Physicians for a National Health Program - Western Washington cccccccccc--


Coming Events

Wednesday, October 19th 6pm - PNHPWA Monthly Meeting

September Calendar
October Calendar


 

 

  

 

 

 

PNHPWW Facebook



PNHPWW YouTube




Click to
join





HJM is a blog that replaces Don McCanne's Quote of the Day. It arrives in your mailbox 2-3 times/week focusing on an issue or recent report of current interest, with commentary by Don and other health policy experts.
Read recent HJM's here
You can subscribe here



State Organizations
advocating for
Health Care
is a Human Right
...
-Health Care is a Human Right - Washington
-Vermont Workers Center
-Health Care for All Oregon
-Maine People's Alliance
-Whole Washington


Organizations advocating for single payer, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All in Western Washington

*Health Care for All -WA
*Progressive Democrats of America
*Health Care is a Human Right - WA
*United for National HealthCare - Bellingham
*Socialist Alternative
*Washington Community Action Network
*Backbone Campaign
*Whole Washington


Dr. Gerald Friedman's economic analysis of how a state single plan would affect our state


Right click to download Hi-Resolution copy

New WHST PowerPoint


Download

It's Time to Add Your Voice

Since 1987 Physicians for a National Health Program has advocated for reform in the U.S. health care system. A large part of our work involves mobilizing physicians, other health care workers, and the general public to actively advocate for enactment of a national, comprehensive, high quality, non-profit, publicly-funded health care system serving all residents of the United States.

PNHPWA September Monthly Meeting
“Now is the Time
to Stop Complete Privatization of Medicare”

32 folks joined the meeting, including several from California and elsewhere in the NorthWest.

We were very fortunate to have Kip Sullivan join us to provide his perspective & encyclopedic knowledge of what’s been going on in health care reform and its advocacy going back to the 70’s & especially now regarding DCE’s, ACO-REACH, Medicare Advantage and the strategy of CMMI (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation) as to how it will try to completely privatize Medicare by 2030.

Kip co-founded the Minnesota chapter of PNHP in 2007 & was a Board Member 2007-14. He also helped found Health Care for All Minnesota & has been on its Board and now as an Advisor to the Board.

Trained as a lawyer, Kip graduated from Harvard Law School in 1972, but, as he puts it, has spent most of his professional life not practicing law, but instead organizing to put the private health insurance companies out of business. He’s written several hundred health policy articles& is an important resource for PNHP, One Payer States, many other organizations, and recent online discussions.”

For the meeting, Kip focused on the twin threats to Medicare -- Medicare Advantage and ACOs and brought us up to date on the ACO & Med Advantage track record, and especially on the latest CMMI’s  revised “White Paper” strategy moving forward with “more equitable" ACO-REACH. The presentation was followed by a robust discussion. Lots to learn & master.

Click here to watch the meeting

You can have a copy of Kip's slideshow by sending a request to pnhp.washington@gmail.com
 

Future Events
Wed, Oct 19, 7:00pm - PNHPWA Monthly Meeting - Focus TBD


Attend PNHP National’s Annual Meeting and Leadership Training - "Brick by Brick: Building the Movement for Medicare for All" Boston November 4-6

OF NOTE - Labor Day ads to push our legislators to end ACO-REACH now

On Labor Day, this full page ads opposing privatization of Medicare & ACO REACH appeared in the Tacoma News Tribune, Seattle Times, Everett Herald, and Bellingham Herald. In addition, digital ads appeared in four online papers in the first congressional district: Herald.net, Redmond Reporter, Kirkland Reporter, and Bellevue Reporter.

The ads, sponsored by PSARA & PNHPWA, will help educate readers about the Wall Street effort to turn traditional Medicare and the Medicare Trust Fund into a profitable enterprise at the expense of both Medicare beneficiaries and the Trust Fund.

The ads will ask readers to contact our senators and representatives, with the exceptions of Rep. Jayapal and Smith. We ask these elected officials to support Medicare beneficiaries, not Wall Street. We want elected senators and representatives to oppose ACO REACH and urge the Biden administration to terminate the program.This link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NWnxaLWOhmJvu_NG9KiPFo-xZM7yCya8/view takes you to a page on the PSARA website with information about Rep. DelBene's support for Medicare privatization and ACO REACH. You can contact Rep. DelBene and tell her to support Medicare beneficiaries and not Wall Street and insurance companies. Please do all that you can to amplify these ads. Urge family, friends, and members of your organization to view the ads and take action.

Future Events

 

 


Past Events



PNHPWA July Monthly Meeting

"What Improved Medicare for All Advocates
Can Learn from the Fight Against VA Privatization"

Suzanne Gordon

Suzanne Gordon is a senior policy analyst at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute, as well as a journalist and co-editor of a Cornell University Press series on health care work and policy issues. Her latest book, Our Veterans: Winners, Losers, Friends, and Enemies on the New Terrain of Veterans Affairs, will be released on August 5th by Duke University Press. She has won a Special Recognition Award from Disabled American Veterans for her writing on veterans’ health issues, much of which has appeared in The American Prospect. Prior work includes Wounds of War: How the VA Delivers Heath, Healing and Hope to the Nation’s Veterans.  Her website is www.suzannegordon.com.

In the Q&A/discussion, PNHPWA Board Member Andy Wellens joined in. For the past 15 years, he has received care in the VA system in Michigan, California and Washington.

This program was of special interest to us as national PNHP's priority this summer and beyond is fighting the stealth DCE/ACO-REACH entities effort to totally privatize Traditional Medicare. Suzanne's knowledge and experience fighting the privatization of our unique VA system has bearing on this struggle. We also looked at how the VA's experience serving  the needs of veterans within its integrated care system can be preserved when we achieve Improved Medicare for  All.
View Video here


July 13th - WA Universal Health Care Commission hearing

May 23 - PNHP webinar kickoff of our expanded national "Turning up the Heat on Direct Contracting and Reach Campaign" - Physicians, Seniors & Reps Jayapal, Pocan, Porter, Schakowsky spoke - Watch Video

Continuing our Campaign against the Privatization of Medicare
You can help our coalition by signing on to the letters to Pres. Biden and our Congressional delegation asking the end to the ACO-REACH entities and all methods of privatizing Medicare. PSARA will be sending these each month to include new organizational and individual signers. The next batch will go out June 1st, followed by July 1st. Please forward these lists to your organizations and friends.
Click HERE to sign the letter to Biden — Don’t Privatize Medicare
Click HERE to sign the letter to Washington’s Congressional Delegation

Turning Up the Heat Toolkit
Call-in scripts for the White House and Congress
Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 between 9:00am and 5:00pm Eastern, Monday through Friday
Call President Biden at (202) 456-1111 between 11:00am and 3:00pm Eastern, Tuesdays through Thursdays
One-page handout: Direct Contracting and REACH, Handing Traditional Medicare to Wall Street
Share your Medicare story: See our one-page handout for tips, and use THIS FORM to share your story
Post to social media using the hashtag #StopREACH — please link to any or all of our materials!
ProtectMedicare.net website - tons of info & updated regularly

Must Watch - Kip Sullivan's presentation: "Do We Really Have  To Kick Out the Insurance Companies?"  Click VIDEO and SLIDES to view his talk.

PNHPWA Web Site - pnhpwashington.org
PNHPWA Email - pnhp.washington@gmail.com
PNHPWA YouTube Channel
PNHPWA Instagram

Coalition Partner Websites
Health Care for All Washington
Health Care is a Human Right Washington
Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action

PNHPWA Past Meetings

PNHPWA May 26th Monthly Meeting
"The Privatization of Everything, including Our Healthcare, and What We Can Do About It"
Donald Cohen

This meeting was particularly timely as PNHP, PSARA, and other organizations in our state are organizing to fight the complete privatization of Medicare through the DCE/ACO-REACH models that have recently come to light.
Watch the meeting video

PNHPWA April 20th Monthly Meeting
"How to Rebut Arguments in Favor of DCEs & ACO-REACH"
Ed Weisbart, MD

Dr. Weisbart is on the Board of Physicians for a National Health Program and speaks frequently on health policy issues.

Ed presented a deep dive into the DCE ACO/REACH program that continues on track to fully privatize Traditional Medicare by 2030.
Watch it on YouTube.


