Articles of Interest
These articles highlight many of the health care related stories in the news--ranging from single-payer op-eds by PNHP members to reports by newspapers on corporate health care.America's Affordable Health Choices Act Implementation Timeline - November 13, 2009
Prepared by the Committees on Ways & Means, Energy & Commerce, and Education & LaborHealthcare-NOW Statement on HR 3962 - November 13, 2009
Healthcare-NOW!
On Saturday, November 7, 2009, the House passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, to much celebration by the Democratic party. Healthcare-NOW!'s view, however, is that the House bill is a gift to the insurance industry at the further expense of the people of this nation.Lack of health care killed 2,266 US veterans last year: study - November 12, 2009
Agence France Presse (AFP) News
The number of US veterans who died in 2008 because they lacked health insurance was 14 times higher than the US military death toll in Afghanistan that year, according to a new study.Simple, Fair, and Affordable - November 12, 2009
John A. Day, Jr., M.D. | American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
With the election of Barack Obama as our 44th President and the installation of a new United States Congress has come renewed attention to health care reform. Appropriately, there is a sense of urgency regarding the 47 million Americans without health insurance and the millions more underinsured, and to make matters worse, it is inevitable that both numbers will increase due to rising unemployment. In response to this crisis, most health care reform proposals attempt to guarantee at least some health coverage for all Americans. Yet nearly all proposals achieve this aim in large part through the current private insurance system. It is well worth asking: exactly what value does the insurance industry bring to health care in this country? And if it contributes little of consequence, is there another way?Study: Over 2,200 US Veterans Died in 2008 Due to Lack of Health Insurance - November 12, 2009
Amy Goodman | Democracy Now
On Veterans Day, a new study estimates four times as many US Army veterans died last year because they lacked health insurance than the total number of US soldiers who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the same period. A research team at Harvard Medical School says 2,266 veterans under the age of 65 died in 2008 because they were uninsured. We speak to the report's co-author, Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, professor of medicine at Harvard University and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program.New Evidence of Pharma's Sweetheart Deal - November 12, 2009
By Jonathan Cohn | The New Republic
Critics have complained that a drug industry got a sweetheart deal when it struck a bargain with the White House and Senate Finance Committee over health care reform. There’s new reason to think those critics were right.Drug Deal - November 12, 2009
By Jonathan Cohn | The New Republic
It was September 2008, at a town hall in Virginia, where Obama was offering a preview of how he intended to conduct his presidency. He would change the way Washington works, make it transparent, and, in so doing, deliver what the American public needed--starting with affordable health insurance. But, just a few months later, Obama's team was doing exactly what he said his administration wouldn't do: negotiating behind closed doors. The subject, sure enough, was health reform. The partner was the drug industry. By June, they had a deal.2,266 Veterans Died In 2008 Because They Were Uninsured - November 11, 2009
By Elyse Siegel | The Huffington Post
According to a study released by the Harvard Medical School, 2,266 veterans under the age of 65 died last year as a result of not having health insurance. Researchers emphasize that "that figure is more than 14 times the number of deaths (155) suffered by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and more than twice as many as have died (911 as of Oct. 31) since the war began in 2001."Three Frequently Asked Questions about the House Bill HR 3962 and Reform - November 11, 2009
By Mass-CareStatement by CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro on the House bill on healthcare - November 10, 2009
Of all the torrent of words that followed House passage of its version of healthcare reform legislation in early November, perhaps the most misleading were those comparing it to enactment of Social Security and Medicare.Over 2,200 Vets Died for Lack of Health Insurance in 2008 - November 10, 2009
By Viji Sundaram | New America Media
Lack of health insurance claimed the lives of more than 2,266 veterans under the age of 65 last year, says a Harvard Medical School study out today. That number is more than 14 times the number of deaths (155) suffered by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and twice as many (911 as of Oct. 31) as have died since the war began in 2003.How Much Lying Will It Take To Break Your Confidence? - November 9, 2009
By Donna Smith
So, I wake this morning to see that Speaker Pelosi lied again about why she just could not allow a single-payer amendment to survive the legislative effort in the House on healthcare reform.Squandered a golden opportunity regarding U.S. health care - November 9, 2009
Dr. Carol A. Paris | Letter to the Editor | South Maryland Newspapers
In the spirit of full disclosure, I support a single-payer national health program. That said, my comments are focused on HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. I agree with Wendell Potter, the former head of public relations for CIGNA, that this legislation could more accurately be titled "The Private Health Insurance Profit Protection and Enhancement Act."Massa says he can't support health care bill - November 9, 2009
By Patti Singer | Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat And Chronicle
The day before the much-anticipated vote on health care reform in the House of Representatives, Eric Massa, D-Corning, said that the Affordable Health Care for America Act gives too much to the insurance industry, doesn’t do enough to control costs, and he can’t support it.CNA/NNOC Statement On The Withdrawal Of The House Single Payer Amendment - November 9, 2009
Medical News Today
On the eve of what would have been the first national vote on single-payer legislation Rep. Anthony Weiner's single-payer/Medicare for all amendment was withdrawn Friday, November 6.Is the House Health Care Bill Better than Nothing? - November 9, 2009
By Marcia Angell, M.D. | The Huffington Post
Well, the House health reform bill -- known to Republicans as the Government Takeover -- finally passed after one of Congress's longer, less enlightening debates. Two stalwarts of the single-payer movement split their votes; John Conyers voted for it; Dennis Kucinich against. Kucinich was right.Another doctor chimes in on the single-payer option - November 6, 2009
Dr. Ellen Kaczmarek | Letter to the Editor | Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times
A heartfelt public “thank you” to Dr. Michael Rey for his guest commentary, “ER doctor analyzes health reform debate,” (AC-T, Oct. 23). He echoed my sentiments exactly, and as a practicing primary care physician, I strongly second his desire for a universal single-payer health care system.ER doctor analyzes health reform debate - November 6, 2009
By Dr. Michael T. Rey | Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times
This country needs radical reform to fix a health care system that currently encourages poor-quality medical care and costs too much. A universal single-payer system would put the focus back on patient care, where it belongs, and reduce costs.Democrat Gives Up Single-Payer Measure to Back Party Leaders - November 6, 2009
By David M. Herszenhorn | New York Times | Prescriptions Blog
Representative Anthony D. Weiner, Democrat of New York, a fierce champion in Congress of a single-payer health system that would be fully run by the government, said Friday that he had agreed not to insist on a vote on that issue, in an effort to help Democratic leaders pass their plan.The reform that's missing - November 6, 2009
By Rhonda Swan | Palm Beach Post
Perhaps "death panels" weren't such a bad idea. For private health insurance companies. If ever there was a useless entity, it's a business that earns profits for doing nothing.