PNHP

During each of the first six months of 2020, PNHP will focus on a specific, concrete “kitchen table” issue that requires fundamental reform (like single payer), not minor tweaks (like a public option). See below for materials related to this month’s issue, racial health inequities, and scroll to the bottom for a list of future topics.

Racial health inequities (February 2020)

People of color face significant barriers accessing health care in the United States, and are much more likely than whites to be uninsured or under-insured. The results are tragic: higher rates of preventable illness resulting in physical suffering, bankruptcy, and even death. We have a long way to go to eliminate the racial inequities in U.S. health care, but a necessary first step is comprehensive coverage for everybody.

We encourage you to share the materials below with your colleagues, family members, friends, and neighbors during the month of February to remind them that racial health inequities are a kitchen table issue…and that Medicare for All is a necessary part of the solution.

Complete racial health inequities toolkit

  • One-page handout: Overview of racial health inequities
  • Comparison chart: Medicare for All vs. public option
  • PowerPoint slides: Medicare for All means far fewer racial health disparities (click here to view video of Dr. Ed Weisbart presenting these slides at West Chestnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville)
  • Newspaper outreach: Sample letters to the editor
  • Radio outreach: Talk radio call-in scripts
  • Organizing toolkit: Update your Grand Rounds or speaking presentation
  • Social media: Share on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
  • Video: Dr. Susan Rogers on racial health inequities
  • Podcast: Dr. Susan Rogers on racial health inequities
  • Webinar: Dr. Susan Rogers answers member questions

If you need assistance with events or actions, contact the PNHP organizing team at organizer@pnhp.org. For help with messaging materials, contact PNHP communications specialist Clare Fauke at clare@pnhp.org.

If you would like to provide expertise or help develop materials for future Kitchen Table topics, please contact PNHP Strategy Committee co-coordinator Dr. Ed Weisbart at pnhpmo@gmail.com.

Video: Dr. Susan Rogers on racial health inequities

Podcast: Dr. Susan Rogers on racial health inequities

Webinar: Dr. Susan Rogers answers member questions

Action: Power to Heal screening

PNHP chapters across the country have drawn large and engaged audiences by screening “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution.” Visit the Power to Heal website to purchase a license for the film, or contact Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe with PNHP’s Health Care Justice – North Carolina chapter (jessica.schorr.saxe@gmail.com) for suggestions on how to organize a successful screening.

Allied organizations fighting for racial justice

Our allies in the fight for single-payer Medicare for All have developed materials and campaigns focusing on racial justice, including the following:

  • Social Security Works developed the All Means All campaign to center racial equity and the elimination of racial health disparities in the creation of Medicare for All. Visit the campaign website to join their efforts, view a webinar featuring Dr. Sanjeev K. Sriram, and access racial justice fact sheets for all 50 states.
  • Healthcare-NOW! produced a video detailing the role of racism and Jim Crow in defeating previous single-payer legislation. The organization is currently developing a racial equity training that will be free and open to the public.
  • White Coats for Black Lives seeks to eliminate racial bias in the practice of medicine and recognize racism as a threat to the health and well-being of people of color. Their recent work includes a Racial Justice Report Card that evaluated medical schools across the U.S.

Additional topics

Stay tuned for these topics throughout the first half of 2020: