Coming Events:
PNHPWA April Monthly Meeting - Wed, 16th, 7pm
Calendars
March
April
Remembering
Dr. George Martin
George M. Martin, M.D. passed away on December 17, 2022 at the age of 95. A renowned geroscientist, George was devoted to nurturing the next generation of physicians and scientists. He was equally passionate about the need for universal health care and was an active member of the Washington Chapter of PNHP.
The George M. Martin Student Scholarship Fund provides financial support for medical students to participate in PNHP conferences and events, in the belief and hope that the next generation of physicians will realize the vision of a national health care plan that provides health care for all.
Donate to the GM Student Scholarship Fund Here
So far, more than $20,000 has been donated
PNHP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your donation to this scholarship fund is tax-deductible; our tax ID# is 04-2937697.
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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
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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
Coalition Partners
Health Care is a Human Right -
Washington
Get Activist's Toolkit
Washington Against Nuclear Weapons
Information
Dr. Gerald Friedman's economic analysis of how a state single plan would affect our state
Right click to download Hi-Resolution copy
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.
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This mass mobilization is our chance to tell the world that we will not stand by while our government and economy are ravaged for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. Alongside Americans across the country, we are rallying to demand an end to the chaos and the looting of our nation. (This is one of hundreds of mobilizations around the country on April 5, including many others in our state. 
Center for Health and Democracy (led by Wendell Potter), People’s Action (led by Diane Archer), and Physicians for a National Health Program (Ed Weisbert’s efforts to Heal Medicare).
Moral distress occurs when professionals cannot carry out what they believe to be ethically appropriate actions because of constraints or barriers. This survey lists situations that occur in clinical practice. If you have experienced these situations, either currently or in the past, they may or may not have been morally distressing to you. If you are a physician or medical student, please complete the survey. 
PNHPWA November Monthly Meeting"
Report Back from PNHP Annual Meeting in Chicago"
PNHPWA Board Members who Attended
Think we had the largest delegation in Chicago!!!
We had a very informative meeting with people attending from across our state and elsewhere.We had a report back from attendees on the general and workshop sessions, showed some slides on the “Three Aims” charting a course for PNHP in 2025, showed some excepts from Rep. Jayapal's Keynote Address, and had time for discussion on what our chapter will or should be doing in 2025. There were four great new slideshows that you will be able to download for your own education and use in presentations in 2025. Hope to get them on our wesite soon.
Watch Rep. Jayapal’s keynote
PNHPWA October Monthly Meeting
"Strategy for moving Single-Payer Health Care
Wed, Oct 16
at the State and Federal Levels"
Chuck Pennacchio, PhD
Founder, President One Payer States
This was a fantastic, timely meeting given the upcoming election and the possibility that we may have a more favorable political environment to push forward with Everybody In/Nobody Out quality health care.
Our next meeting will be after the Nov 5 election and the PNHP Annual Meeting in Chicago Nov 15-17 that will be focusing on updated strategy based on election results. Our own Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal will be the keynote speaker! The PNHPWA November 20th Monthly Meeting will be a report-back from our many members who will be attending the Chicago meeting.
Chuck Pennacchio is founder and President of OnePayerStates.org, founder of the
Justice for All Network, co-facilitator of Our Revolution PA, senior advisor to Healthcare for All PA, producer of “Fix It: Healthcare at the Tipping Point,” organizer with and member of United Academics of Philadelphia/AFT Local 9608, and retired Professor of History and Politics from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He has several ties to the Pacific Northwest.
Chuck lives in DC & spends much of his time providing assistance to advocates and legislators working on single-payer health care at the state and federal levels.
Hetalked about the upcoming election and what opportunities are available us to advocate to single-payer health care for all, tailored to the outcome of the Presidential, House & Senate and down-ballot races. He talked about the importance of learning to speak with and listen to other folks and organizations that focus on othe progressive issues. We can help their advocacy and they, in turn, are more likely to help us with our priorities.
Most of the program and discussion was on the State Based Universal Health Care Act (SBUHCA) and Improved Medicare for all, and how we can work on both.
