Dear Don,
A number of your readers and our activists asked me to give this brief description of our current work at this time in the Quote of the Day debate.
Ken
Ken Frisof:
The stimulating debate in Quote of the Day of late has been a thoughtful mixture of politics and policy, but the underlying theme has been that this is a time for politics first, and policy second. As Donald Light noted in the most recent communication, the challenge is “to get major stakeholders to sign on to a basic principle: that every American will have access to needed health care.”
Fortunately for us, there is already a legislative vehicle that allows us to organize around this approach. House Concurrent Resolution 99, or as we are now calling it, “The Health Care Access Resolution” [HCAR] was the first joint work product of the Congressional Universal Health Care Task Force, founded in 2000 by Congressman Conyers. The Resolution was crafted by Members of Congress and their legislative aides (several of whom spent years as political organizers before joining Congressional staffs) precisely to serve as an organizing vehicle. It lists 14 attributes/principles of quality health care for all. It intentionally does not offer a policy prescription, but rather directs “Congress to enact legislation by October 2004 that provides access to comprehensive health care for all Americans.”
The first draft of a general flyer for the educational and advocacy campaign around HCAR was made ready for the Jobs with Justice National Conference on September 7-9. After a pause to reflect on the implications of the terrorist tragedy, the activists in UHCAN and other organizations working on the campaign are once more moving ahead, mindful of the changed circumstances so well described in the Quote of the Day Discussion. A new version of the general flyer, soliciting organizational endorsements and activity around HCAR is being prepared for the meetings in Atlanta later this month.
The renewed popular recognition of the vital role of government in promoting well-being is a valuable opening for the forces for health care justice and equity. HCAR provides a congressionally-originated vehicle through which we can reach out to the organizations and politicians of mainstream America and seek endorsement and cosponsorship of our core principles.
If you would like to participate, please e-mail your contact information to
A description of House Concurrent Resolution 99 is available at:
Comment: There are many individuals and organizations dedicated to health care equity, and there are even more ideas floating out there on the preferred agenda for reform. But there is one agenda item that we must all place first and that is that we are going to have to agree to work together.
Margaret Heldring, Ph.D., Executive Director, America’s HealthTogether:
Dear Dr. McCanne:
I write to introduce America’s HealthTogether, following on Karyn Gill’s initial introduction. Thank you for your apparent interest!
America’s HealthTogether is committed to universal health care, health care justice, and health promotion. I understand you have seen our website and so know we are proud of the extraordinary group of people working together. Bob LeBow, a member of our Advisory Committee, is a past president of PNHP. You can see I have cc’d him on this email.
We would like to do all that we can to move this shared agenda. We are poised to function as conveners. We would be fully open to sharing this role with others, such as Arthur Caplan (I have admired his work!). We think that the more frequently we demonstrate collaboration, the more we model it and help support a culture that values it – a necessary value for universal health care!
Please be in touch and share this information as you would like. We look forward to pulling together!
Sincerely, Margy Heldring
America’s HealthTogether:
Comment: Again, we share the goal of health care equity. Let’s all work together to achieve it.
(Note: Due to other commitments, the Quote of the Day messages will not resume until about October 23.)
Joel Segal, Legislative Assistant for Congressman John Conyers:
Dear Friends,
With 44 million uninsured, ( I use to be one of those for many years), the time has come for a unified universal health care movement that is motivated by compassion, love, and empathy for those whose lives are ruined by our current for profit health care system.
We need health care activists to write their respective Members of Congress letters, make phone calls, e-mail, fax, etc. about the need for universal health care. First, contact the legislative assistant in charge of health care. You can even write pre-fabricated letters. BELIEVE ME…THEY DO MATTER. WHEN WE GET LETTERS AND PHONE CALLS, WE MUST TELL OUR BOSS! IF YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS IS NOT ON THE UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE, PLEASE URGE THAT THEY SIGN ON.
ORGANIZE TOWN MEETINGS & HEARINGS TO HEAR FROM THOSE WHO SUFFER DAY IN AND DAY OUT WITH OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. WE CAN HELP GET MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO ATTEND.
THANKS,
Joel Segal Legislative Assistant for Congressman John Conyers 202 225-5126