient care, emergency care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, long term care, mental health services, dentistry, eye care, chiropractic, and substance abuse treatment. Patients have their choice of physicians, providers, hospitals, clinics, and practices. Conversion to a Non-Profit Health Care System Private health insurers shall be prohibited under this act from selling coverage that duplicates the benefits of the USNHI program. They shall not be prohibited from selling coverage for any additional benefits not covered by this Act; examples include cosmetic surgery, and other medically unnecessary treatments. Cost Containment Provisions/ Reimbursement The National USNHI program will annually set reimbursement rates for physicians, health care providers, and negotiate prescription drug prices. The national office will provide an annual lump sum allotment to each existing Medicare region, which will then administer the program. Payment to health care providers include fee for service, and global budgets. The conversion to a not-for- profit health care system will take place over a 15 year period, through the sale of U.S. treasury bonds; payment will not be made for loss of business profits, but only for real estate, buildings, and equipment. Funding & Administration The United States Congress will establish annual funding outlays for the USNHI Program through an annual entitlement. The USNHI program will operate under the auspices of the Dept of Health & Human Services, and be administered in the former Medicare offices. All current expenditures for public health insurance programs such as S-CHIP, Medicaid, and Medicare will be placed into the USNHI program. A National USNHI Advisory Board will be established, comprised primarily of health care professionals and representatives of health advocacy groups. Proposed Funding For USNHI Program: $1.86 Trillion Per Year A payroll tax on all employers of 3.3%. Maintain employee and employer Medicare payroll tax of 1.45%. Implement a variety of mechanisms so that low and middle income families pay a smaller share of their incomes for health care than wealthiest 5% of Americans; i.e, a health income tax on the wealthiest 5% of Americans, a small tax on stock and bond transfers, and closing corporate tax shelters. A repeal of the Bush tax cut of 2001. For more details, see PNHP's "Financing National Health Insurance." *For more information, contact Joel Segal, legislative assistant, Rep. John Conyers, at 202 225-5126, or e- mail at Joel.Segal@mail.house.gov   TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BILL and SIGN A PETITION IN SUPPORT OF IT  GO TO :  www.cnhpnow.org

Who is supporting HR 676 in US Congress?

2/8/2005 35 so far SPONSORS

Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 5/5/2005
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 5/10/2005
Rep Christensen, Donna M. [VI] - 2/8/2005
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 5/10/2005
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 5/5/2005
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - 5/5/2005
Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - 5/17/2005
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 4/5/2005
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - 5/18/2005
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 5/25/2005
Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4] - 5/18/2005
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] - 5/5/2005
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] - 5/25/2005
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 5/19/2005
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] - 2/8/2005
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 5/5/2005
Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] - 5/25/2005
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 2/8/2005
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 5/10/2005
Rep Miller, George [CA-7] - 5/10/2005
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] - 5/25/2005
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - 4/13/2005
Rep Owens, Major R. [NY-11] - 5/10/2005
Rep Pastor, Ed [AZ-4] - 5/18/2005
Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] - 5/10/2005
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] - 4/5/2005
Rep Scott, Robert C. [VA-3] - 5/25/2005
Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] - 5/12/2005
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 5/5/2005
Rep Thompson, Bennie G. [MS-2] - 5/19/2005
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] - 5/5/2005
Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30] - 5/19/2005
Rep Weiner, Anthony D. [NY-9] - 5/25/2005
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 5/10/2005
Rep Wynn, Albert Russell [MD-4] - 5/5/2005