Page coordinator: Dave Bean
This section contains suggested actions surrounding proposed legislation, as well as information to present to legislators and groups interested in achieving the most cost-effective health coverage - Single-Payer / Private Provider Universal Health Care
Actions for meaningful Health Care Reform at state & federal levels
Identify your state & federal legislators
- Colorado Legislature
Representatives, Senators, Bills, Calendar, Journals, Resolutions, Status, Fiscal Notes
- Colorado House - Business Affairs & Labor Committee
- Colorado House - Health and Human Service Committee
- Colorado Senate - Health and Human Services Committee
- Colorado House Calendar (changes often)
- Colorado Senate Calendar (changes often)
- www.vote-smart.org - Find your House and Senate Districts by your 9 digit zip code
- US Postal Service - Find your 9 digit Zip Code
- (Draft) Resolution Endorsing Single Payer Insurance Reform, e.g., The National Health Insurance Act (HR676)
Resolution endorsing Single Payer health care reform to be passed by
State Legislatures, County Commissioners and/or City Councils endorsing
HR 676 or comparable legislation. Similar Resolutions Passed by Pueblo,
Gunnison & San Miguel Counties.
In Colorado:
The 208 Commission for Health Care Reform
selected 4 comprehensive health reform proposals (of 31 proposals
submitted) for evaluation by the Lewin Group. The single-payer
proposal, submitted by Health Care for All Colorado, was the only plan
that would save money, rather than cost more, and the only plan that
would cover everybody.
While the Commission (inexplicably!)
did not recommend the single-payer plan, the commissioners heard
hundreds of Coloradans across the state testify at public hearings on
its behalf. A number of Colorado legislators understand that
single-payer financing for health care is the only proven way to bring
quality, affordable health care to everyone. HCAC is looking forward to
working at the Capitol to further single-payer in Colorado.
You
can help by calling your legislator now. Let them know that Coloradans
deserve meaningful health care reform in place of the current, wasteful
system. Tell them that you want your health care dollars going to
health care, not to high administrative costs and private profits.
View more information about the 208 Commission and HCAC's Single Payer Proposal
National:Encourage your federal representatives to sign on to sponsor HR 676. Rep. John Conyers' proposed bill for public payer, private provider health care is written to improve and expand Medicare to cover all (Currently there are 73 sponsors in the House.) Read Executive Summary National Health Insurance Bill (HR676)
A concerted effort in recent decades has been made by some corporate and political interests to change Medicare from a social insurance plan into profit-center for private insurances and pharmaceutical companies, resulting in higher costs to seniors and taxpayers. Privatizing Medicare is the wrong way to go.
Call your senators and representatives toll-free at 1-866-338-1015. Urge them to:
- Oppose pushing seniors into private insurance plans, subsidized with overpayments by taxpayers of 12% higher costs than traditional Medicare, with average 3-4% overhead costs.
- Oppose annual cuts in already too-low Medicare reimbursements to providers.
- Rewrite Medicare Prescription Drug Reform to permit negotiation of bulk drug prices (now denied).
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Restore and build upon the original intent of Medicare? to provide a single-risk-pool insurance for health coverage for all. Expand it from senior coverage to universal coverage for all, as described in HR 676.
- Reject campaign contributions from the for-profit insurance and pharmaceutical corporations.
- Co-sponsor H.R. 676.
- Urge legislators and candidates to take the Senator Brown pledge. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio refuses to accept his free, government-run health insurance until EVERY American is covered.
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Call candidates at the following toll-free number: 1-866-459-6050. Urge them to adopt the principles of HR 676.
Take 1 or more of the following summaries of reports and studies to your legislators:
Health Care Administrative Waste August 2003 Report, including state-by-state assessment of administrative costs & potential savings with a single-payer insurance
National Coalition on Health Care: Four Scenarios for Reform May 2005 Report comparing cost-savings of four different scenarios for health reform, demonstrating greatest savings with single-payer health care
Federal & State Reports of Cost & Savings of Single-Payer Health Care Summaries of 19 previous studies done at the federal and state levels evaluating the cost-effectiveness of comprehensive health care with single-payer coverage
Sign a petition for national single-payer health care, HR 676; & direct-email your legislators at www.SickoCure.org.
Further Action: Write letters to the editor and opinion pieces in support of meaningful, systemic health care reform.
Colorado Statewide Print Media Email Addresses
Email addresses for Letters to the Editor, Op-Ed Pieces
Single Payer Talking Points for Commentaries, Letters to the Editor
Contrasting Single Payer insurance with current fragmented system of multiple commercial insurances that has resulted in rising health costs and reduced health care access
Send legislators information about waste in U.S. health care spending, based on 2007 McKinsey Group Study demonstrating the need for systemic health care reform: Letter to Legislators
Enclose following 1-page piece: 6 Slides illustrating higher cost & worse outcomes of U.S. health care Read National Health Insurance Bill (HR676)
ACTION: Write Congress - Request rescind of Medicare Prescription Drug Reform. Urge enactment of more cost-effective Medicare-for-All. Copy and paste into a letter, or directly email your Congressperson. Direct Email to Congress - Request Rescind of Medicare Part D & Enactment of HR676
Letter to Congress Re: Medicare "Reform"
COLORADO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION Contact Information
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Medicare Prescription Drug "Reform" ? - the WRONG Way to Go
The bill passed in 2003 to "reform" Medicare went in the wrong direction, toward privatization of health coverage. Written into the bill were billions of dollars of subsidies to the pharmaceutical and private for-profit insurance industries, effectively encouraging replacement of Medicare single-risk pool insurance by multiple, chaotic for-profit coverage. The ultimate outcome will drive up the cost of health care and deny coverage for high-risk consumers. The bill passed by Congress prohibited negotiation of bulk drug purchases that could bring down the inflationary cost of medications for consumers. See article Medicare Reform: Prescription for Chaos |
DRAFT RESOLUTION ENDORSING HR 676 - Single Payer Universal Health Care - For Presentation to City Councils, State Legislatures
Draft Resolution for Single-Payer Universal Health Care
- Legislative Action Alerts
- Assocation Health Plans
- Medicare Prescription Drug Reform
- Contact Information Colorado Congressional Delegation
- Single-Payer Information Packet
7 pieces to be compiled into a folder for presentation to groups (business, labor, etc) who are interested in working together for cost-effective health care. The 7th piece is a letter requesting endorsement of a single-payer universal health care system, with an endorsement form, to be filled out and returned to HCAC.
- Additional Studies / Reports
One-page pieces that may be added to the Information Packet
- Colorado State Health Care Legislative Summaries
- Federal Health Care Legislation
- Consumer Survey
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