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Speaking Out for Single-Payer Health Care
NOW has long argued that single-payer health care is the best way to achieve the goal of universal, comprehensive and affordable care for everyone.
As the health care debate continues, I wanted to be sure you saw Pennsylvania NOW President Joanne Tosti-Vasey's remarks at a recent rally in Harrisburg.
Many people, including members of Congress are calling for Health Insurance Reform. On this note, a friend of mine received an email the other day that had the subject line, "Women must have real health insurance reform now." She forwarded it to me with a comment. She said, and I agree, "Insurance Reform? Who is drinking the Insurance Company's Kool Aid? Health insurance reform is another name for a gigantic taxpayer donation to the health care insurance corporations like the taxpayer donation to the too-big-to-fail financial institutions."
NOW says in response "NO! What women need is Health Care Reform NOW!" And that reform is Single Payer Health Care. Which is what we've been saying and advocating for since 1993 when we passed a national policy resolution supporting single-payer health care.
I like many people in this Capital and around the state and country are victims and survivors of our broken health care system. In my case, I had to fight with my insurance company along with my twin sister's insurance company to reverse a denial of transplant donor coverage in order for me to have a bone marrow transplant. I was given less than a year to live without the transplant. It took almost three months of fighting to get this decision reversed. Then I had to deal with 30 insurance companies rejecting me for health insurance coverage for a preexisting condition. And now every time we refill my son's asthma medication, the pharmacist has to fight with coordinating two health insurance companies to get them to fill the his Rx because one requires the medication to be generic and the other requires it to be a brand name.
This is not health care. This is the Kool-Aid that the insurance companies are feeding us. Let's get rid of the Kool-Aid right here, right now, here in PA and in the US. Pass HB 1660/SB 400 in PA and HR 676 in Congress so that we can have comprehensive single payer health care coverage for all!
Thank you!
they try to torture you
with their sex filled media once they've rendered you impotent with
their street
drugs. Kid in San Diego, I think he was Irish told me how he had seen miles of
government property in Arizona where they were growing illegal drugs such as
marijuana and magic mushrooms. Also, Jello Biafra calls the drug
problem in the USA - "ethnic cleansing". His statement is making more
sense to me now. Manson
seemed to know something, I wonder if he had figured this out and they shut
him up.
I once heard of the "LSD Sterilization Plan of the Nazis" from a dude named
Carl Schmidt in San Diego. Any ideas?
It seems most street drugs have impotence as a side effect. This is my
knowledge and experience or information I have
heard from others. Is someone trying to enact a sterilization plan by
supplying these drugs? Someone believing in Darwin
who figures we may as well just sterilize those who are weak and take
these drugs rather than control population honestly
through policy? I've heard big brother is putting some fancy covert
camera in TV sets
and monitoring people now, do with that as you will. It's pretty
disgusting overall. I'd
say start getting some of this to Patty Hearst and everyone else for once.
1.) Marijuana - personally it causes temporary impotence, have seen
authoritative information confirming this as well.
2.) Cocaine - personally it can cause temporary impotence and causes
sexual obsession, have seen authoritative information confirming this
as well.
3.) Methamphetamine - personally it can cause temporary impotence and
causes sexual obsession, have seen authoritative information
confirming this as well.
4.) Heroin - heard from users they aren't even interested in sex when
under the influence. Similar authoritative information is available.
5.) LSD - personally caused temporary and even longer-lasting
impotence. Similar covert and authoritative information available.
6.) "Magic Mushrooms" - not sure possibly same as LSD
7.) Ecstasy - same as LSD
8.) Alcohol - sufficient amounts will definitely cause impotence
9.) Barbituates - not sure but I can fathom that someone very drowsy
under that influence will not want sex.
I am absolutely furious at this about face, and I am very sorry I ever gave money to NOW. You were the only women's organization that wasn't kow-towing to Obama and the Democrats, pretending they were looking out for women's interests.
The way to bargain is to say "NO" until they give you what you want, not cave in at the least little sign of resistance.
For shame, NOW. You have abandoned your principles and women, once more, are without any real representation or help in an increasingly violent and misogynistic country.
Commenter Chatblu over at The Widdershins has put it better than I could, so I repeat her comments in full:
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Today’s email includes a plea from Terry O’Neill, the President of NOW, to pretty, pretty please contact my representative to vote for HR 3962, AKA “The Affordable Health Care for America Bill”. She freely admits that this bill is far from our wildest dreams, but insists that this is probably the best that we are going to do at this point in time. Terry states that Nancy Pelosi is certain that this “compromise” bill will cover 96% of the American public, which is great unless you happen to fall into the 4% that is excluded. Call me crazy, but I had always thought that Congress represents everyone – silly me!
HR 3962 will, she states, curb insurances abuses, provide insurance reforms, cover “a majority” of citizens, provide subsidies to low “and some” moderate income people, assure that at least one plan will cover termination of pregnancy, and contains the essentials of a public health plan. “Much needed repairs” to the health care system are contained in this bill.
So here we go, Widdershins. The true gem of the NOW email is this: “NOW is committed to working on a better public health insurance plan, and eventually (emphasis mine), to see states adapt the much more affordable and comprehensive single payer plans.” Eventually? Sweet jumpin’ Jayzus on a carousel, Terry. We’ve only been at this since the Roosevelt administration. When the hell is eventually? Call me crazy, but I sort of think the time has come.
I’m also stewing over this nugget: “At some near date, we want to see women’s reproductive care covered – just like any other part of basic health care.” This is from the National Organization for Women? I am speechless. Well, almost speechless – try this one on, Terry: I am willing to back down on women’s reproductive care if my brethren will follow suit in men’s genitor-urinary care. That’s right – no vasectomies, no PSAs to see if you have prostate cancer, no Flomax when said prostate swells to the size of Montana, and no Viagra coverage at all. None, zero, zip, squat, nyet. I would consider this to be an equitable compromise.
Not that the Republican version of health care sounds terrific. The centerpiece of the bill is, of course, tort reform. I live in a state where lawsuits are forbidden except in cases of permanent disability, or the death of a person either married or the parent of a minor child. Physicians in this state may therefore misdiagnose/mistreat the hell out of you, and kill off all of the single people (or those without minor children) that they would like without the specter of litigation dogging their heels. They do not have to carry malpractice insurance, either, if they are willing to post a bond with the state to cover them should they manage to maim or kill someone within the narrow definition of the law through a therapeutic misadventure or two. Despite all of these reforms, the cost of medical care in The State Which Must Not Be Named has skyrocketed right along with everyone else.
The Democratic Party of Fl*rida, which has yet to understand that I am no longer a member, sent a pretty well-referenced email outlining the rest of the Republicans’ plan. Apparently, it does not reduce premiums, does not stop the whole “pre-existing” mess, allows insurers to drop you when you become ill (but does insist that they be nice enough to notify you), would actually raise the number of the uninsured, and (hilariously) appears to be more expensive per the Congressional Budget Office.
http://thewiddershins.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/mw-dear-terry-if-this-is-in-my-hands-im-washing-them/
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I was proud to become a NOW member back in the summer, after a long absence. I can't begin to understand what caused NOW to cave on this critical issue.
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