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<H1 id=page-title class=title>Single Payer Rises Again</H1>
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<DIV class=submitted><SPAN class=date-display-single
content="2014-02-03T00:00:00-06:00" property="dc:date"
datatype="xsd:dateTime"><FONT size=4><STRONG>Feb 3
2014</STRONG></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV class="field-item even"><FONT size=4><STRONG>Sarah
Jaffe</STRONG></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class="field-item even"><FONT size=4><STRONG>In These
Times</STRONG></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class="field-item even"><FONT size=4><STRONG><A
href="http://inthesetimes.com/article/16114/single_payer_rises_again/">http://inthesetimes.com/article/16114/single_payer_rises_again/</A></STRONG></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
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<P
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size=4><STRONG></STRONG></FONT> </P>
<P
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size=4><STRONG>When Sergio Espana first began talking to people, just over a
year ago, about the need for fundamental changes in the U.S. healthcare system,
confusion often ensued. Some people didn’t understand why, if the Affordable
Care Act (ACA) had passed, people still wanted to reform the system; others
thought organizers were trying to sign them up for
“Obamacare.”</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
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href="http://healthcareisahumanrightmaryland.org/" target=_blank><FONT
size=4><STRONG>Healthcare is a Human Right Maryland</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT
size=4><STRONG>, the group to which Espana belongs, is in pursuit of something
else: a truly universal healthcare system that would cover everyone and
eliminate insurance companies once and for all. Espana and many others in the
growing movement see opportunity in the renewed discussion around healthcare
reform as the ACA’s insurance exchanges go into effect.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>They believe that the ACA’s continued reliance on (and subsidies
of) private insurance simply aren’t good enough. People are still falling
through the cracks, employers are trying to dodge the requirement that they
provide insurance for their workers, and many states refused federal subsidies
to expand their Medicaid programs. What these activists want is a program that
would replace existing insurance programs, cover everyone regardless of their
employment status, and be funded by the government, with tax dollars. Such a
plan had strong support when the national healthcare overhaul was being crafted
in 2009—including initial backing by President Obama—but the president and
Congress decided it wasn’t politically possible and passed the ACA as a
compromise.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>Now, the rocky launch of the healthcare exchanges that form the
cornerstone of the Affordable Care Act has helped revive interest in
single-payer, says Ida Hellander, director of policy and programs for the
advocacy group </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: inherit; COLOR: rgb(66,93,119); TEXT-DECORATION: underline; -webkit-transition: all 0.2s; transition: all 0.2s"
href="http://www.pnhp.org/" target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>Physicians for a
National Health Program</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG>. New York State
Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, the author of a 20-year-old single-payer bill
that is receiving renewed support, points out that single-payer would avoid many
of the issues of the ACA’s launch. “When you don’t have means testing and you
don’t have to make guesses about who’s going to cover your doctor or your
ailment, it’s very simple.”</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>While Republicans on the national stage have been grandstanding
about “repealing and replacing” the ACA, grassroots activists are on the ground
in many states organizing their neighbors around the idea of real universal
healthcare. A national program remains the end goal, but Nijmie Dzurinko
of </STRONG></FONT><A
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href="http://putpeoplefirstpa.org/" target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>Put
People First! Pennsylvania</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT
size=4><STRONG> believes that state efforts could have a domino effect.