Some Links Recommended by Chuck:
One Payer States (OPS) website: www.onepayerstates.org
25-member state-based universal health care campaigns to model and inspire a national improved and expanded Medicare for All system for the U.S.Justice for All Network (JFAN) website: https://www.justiceforall.org
Pro-Democracy and Universal Transformational Justice. What is it and how did we achieve it?American Fascism 2.0 website: www.americanfascists.us
Anti-Fascist education, action, and blog.Non-Violent movement database: https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/resource/swarthmore-colleges-global-nonviolent-action-database/
On-line archive of 1000+ successful revolutionary and reform campaigns in 160 countries over the last 100 years.
HCFA - WA Annual Educational Meeting
HCFA-WA keynote speaker was Senator Patty Kuderer, who is now our state Insurance Commissioner. She has been a strong advocate for working families and for ensuring that everyone in our state has access to affordable, quality healthcare. She was a member of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee in 2017-2018, and, during her career in the Senate, she sponsored or co-sponsored universal health care bills including our Washington Health Security Trust
Public Health Seattle and King County
"Health, Well-Being, and Racial Equity – Every Day for Everyone in King County"
Mia Shim, MD, MPH and Matias Valenzuela, PHD
We had a very informative presentation and discussion with two leaders of Public Health Seattle & King County. Dr. S
him is the Interim Health Officer and Dr. Valenzuela is Director of the Office of Equity and Community Partnerships for Public Health-Seattle & King County. Public Health - Seattle and King County - is a network for 39 cities including Seattle and unincorporated areas.
A link to www.ourhealth.pub mentioned in the meeting
Fight Corporate Health Insurance Greed: Reclaim Medicare!
Sept 30th
Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, Seattle
912 2nd Avenue, between 1st & 2nd Avenue
"Die-In" at Seattle Federal Building
PNHPWA, with several Health Care is a Human Right WA coalition partners and other allies highlighted Medicare's ongoing, methodical privatization and its harmful impacts on seniors and providers of healthcare.
We called on federal leaders in the legislative and executive branches to protect and expand Traditional Medicare and allow states like Washington to innovate solutions to solve our crisis in health care.
There was a casket to march around signifying those who have passed away because of our disfunctional health care system, chants, speakers and handouts. We left a message!!!
HCFAWA Second Wednesday Speaker Series - Wed Oct 9th
"How WA State is Putting "Affordable" into Affordable Health Care
The OIC's Final Report
Nico Janssen, Senior Health Policy Analyst with the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner led the discussion. He served as a Health Policy Analyst in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and he worked in the U.S. Congress with Senators Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray, and Tim Johnson. He shared the important details from his national and state perspective. He broke down the the OIC's Final Report, and the recommendation with the five policy options that could improve health care affordability for all Washingtonians! Check HCFA-WA's website for a video of the meeting.
PNHP Annual Meeting in Chicago
November 15 - 17th
This year's PNHP Annual Meeting was purposely being held after the November 5th national elections with the major goal of working out strategies to best move ahead on implementing Improved Medicare for All. Our own Congresswoman Pramila Jayapl was keynote speaker! We had several PNHPWA members and several student members of WA SNaHP chapters attending. Our sponsorship was facilitated by the George Martin Student Scholarship Fund. At last year's meeting in Atlanta we proudly had the largest number of SNaHP'ers there.
More Past Events
WA Single Payer Health Care Leadership Summit
August 28th
"The Case for Single-Payer and How We Get There"Featuring Rose Roach, National Coordinator, Labor Campaign for Single Payer
This meeting brought together 44 representatives of 28 Washington organizations committed to single-payer healthcare to figure out how to best collaborate to create the path for implementation of single-payer at the Washington State and national levels. PNHPWA Board Members Hugh Foy and David McLanahan represented our chapter. It was an extremely positive and exciting meeting. You can watch the morning session video featuring Rose here. And the Late Morning Session video herewhere attendees discussed Rose's presentation and working together in our state.
