Single payer on the march in Oregon

[eridani]

Single payer health care legislation has come to Oregon. The Affordable Health Care for All Oregon Act has been submitted to the House by Representative Michael Dembrow as HB 3510 and to the Senate by Senator Chip Shields as SB 888. You can learn more about these bills at http://gov.oregonlive.com/bill/2011/HB3510.

House Health Care Committee Co-Chairs Mitch Greenlick (D) and Jim Thompson (R) both agreed to give HB 3510 a hearing, for which they deserve our thanks. House Health Care Committee Chair Laurie Monnes-Anderson has not scheduled SB 888 for a hearing.

You can provide critical help to Oregon’s single payer legislation in several ways. Please consider at least one of these contributions to health care reform in Oregon:

1. Send an E-mail or make a phone call to your state representative and state senator (http://www.leg.state.or.us/writelegsltr, http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr) telling them you support single payer health care and you want them to support these two bills. Let them know that health care reform is an important way to reduce our state budget deficit, create jobs, improve Oregon’s business climate, and provide health care for all Oregonians.

2. Come to the single payer health care rally in Salem on March 11th, the day of the hearings. Find out more and register at http://singlepayeroregon.org.

3. Attend the hearing on March 11th. Register to testify in favor of the bill, or just sit in the audience to show your support.

4. Contribute the Oregon Single Payer Campaign by sending a check to Send checks made payable to HCAO-Oregon Single Payer Campaign (OSPC) and mail to: HCAO, P.O. Box 5142, Eugene, OR 97405.

5. Create single payer interest in your community by arranging small meetings locally. Find resources here http://singlepayeroregon.org or contact the Oregon Single Payer Campaign for speakers.

This is a unique opportunity to make a difference. Please do what you can to give this legislation the attention it deserves from our legislators, our media, and our neighbors.

[Hannah Bell]

1. kr

[cali]

2. does this have any chance? Would be great.

[leftstreet]

3. From the flyer...

The Act would ensure access to affordable, quality health care for all Oregon residents through a comprehensive plan providing payment for medically necessary health services.

WHY NOW?
Recent federal health care reform legislation still does not cover everyone
and has no cost controls, but encouraged states to work on innovative pilot
programs. Skyrocketing health care costs are hammering businesses and
families, as well as schools and state and local government.

Representatives from organizations including Health Care for All-Oregon, Jobs
with Justice, and Physicians for a National Health Program worked together
to produce draft legislative language for a bill that would establish a publicly
funded and privately delivered Oregon (single payer) health system. The
Oregon Single Payer Campaign has secured committee hearings for the Act in
the Oregon House on March 11 as HB 3510 and may get hearings in the Senate
as SB 888.

PLAN FEATURES
Comprehensive health benefi ts for every Oregon resident

Financing will be progressive and equitable and paid into a fund to be
used only for health benefi ts and administration of the plan.

No co-payments and no deductibles.

Patients can choose their own health care provider

The plan will be administered by a publicly accountable board and
operated by the Oregon Health Authority (which now administers
existing state health progrwams).

K&R

[catabryna]

4. Thank you for posting this...

I plan to read the proposed legislation later. :thumbsup: