Conyers Reintroduces HR 676 into the 112th Congress

[iwishiwas]

This happened almost a month ago but I got this email as a reminder.
I did send my congressperson a memo.



from Unions for Single Payer HR676 <[e-mail]>
to xxxxx
cc News about union support for single-payer health care and HR 676 <[e-mail]>
date Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 9:51 PM
subject Conyers Reintroduces HR 676 into the 112th Congress


Conyers Reintroduces HR 676 into the 112th Congress

On February 11, 2011, Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Democrat of Michigan,
reintroduced Expanded and Improved Medicare for All, HR 676, the national
single payer health care legislation, into the 112th Congress. With minor
changes, such as the addition of oral surgery to the benefits, HR 676 is
the same and will provide all medically necessary care to everyone through
progressive public funding and elimination of private health insurance
companies. There are no premiums, no co-pays, no co-insurance, no
deductibles.

Congressman Conyers stated: “Millions of Americans are frustrated with
rising health care costs, and have a deep mistrust of private health
insurance companies. The for-profit medicine model has resulted in
rationed care and created undue stress and financial hardships for
millions of Americans across the nation.

“Americans are smart—they know improved Medicare For All works in other
countries. They also know that our own Medicare program, although not
perfect, is a proven and efficient method for providing health care to
America’s seniors."

“Improved and Expanded Medicare for All is inevitable in America– it is
just a matter of when it will happen. Single-payer health care systems
have successfully contained health care costs and provided high quality
health care in countries in Europe, Taiwan, Japan, and Canada. We can no
longer continue to embrace the idea that private insurance companies and
corporate-owned hospitals and clinics will bring down the costs of health
care on their own,” said Conyers.

“It is time for Congress, other elected officials, the medical community,
health care policy experts, and the national media to begin to seriously
examine how a Medicare For All program in America could contain growing
health care costs, and provide quality and affordable health care for all.
Our current health care system is simply not financially sustainable over
the long run. The time has come for deep systemic change in our health
care system, and a large dose of common sense,” Conyers concluded.

The full legislation is here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.676:

In addition to Conyers, HR 676 currently has 33 co-sponsors who are listed
below. If your Congressperson is listed, please thank him or her. If
not, please call, write, visit your congressperson to persuade him or her
to become a co-sponsor of HR 676.

Co-Sponsors of HR 676 as of March 8, 2011:

Rep Baldwin, Tammy
Rep Capuano, Michael E.
Rep Christensen, Donna M.
Rep Chu, Judy
Rep Cohen, Steve
Rep Davis, Danny K.
Rep Dicks, Norman D.
Rep Doyle, Michael F.
Rep Ellison, Keith
Rep Engel, Eliot L.
Rep Farr, Sam
Rep Filner, Bob
Rep Frank, Barney
Rep Green, Al
Rep Grijalva, Raul M.
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D.
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr.
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J.
Rep Lee, Barbara
Rep Lofgren, Zoe
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B.
Rep McGovern, James P.
Rep Meeks, Gregory W.
Rep Nadler, Jerrold
Rep Olver, John W.
Rep Pingree, Chellie
Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille
Rep Scott, Robert C. "Bobby"
Rep Tonko, Paul
Rep Waters, Maxine
Rep Weiner, Anthony D.
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C.
Rep Yarmuth, John A.
_________________________________________________

HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a
greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.

HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including
prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and
preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health,
physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision
care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable
medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care.

HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of
billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the
private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In the current Congress, HR 676 has 33 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers.

HR 676 has been endorsed by 582 union organizations in 49 states including
136 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state
AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO,
MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI,
MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).

If your union has not yet endorsed HR 676, please do so. For further
information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement
resolution, contact:

Kay Tillow
All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676
c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
Louisville, KY 40217
[phone]
Email: [e-mail]
http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org
3/10/2011

[Melissa G]

1. Improved and Expanded Medicare for all. Yes! n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. Conyers had the chance to offer this bill as an amendment in 2009 when

Health Care Reform was being considered and Democrats still had a majority.

He did not take that opportunity.

[daggahead]

3. This is encouraging ...

... but the punishment for actual fraud cases needs to be severe. There is nothing worse than a doctor or a clinic ripping off the tax-payers by filing for reimbursement for procedures and treatments that were never performed.