March 2009 Update

GRANITE STATE PHYSICIANS for a NATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAM

Dear GS-PNHP members, colleagues, friends, and supporters

1. Thank you all, your phone calls and e-mails to the White House worked ; re: March 5 White House Health Care Summit

2. Meeting with Congressman Hodes - March 14, 2009, 10:00 AM, 18 North Main Street, Concord

3. HCR 2 -
Resolution Endorsing the National Health Care Act Hearing - on:
MARCH 17, 2009, 10:AM, LOB RM 302
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 10:00 AM
LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING, RM 302
CONCORD

4 . March 19, 2009 GS-PNHP / NHMS SPIG joint meeting - 6 to 8 PM at NHMS Conference Room, 7 N. State St, Concord.

5 . Meeting with Senator Shaheen, Manchester office, February 23rd.

6 . Please let me know of any health care related event to which you were invited, or hosted, and share your impression of the event.

1. Thank you all, for your phone calls and e-mails to the White House

Many thanks for all your phone calls and e-mails to the White House. Pressures from the grassroots for Single Payer National Health Care resulted in overturning the initial exclusion of single payer advocacy at the first White House Health Care Summit, today, March 5, 2009. Dr. Oliver Fein, national PNHP President and Rep. John Conyers, the HR 676 principal sponsor, were “invited” at the last minute. This is a solid victory we can celebrate, but there is a protracted struggle to come.

2. Meeting with Congressman Hodes, was secured by David Golden

SATURDAY, MARCH 14 10:00 am for 1/2 hour
18 NORTH MAIN STREET, SUITE 400
CONCORD OFFICE

Please contact me immediately if you could free up some of your time for this important meeting.

3. HCR 2 - Resolution Endorsing the National Health Care Act Hearing on

March 17, 2009, 10:AM, LOB RM 302
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 10:00 AM
LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING, RM 302
CONCORD

Please make an effort to testify at this hearing. Although non-binding, passage of this particular resolution will add more force to the growing demand to free Americans from their health care misery, and not force continuing taxpayer bailout of the insurance industry and other for-profit stakeholders.

4. March 19, 2009 GS~~PNHP / NHMS SPIG joint meeting~~ 6 to 8 PM at NHMS Conference Room, 7 N. State St, Concord

This is real. “Media Blackout on Single-Payer Healthcare”.http://www.healthcare-now.org/2009/03/media-blackout-on-single-payer-healthc The mounting effort of stakeholders to suppress information on single payer is a great testament to its merits. The opposition has money on its side, we have the goods on our side. But we need to get our show on the road. Members and supporters, let us prepare and get ready. Come and share information, sharpen our talking points, and gain more confidence when explaining to colleagues, neighbors, and friends about single payer. Improved features to the re-introduced HR 676 are additional talking points. Let’s hosts house parties, community meetings, seek speaking engagements, talk to groups no matter how small, and widely spread information about HR 676. Light buffet dinner available. See you then. Together, we can do it! - Marcosa J Santiago MD (Cosy) 603-786-2700 or cosy@diacad.com

5 . Meeting with Senator Shaheen, Manchester office, February 23rd. Four PNHP members were there, two of whom were physicians, NH organizer of Working Families Win and a physician volunteer, a State Representative, and a person of leadership position in NH Council on Developmental Disabilities, were also in attendance. Senator Shaheen met with us for one and one half (1 1/2 hour), but the delegation stayed for another thirty minutes and continued making our case for single payer with Senator Shaheen’s Health and Policy aide. The meeting was deemed successful as our goals were accomplished:

1 - Present humanitarian as well as economic arguments for a single payer health care reform, as embodied in HR 676 - The US National Health Care Act or The Expanded and Improved medicare for all act.

2 - Senator Shaheen was urged to use the power of her office to stand up for the health of the American people and NH residents; and be our agent in ensuring a fair and equal consideration for HR 676 in the health care option debate.

3 - Request Senator Shaheen to introduce or co-sponsor a Senate companion bill to HR 676.

Senator Shaheen was directly asked on her position for HR 676, or Medicare for all. With no hesitation Senator Shaheen stated she is in favor 100%. However, she is no different from other politicians, as despite favoring Medicare for All, she still thinks that the insurance industry should be part of those crafting the health care reform. This clearly indicates that pressures for true reform should be kept up.

I gave the Senator a two page argument for HR 676, with various links to show its wide support, including the 2007 NH Physicians survey, also the Indiana University researcher’s physician survey published at the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2008, 2008 Conference of Mayors, and KFF Feb 2008 poll which showed that 74% of Americans “favor expanding Medicare to everyone under 65”. In the package were 3 DVS; Sick Around the World, Health, Money and Fear, and One Care California.

6 . Members and supporters, please let us know of any health care related event to which you were invited, or hosted, and share your impression of the event. Let me know also if your LTE or OP-ED had been published, so we can have it posted on our website, or if you prefer, you may send it to the national office. Thank you.

* Tom Clairmont, PNHP Steering Committee member, in action, in Portsmouth http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090306-NEWS-903060408

Mark Patnaude, PNHP Steering Committee member, is involved in the Social Justice committee of the Exeter UU’s hosting a series on HC reform, occuring over two nights, spaced a week apart. Dates to be announced.

Vid Valdmanis, PNHP Steering Committee member, his wife, myself and my husband David Ecklein, attended a Feb 12 house party in Rumney, ran by Change that Works/SEIU. About 15 attendees. The two presenters were dead set on advocating for the Obama proposal, although professing that they believe in single payer too, but it was not politically possible. The four of us, did our darndest to stir the pot. Essentially by the end of the hour, everybody was for single payer, and what we told the presenters, is that our task is to convince people like them not to compromise before the full debate. That was a very HOT evening. I announced to people in attendance there who claimed they did not know much about single payer, that I would have a house party on March 14 at 6:00 PM to address that.

*Cosy (Marcosa) Santiago, PNHP chair, and David Ecklein PNHP lay member, had a slide presentation at the School of Human Services at Springfield College on March 7, 2009. Kate McGovern, PNHP member and professor at this college had been instrumental in giving us this platform. This is our 5th presentation, this time Prof. McGovern’s class was joined by Prof. Ellen Hewett’s class. There were probably 35 to 40 concerned and responsive students. Plenty of interest were generated. We informed the class that we will be willing to give this talk to groups no matter how small.

Cosy (Marcosa) Santiago, PNHP chair, and David Ecklein, PNHP lay member, will host a health care forum on the ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS: HR 676 - the US NATIONAL HEALTH CARE ACT or the EXPANDED AND IMPROVED MEDICARE FOR ALL ACT , on March 14, 2007 6 PM, at our residence, 66 Cutting Gregory Heights, Rumney.

Cosy (Marcosa J Santiago MD)