Last Minute Preparations...

Next week we leave New York City for our alternate universe, Portland (the one in Oregon).  Many more tasks than usual because we'll be gone for almost two months.  Yesterday began with saying the final "Goodbye" to my PC, faithful, hardworking Dell descendant of the lemon purchased in the last years of the 20th century.  We parked illegally, so I missed the chance to photograph  its new home in the teeny-tiny office for HEALTHCARE-NOW!  They share space with Women's International League for Peace & Freedom in the famous heart of good causes known as the  Peace Building at 339 Lafayette Street in Soho.  An early advocate of HR 676 (see the link), Marilyn Clement, longtime activist in civil/women/labor rights, has led Healthcare-NOW from a gathering in her Greenwich Village living room to a national organization--aligned with other single-payer groups.  Probably a chapter where you live.  Or you could call a couple of friends and start one.  At this very moment, it's so important to sign their petition to show your support of Medicare for all.

***BREAKING NEWS 
As I was posting, President-Elect Obama announced that Tom Daschle would be both Secretary of HHS and head of the Office of Health Reform in the White House.   Dr.  Jeanne M. Lambrew, will be his deputy.  She is Daschle's co-author for their recent book, Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.

Wish she had been more visible, said a few words.  The media was at their most annoying at this press conference.  Except for one woman reporter, no questions were asked about health care--all about Illinois governor scandal. While Obama's efforts have  a positive aspect, the bottom line is that the insurance companies will still dominate health care.   

Single-payer is not in the cards, according to Trude Lieberman, healthcare writer for the Columbia Journalism Review.  Here's  link  on audio podcast to her analysis.  This from Brian Lehrer's  morning program on my local NPR station, WNYC.     Llisten to  listener comments like the woman who asks,  "Why don't we talk about healthcare not health insurance?"  Why, indeed.

It's clear that there's still much for us to do if we want substantive change.  There's a button I've seen on some blogs, "Would it killya' to comment?"  Here's my riff on that--would it killya' to do something on your own blog about HR 676.  Some suggestions--post this video, or find out why there's no chapter of Healthcare-Now in Alaska or Hawaii (and just one in New Mexico).  ONE NATION, ONE PLAN makes a good post title.  

 

Comments

[Hattie]

Even in this state, Hawaii, which is #2 on the health care index, people are underserved and even dying for lack of care. Many older people are too sick to work but have to hold on to their jobs for the sake of the insurance.
I am supposed to have comprehensive care. Ha ha. As an example of what happens, I go to an audiologist for a procedure that is supposed to have a ten dollar co-pay. I get a bill for $40.00. Turns out she did four diagnostic procedures and charged separately for each one. A phone call follow up netted me $15.00 off.
What a racket.
Here is a modest proposal: why don't we bankrupt the insurance companies by not paying our premiums, so that they can be taken over by the government?? Then they could be dismantled and replaced with a single payer system.

[Lydia]

Ooh, two months in Portland. Travel safely!

[lilalia]

Safe and pleasant travels. Hopefully, the worse of slushy city weather will be over when you get back. Glad your PC found a needed home. All the best, and hopefully (?) you'll be writing soon again in your blog. (How far away from an Internet connection can Portland be?)

[Hattie]

Portland can have some pretty treacherous winter weather, though. Watch your step!

[donna]

Hattie, you win comment of the day. Love your proposal!

[m.e.]

Two months away!!?? wow...that's the way to live...hope it's warmer in portland than it is in NYC.

and thanks for jogging my blogging on health insurance. i am a real ignoramus on this topic. i still get insurance from my employer even though i'm retired, so i don't have the "good" kind of medicare. i only have the kind that gives you a red, white, and blue card that gets me onto the bus for the senior rate. it doesn't do much else, as far as i can tell. will do my homework and at least run the video you provided.