Single Payer Health Care Speak Out Report Back

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On May 30, 2009, a group of 450 people gathered for a Speak Out hosted by Progressive Democrats of Genesee Valley. It provided a platform for people to learn about single payer and to show support for HR 676, the Medicare for all House bill.

There was a panel consisting of Congressman Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary committee and author of HR 676, Congressman Eric Massa, representing NY 29th legislative district, Mimi Kennedy, actress and the National head of Progressive Democrats of America and Dr. Theodore Brown, Professor at University of Rochester in the Department of History, Community and Preventive Medicine and Medical Humanities and moderated by Jeff Cohen, Founder of FAIR and endowed chair and director of Park center for Independent Medical/Journalism Department in the School of Communications at Ithaca College. Each panel member spoke for a few minutes and then answered questions from the audience.

The peopleâ€™s fight for single payer health care started in 1912 at the Progressive Party Convention in Chicago. During the past 100 years, different legislative bills have been introduced in Congress only to be defeated by smear and fear campaigns. In the 30â€™s, the use of symbols of the Soviet Union and terms like Communist and Socialist were used to dissuade the people from supporting single payer health care. Just as today, the media are complicit in spreading the propaganda, fear and special interests of the elite and the interests of the corporations. In the 60â€™s, when JFK brought up the idea, similar tactics were used and again single payer legislation went nowhere. Today, as in the past, the health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, with the help of the corporate media have been leading the fight against single payer health care spreading money and propaganda against the interests of the people. Like in the past, many in Congress are representing the wealthy corporations that feed their campaigns, rather than the people they are supposed to be representing.

As when the Medicare prescription drug bill was coming up, the insurance and drug companies are pouring money into Congressional coffers and well as spending big money on advertisements and propaganda to keep single payer out of the discussion of health care reform. When President Obama was having a conference about health care reform, single payer advocates were not going to be included until Congressman Conyers, Massa and others were able to put enough pressure on President Obama to include them. They were, however, only allowed to be in the room, but not participate. Recently, the Senate finance committee held three days of hearings, some 44 panel members, however Senate Baucus, the chairman of the committee, refused to have an advocate of single payer health care on any of the panels. The people would not be silenced and throughout the hearings, doctors, nurses, and other health care providers stood up and demanded that single payer have a seat at the panel table. After 13 arrests and other acts of dissent, all Senator Baucus could say was, â€œI think we need more police.â€

According to a recent analysis by the group Consumer Watchdog, Senator Baucus, has received more campaign contributions from the health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations than any other current Democratic member of the House or Senate. The report stated that Senator Baucus received $183,750 from health insurance companies and $229,020 from drug companies in the last two election cycles. Of all our local members of Congress, only Eric Massa has signed on in support of HR 676. Does that mean that Congresswoman Slaughter and Congressmen Maffei and Lee are being bought or are they just deaf to the peopleâ€™s cries?

There were several themes that kept being expressed throughout the evening. First., that health care is a right and everyone is entitled to it. Next, that the current health care system is broken and the only viable solution is single payer health care. Finally, that this is not a partisan issue but rather a civil rights issue, and that the only way to get action on HR 676 is for the people to get actively involved.

If you are a member of a local grassroots organization, please put your contact information in the comments, so others can get involved.

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