Now is the time to join the fight for universal healthcare for all New Yorkers…

GET INVOLVED!!!

It’s simple. From May 1st to July 30th, 100 volunteers will collect 100 signatures for our petition calling for a universal, single-payer healthcare system for all New Yorkers. We will end the summer 10,000 voices stronger for a just and equitable healthcare system!

Inspired by movements in other states and around the world, we’re gathering petitions and organizing our communities in support of New York state’s single-payer bill. When enacted, it will set up a statewide public fund (single-payer) guaranteeing comprehensive care to all New Yorkers throughout their lives without any out-of-pocket fees. We can bring an end to our inhumane, for-profit health insurance system. No more bankruptcies due to medical debt. No more denials due to lack of coverage. Just healthcare for every resident of New York.

You can support this campaign today by signing up to become a volunteer! With your help, we can make single payer a reality in New York.

Thank you for your support.

As the Supreme Court debates the constitutionality of Affordable Care Act, join us for a public speak-out about the advantages of Medicare-for-All, an unquestionably better and constitutional way to solve our healthcare crisis.

• Where: Union Square (the 14th St steps)
• When: Wednesday March 28th at 10AM
• Promote the Facebook Event Page

Our goal is not to address the constitutionality of the individual mandate or the other aspects of the ACA, but to inform the public that an unquestionably constitutional and unquestionably better option exists: Medicare-for-All (aka Single-Payer).

Background

This coming week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or “Obamacare,” in late March. Even with the mandate, the ACA:

• Leaves at least 27 million people uninsured
• Leads to millions more under-insured
• Allows medical bills to put more people into bankruptcy (already the leading cause)
• Fails to reduce healthcare costs
• Forces consumers to bail out the multimillion dollar for-profit insurance industry (which has already spent millions successfully lobbying Congress to weaken many of the most vital patient protection aspects of the law)

Since the ACA is clearly a flawed law, let’s focus on expanding and improving what we already know works: Medicare.

This event is planned in solidarity with Healthcare for the 99%.

Email Congress and the President to urge them to adopt Medicare for All

Almost 50,000 Americans die each year due to lack of insurance and the death gap–difference in life expectancy between the highest and lowest income communities–is estimated to be 30 years. Dr Ansell advocates for a single-payer system as a cost-effective remedy to this inequality.

The House Budget Committee narrowly passed the new Ryan plan on Wednesday night despite opposition from the left and the right, as well as from the powerful senior citizens lobby, AARP.  The AARP’s chief executive, A. Barry Rand, said the budget would “likely ‘price out’ traditional Medicare as a viable option” and harm Medicaid and food stamps.

More than half of all personal bankruptcies are caused by healthcare costs; of those bankrupted, two thirds have health insurance.

Meanwhile, insurance companies lobby to keep rates high. A provision of the ACA would penalize insurers who spend too much on high salaries, bonuses, and other perks while passing the costs on to patients. Not surprisingly, insurers are going all out to prevent any change from taking effect.

The Affordable Care Act will  not adequately address the rising cost of healthcare. Currently, healthcare expenditures comprise 17% of the GDP, a greater percentage than that of other wealthy countries. Unfortunately, costs are expected to continue to rise with some researchers estimating that health care will consume half of our national income in just 25 years.

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund concludes that accessibility, quality and costs of healthcare and health vary significantly from community to community around the country. In general, the highest- performing communities tended to be in the North while many of the worst-performing regions were in the South. Manhattan ranks 121 and the Bronx ranks 200 in the overall ranking out of 306 hospital referral regions in the country.

Under our private, insurance-based system, the need to provide (increasingly expensive) health insurance to employees creates a significant obstacle to expansion and hiring. A single-payer healthcare system would eliminate this burden on employers, thus increasing business’ capacity to hire new workers. It would further stimulate local economies by keeping a larger portion of wages in workers’ hands–where they can spend it on goods and services–instead of diverting it to insurance-company profits and inflated salaries.

Join us in our monthly meeting to learn more about our single-payer efforts and how you can get involved!

When: Wednesday, March 14, at 6:30PM
Where: 220 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001

Texas reduced its Medicaid budget and has limited the payment for the people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. It is hurting the elderly poor and their doctors who are doing the right thing—treating the frailest of the society. Dr. Javier Saenz has been practicing family-medicine in the impoverished town of La Joya since 1985. He is also the volunteer physician for the local high schools. Now Dr. Saenz has depleted his savings and asked a bank for credit in order to pay his staff.

We need a single-payer system now!