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, pandemics and public health emergencies, and scroll to the bottom for a list of future topics.

Public health emergencies (April/May 2020)

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the glaring inadequacies of U.S. health care, as the threat of medical bills deters low-income patients from seeking treatment, our profit-driven delivery system strains to accommodate a surge in demand, and millions stand to lose their employer-provided health coverage. It also shows how badly we need fundamental reform.

We encourage you to share the materials below with your colleagues, family members, friends, and neighbors during the month of April to remind them that public health emergencies like COVID-19 are a kitchen table issue…and that Medicare for All is a necessary part of the solution.

NEW: COVID-19 exacerbates racial inequities

African Americans are dying at a disproportionately higher rate from COVID-19, tribal populations suffer from a lack of testing and treatment options, and many undocumented immigrants lack coverage or avoid medical care because of the fear of deportation.

During the month of May, PNHP will explore the effect that universal coverage, investment in public health infrastructure, and anti-racism initiatives would have on these persistent (and worsening) inequities.

  • One-page handout: COVID-19 exacerbates America’s health inequities
  • Webinar: Role of racism and for-profit health care in pandemic response failures (organized by PNHP NY Metro and featuring PNHP national coordinator Dr. Claudia Fegan)
  • Webinar: COVID-19 and racial disparities (hosted by ProPublica and featuring Dr. David Ansell)
  • Sign-on letter: Medical professionals in support of immigrants in light of COVID-19 (supported by numerous student medical organizations, including Students for a National Health Program)
  • “Racial Health Disparities and Covid-19 — Caution and Context” Merlin Chowkwanyun, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Adolph L. Reed, Jr., Ph.D. caution that “disparity figures without explanatory context can perpetuate harmful myths and misunderstandings.”

Complete public health emergencies toolkit

  • One-page handout: Medicare for All and public health emergencies
  • Comparison chart: Medicare for All vs. the status quo
  • PowerPoint slides: Now more than ever we need single-payer Medicare for All (by PNHP-MO chair Dr. Ed Weisbart)
  • PowerPoint slides: A case for improved and expanded Medicare for All (by PNHP NY Metro fellow and SNaHP leader Rachel Madley)
  • Webinar: Dr. Phil Verhoef on public health emergencies
  • Webinar: Pandemics and single payer (organized by the UC Berkeley-UCSF joint medical program chapter of Students for a National Health Program)
  • Organizing toolkit: Telling your story
  • Newspaper outreach: Sample letters to the editor
  • Radio outreach: Talk radio call-in scripts
  • Video: Dr. Phil Verhoef on COVID-19 and Medicare for All
  • Podcast: Dr. David Himmelstein on our response to COVID-19
  • Social media: Share on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

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 president-elect Dr. Susan Rogers at s.rogers@pnhp.org.

Video: Dr. Phil Verhoef on COVID-19

Podcast: Dr. David Himmelstein on COVID-19

Webinar: Dr. Claudia Fegan on the roles of racism and for-profit health care in U.S. COVID-19 response

Webinar: Dr. David Ansell on COVID-19 and racial disparities

Webinar: Dr. Phil Verhoef on COVID-19

Webinar: Pandemics and single payer

Twitter discussion forum

PNHP hosted a one-hour COVID-19 Twitter discussion on April 9, 2020, featuring PNHP president Dr. Adam Gaffney, PNHP president-elect Dr. Susan Rogers, and other notable physician and health professional leaders. All questions and responses are all included in the thread below.

Additional topics

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