Learn more about the DCE & REACH models that hope to privatize Medicare on the new PNHP website - paste this link in your browser - www.protectmedicare.net

March 2022 Monthly Meeting
"Next Steps for Health Care Reform in Washington and Beyond"
Andre Stackhouse, Campaign Director for Whole Washington
Watch the meeting here

February 2022 Monthly Meeting
"Mobilizing to Stop DCE's"
Watch the meeting here

January 2022 Monthy Meeting
“Strengthening Our PNHP Chapter in 2022”
Glen Anderson - Activist, teacher
Watch the Video Here

December 2021 Monthy Meeting
"Looking Ahead to 2022”
Watch the video here 

November 2021 Monthly Meeting
“Report on PNHP 2021 Annual Meeting”
PNHP Past-President Adam Gaffney
Watch the meeting here

October 2021 Monthly Meeting
“The Current Status of Health Care Reform
and Improved Medicare for All in Congress”
Dr. Rachel Madley, PhD
Watch the meeting here

September 2021 Monthly Meeting
"Coordinating PNHPWA and SNaHP Advocacy
for Improved Medicare for All "
Hugh Foy, Moderator
Watch the meeting here


August 2021 Monthly Meeting
"Pros and Cons of Incremental Change
in the Struggle for Single Payer Health Care"
Dana Iorio, Moderator with Kip Sullivan
Video of the meeting here

July 2021 Monthly Meeting
"PNHPWA Board Retreat Decisions"
Chuck Richards
Video of the meeting here

June 2021 Monthly Meeting
"Planning for July 24th Medicare for All March"
Andre Stackhouse
Watch the meeting video here 


May 2021 Monthly Meeting
"America's Mighty Medical-Industrial Complex:
Negative Impacts and Positive Solutions"
John Geyman, MD
Watch the meeting here 

Download John's Powerpoint slides here

April 2021 Monthly Meeting
"Rural Health Care and Medicare for All"
Kevin Walsh, MD
Watch the meeting here
PNHP's Kitchen Table Campaign on Rural Health has lots of info, handouts, video and other resources here

March 2021 Monthly Meeting
"Extending PNHPWA's Network Statewide"
Kaytlin Gilbert - PNHP National Organizer
Watch the Zoom meeting here

February 2021 Monthly Meeting
"Conversations across Differences"
Robert Reich (video)
Watch the meeting here




John Geyman's latest book

John Geyman's new book

Are We The UNITED States of America?
Can We Hold Together As One Country? 


Most of us still hold to the belief that we are united by the credos of American democracy. That supposed democracy, however, is under attack from within. An economic ideology of unregulated corporations, privatization of public programs, and a limited role of government, has divided us along lines of income and wealth. Decline of the middle class has become associated with increasing inequality and continued systemic racism.

As the U. S. electorate becomes more diverse, white nationalism has driven a wedge into our unity. We have seen an alarming increase in the number of hate groups and violence across the country. Our two major political parties have become more divided than ever as large groups on the right still buy into Trump's Big Lie, without any evidence, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Later chapters deal with approaches to rebuild unity and sense of community through rekindling traditional American values, confronting the excesses of Wall Street and oligarchy, and a larger role of responsive government for the common good.

Order Book here




"In less than 200 readable pages, with footnote references to follow up, Dr. Geyman lays out key approaches to rebuild unity and sense of community. He shows how this restoration is in our own hands, for "we the people" are the sovereign power under our constitution. The good doctor gives us the prescription. Let's take and use it as our ways of living.

This is that rare book of universal appeal and action to give to your local library and discuss at your local book club or neighboring gathering.

Ralph Nader, activist and founder of Public Citizen



Watch most PNHPWA Previous Monthly Meetings
PNHPWA YouTube Channel


 

For the latest news on health reform legislation - check PNHP articles of interest and opinion - or research a topic by clicking on the Google Custom Search image below:

.

 




 





Other News:

Still working to make our PNHPWA social media more useful. Please submit/share important info, articles, events to/on our Facebook site - https://www.facebook.com/pnhpww

PNHPWA YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx_TkWg9tFnCKGnO9F-iEeQ -


There are 15 Annual PNHP Meeting slideshows of the plenary presentations and workshops that you can review and use the information for local activities, presentations, LTE’s etc. You can see the list of slideshow topics with links to them by clicking here.


Video on Single Payer for Washington State

PNHPWA member Mark Hickling has produced a 12 minute video describing the US health care system and those of other developed nations in a down-to-earth way that we can use in our advocacy with friends and family. This video is great for opening a meeting or houseparty.

You can watch this on YouTube by clicking here or on the photo.

 

For the latest news on health reform legislation - check PNHP articles of interest and opinion - or research a topic by clicking on the Google Custom Search image below:

 
 
     
     





 
About Us| Contact Us | Join PNHP
Email: pnhp.washington@gmail.com; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pnhpwashington/
Oli speaking Robby Speaking Jim speaking Oli's Slides on Reform Options Bernia Sanders and Ed Shultz play May 30th March Video