Is Medicare Advantage Driving Your Provider to Despair?
and WHY Should You Care?PSARA Webinar - July 9
Physicians for a National Health Program Past-President Dr. Carol Paris and President-Elect Dr. Diljeet Singh, discussed how insurance companies force providers into crises of conscience, thereby adversely affecting both providers and patients. The insurers require practices like prior authorization that lead to delays and denials of care, which providers know will be injurious to their patients. Watch Video of Webinar here
PNHP Releases Research Report titled “Taking Advantage: How Corporate Health Insurers Harm America’s Seniors.” You can download the an interactive PDF version of the report. Lots of important info here to help us in our work. Spread the word & PDF link.
June 3rd PNHP Webinar
"Taking Advantage: How Corporate Health Insurers HARM America's Seniors"
Delays. Denials. Unexpected out-of-pocket costs. Everywhere people with so-called “Medicare Advantage” plans turn, they encounter barriers to the care they need—and the care their physicians have prescribed. Join us to learn about the many ways that corporate health insurers harm seniors and people with disabilities—and how YOU can fight back.
Our program included:
* Sen. Elizabeth Warren urging advocates (and her fellow legislators) to stand up and reclaim Medicare as a public program
* Dr. Ed Weisbart presenting a new report on the harm caused by Medicare Advantage corporations, researched by Physicians for a National Health Program
* Personal stories of patients and physicians who have been harmed by Medicare Advantage corporationsWe also had suggestions on how YOU can take action to end the abuses of corporate health insurance, dramatically improve the traditional Medicare program, and put the U.S. on a path to a Medicare-for-All system that brings everybody in and leaves nobody out. You can watch the video of the Webinar here
New - PNHP National Calendar - click here to see what other PNHP chapters are offering online in terms of webinars.
PNHP Celebrates 35 Years of Activism
Since 1988, PNHP has been organizing so that everyone in the US has the health care they need. Watch this 5 minute video reflecting that 37 years of activism.
PNHP Landmark Study Released!
PNHP has just published a groundbreaking report—developed by our policy committee and reviewed by independent health policy experts—that quantifies the extent of Medicare Advantage overpayments. Our research and this report estimate that Medicare Advantage plans overcharge taxpayers by a minimum of 22% (or $88 billion) per year, and potentially by up to 35% (or $140 billion) per year. Read the study here.
Med Advantage Fact Sheet one pager to accompany surveys and petition
1.Medicare Beneficiary short Survey - online and print versions
2. Physicians short Survey - online and print versions
3. Medicare Advantage Petition for everyone to sign - to demand Congress and President Biden protect Medicare beneficiaries by cracking down on insurance company abuses and by significantly improving the traditional, public Medicare program
Big News! - Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped their Improved Medicare for All bills on May 16th. House M4A bill section-by-section, summary and text available here. So far, in Washington State ONLY! Pramila Jayapal and Adam Smith are Sponsors. You can reach our other House & Senate members to urge them on - info to reach them by phone or mail here. If you need some guidance in speaking with your rep, our national coalition partners at Healthcare-Now have created a toolkit, including a script to help.
Join Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action. PSARA has been doing amazing and 
effective organising work around all the social justice issues in our area for many years. It is leading the charge against Medicare and ACO-REACH in the Pacific Northwest, and indeed, buttressing efforts of other progressive health reform organisations across the country. Please take a look at the PSARA website and its monthly newsletter, The Retiree Advocate, and consider joining to help support its groundbreaking work.
Chris Currie's updated eBook "A Medicare for All Q&A"- Click here
Other News:
The George Martin Student Scholarship Fund now has more than $24,000 in contributions! It's providing support for the 5 SNaHP Chapters in our region
PNHP's 35th Anniversary Celebration
Why did you join PNHP - who brought you in? Was it a mentor, a colleague, a friend, or someone else entirely. We would love to hear how you joined our movement.
Contact dixon@pnhp.org for guidelines about recording a short video telling your story.
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
Watch most PNHPWA Previous Monthly Meetings
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: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 -
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Email: pnhp.washington@gmail.com; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pnhpwashington/