[GPCA Updates] GP RELEASE Greens: Now it's time to work for real health reform -- Medicare For All

Wed Mar 24 15:22:12 PDT 2010

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Now it's time to work for real health care reform -- Medicare For All, say Greens

• The Democratic "insurance company enrichment" bill burdens millions of
Americans and imposes mandates that enrich insurance companies

• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on health care
reform: http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-health-care.php

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green candidates and party leaders said today that the
passage of the Democratic health care bill, with its increased financial
burdens on millions of Americans, should not slow the movement for Medicare
For All (single-payer national health care).

The Democratic bill "falls short on many levels, and hurts many people more
than it helps," as Jane Hamsher writes in "Fact Sheet: The Truth About the
Health Care Bill"
(http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/03/19/fact-sheet-the-truth-about-the-health-care-bill).

Physicians for a National Health Program said in a statement on Monday,
"Instead of eliminating the root of the problem -- the profit-driven, private
health insurance industry -- this costly new legislation will enrich and
further entrench these firms.  The bill would require millions of Americans to
buy private insurers' defective products, and turn over to them vast amounts
of public money."
(http://www.pnhp.org/news/2010/march/pro-single-payer-doctors-health-bill-leaves-23-million-uninsured)

• Dennis Spisak, Green candidate for Governor of Ohio
(http://www.votespisak.org/governor): "Now that this bill has passed, those of
us who support real universal health care must keep up the demand for Medicare
For All.  Every American deserves the same high-quality guaranteed health
coverage that Congress members enjoy.  We will challenge those who insist that
further health care reform is no longer on the table.  The Democratic bill was
mainly written to give the appearance of reform.  It forces people to buy
insurance or face a tax penalty.  It works like a regressive tax, in which in
the uninsured -- in the midst of a recession -- must pay for insurance they
can't use due to the likely high co-pays and deductibles.  Especially vicious
is the amendment prohibiting states from enacting their own single-payer
programs."

• Jill Stein, physician and Green candidate for Governor of Massachusetts
(http://www.jillstein.org): ""The position of most Democrats and Republicans
on health care is that Americans have no right to medical treatment, but
private insurance companies have every right to enrich themselves on our need
for health care and to send hundreds of thousands of Americans financial ruin
over medical costs.  According to Physicians for a National Health Program's
critique of the bill, about 23 milion Americans will remain uninsured after
nine years, resulting in 'an estimated 23,000 unnecessary deaths annually and
an incalculable toll of suffering'.  In the media coverage of health care
reform, the angle was whether President Obama could prevail against the GOP
and uncooperative Democrats.  It was all about personalities and a horse-race
competition.  Whether the Democratic legislation -- or obstruction of reform
by Republicans -- actually helps people became a
  side issue."

• Rich Whitney, Green candidate for Governor of Illinois
(http://www.whitneyforgov.org): "The real story of health care reform over the
past year is how the insurance and other health lobbies sent millions of
dollars in campaign checks to both Democrats and Republicans to make sure
their interests came first.  We'll get real health care reform when Americans
get angry enough to stop voting for Democratic and Republican candidates who
are addicted to corporate contributions, and elect Greens, who call health
care a basic human right."  (Visit the web site of the Center for Responsive
Politics to learn how much these corporations donate to each Congress member:
http://www.opensecrets.org)

• Nancy Allen, farmer and long-time Green organizer from Maine: "Some of the
Tea Partiers showed their true colors this past weekend, when crowds hurled
racist and homophobic epithets at Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Barney Frank, and
other Congress members.  How much did Republican politicians, insurance
companies, and other industries encourage such behavior?  How did these
corporations successfully convince so many Americans that their own medical
care is less important than corporate profits and power?"

• Rodger Jennings, Green candidate for US Congress in Illinois, District 12
(http://www.rodgerjennings.org): "The winners are the largest for-profit
health insurance companies.  Both Democrats and Republicans made the bottom
lines of the insurance cartel the top priority, rather than every American's
need for quality medical care.  Private insurance adds cost to health care but
provides no value -- physicians, nurses, and other professionals do the actual
medical work.  The administrative overhead, including CEO bonuses and
salaries, of private insurance raises health care costs by up to 31%.  The
administrative overhead for Medicare is under 3%.  By eliminating the
corporate insurance middle-man, we'd reduce health care spending from over 15%
to about 9% and cut the price of coverage and care dramatically, and every
American would enjoy guaranteed, quality health care."

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
• Green candidate database and campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections
• Green Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus

Single-Payer Now! Green Party page on health care reform
http://www.gp.org/campaigns/health/single-payer

Physicians for a National Health Program http://www.pnhp.org
PNHP's Frequently Asked Questions page http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single-payer-faq

Healthcare-Now http://www.healthcare-now.org

Single Payer Action http://www.singlepayeraction.org

"The Sober Reality of Health Care Reform"
By Jane Hamsher, FireDogLake, March 22, 2010
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/03/22/fdl-statement-on-the-passage-of-the-health-care-bill

"Deaths Rising for Lack of Insurance, Study Finds"
By Michelle Andrews, The New York Times (blog), February 26, 2010
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/deaths-rising-due-to-lack-of-insurance-study-finds/#preview

"NY Times Reporter Confirms Obama Made Deal to Kill Public Option"
By Miles Mogulescu, Huffington Post, March 15, 2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/ny-times-reporter-confirm_b_500999.html

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the
United States
Winter 2010 issue now online
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

~ END ~