“Our job is to change what’s politically possible,” says Drew Christopher Joy of
the </STRONG></FONT><A
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href="http://www.maineworkers.org/" target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>Southern
Maine Workers’ Center</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG>, which is leading
the effort in that state.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>According to Hellander, about 25 states already have solid
organizing toward single-payer, often accompanied by pending legislation. Some
of these efforts predate the ACA: The </STRONG></FONT><A
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href="http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/affiliates/entry/california-nurses-association"
target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>California Nurses
Association</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> led the charge for
single-payer in the mid-2000s, twice getting a bill through the California
legislature only to have it vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hellander says
that the ACA has slowed down some efforts at state reform, as officials turned
to setting up exchanges, but the law spurred others in Minnesota, Washington,
Hawaii and Oregon. In New York, Gottfried notes that his bill has support from
physicians groups, the nurses union and a majority of the lower house of the
legislature. And in Massachusetts, considered the laboratory for the ACA,
single-payer is now on the table thanks to gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick,
the former administrator of the </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: inherit; COLOR: rgb(66,93,119); TEXT-DECORATION: underline; -webkit-transition: all 0.2s; transition: all 0.2s"
href="http://www.cms.gov/" target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT
size=4><STRONG> under Obama.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>The biggest legislative victory to date has come in Vermont. Act
48, signed into law by Gov. Peter Shumlin in May of 2011, would begin to create
a “universal and unified” healthcare system for the state. The bill, pioneered
by the </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: inherit; COLOR: rgb(66,93,119); TEXT-DECORATION: underline; -webkit-transition: all 0.2s; transition: all 0.2s"
href="http://www.workerscenter.org/" target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>Vermont
Workers’ Center</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> (VWC), is at the
cutting edge of national healthcare policy. Its passage resulted from years of
on-the-ground organizing around the principle that healthcare is a human
right—that it must be universal, equitable, participatory, transparent and
accountable.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>However, Act 48 marks just the beginning of a lengthy process
toward healthcare for all residents of the state, regardless of employment or
citizenship. The next steps are to figure out how “Green Mountain Care” will fit
into federal requirements set by the ACA and to pass a mechanism by which the
program will be financed.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>The VWC favors a more progressive income tax on individuals and
employers, along with a wealth tax. Mary Gerisch, president of the VWC, says,
“Even though new taxes or progressive taxation sounds very scary, in reality
it’s going to be cheaper for everybody, just like it is in every other country,
for them to pay it in taxation rather than to pay out of pocket at the
doctor.”</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>This growing movement has attracted growing opposition, says
Gerisch, who notes that a number of TV ads and websites have popped up to oppose
Green Mountain Care. And </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: inherit; COLOR: rgb(66,93,119); TEXT-DECORATION: underline; -webkit-transition: all 0.2s; transition: all 0.2s"
href="http://vthealthcarefreedom.org/" target=_blank><FONT
size=4><STRONG>Vermonters for Health Care Freedom</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT
size=4><STRONG>, a new 501(c)4 organization founded by longtime Republican
political operative Darcie Johnston, has paid for several ads and robocalling
campaigns against the plan.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>Small business owners, in particular, are susceptible to the fear
that new taxes will put them out of business, Gerisch says. She mentions one
example of a small business owner who was worried about a 10 percent tax (even
though no tax has been decided upon), only to find out that he was already
paying 13 percent of his profits to buy insurance for his employees, which would
be unnecessary under a state plan.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>Healthcare is a Human Right believes the organizing model
pioneered in Vermont represents the best chance for passing universal
healthcare, and the group is forging ahead with that model in its Maine,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania chapters. Among the key elements are base-building
and education. To combat corporate scare tactics, activists focus on arming
citizens with good information.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>In Maryland, according to Espana, more than 90 percent of the
1,200-plus people the organization has surveyed over the last year believe that
healthcare is a right, and more than 86 percent support a publicly funded
system. “Maryland has been coming off more and more as a progressive state.
We’ve been able to get some version of a DREAM Act through, we got marriage
equality last year—those are great victories but, economically, they’re not that
transformational,” he says.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>Joy sees an opportunity to build a strong community-labor
alliance around universal care in Maine, where </STRONG></FONT><A
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href="http://www.maineaflcio.org/" target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>the state
AFL-CIO</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> has gotten on board with
the Healthcare is a Human Right campaign, and the </STRONG></FONT><A
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href="http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/affiliates/entry/msna"
target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>Maine State Nurses
Association</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> held a free health
clinic to provide services and connect people to the
campaign.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>Dzurinko and Put People First! Pennsylvania have been organizing
statewide—not only in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but in rural counties where
the conventional wisdom has been that progressives can’t win. Dzurinko says that
people in those counties frequently suggest, unprompted, that the U.S. should
have a national healthcare system “like in Canada.”</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
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size=4><STRONG>“We often limit ourselves tremendously by not talking to people
that we fear or that we have been told won’t agree,” Dzurinko says. “We can’t
talk about universality unless we really are talking about everyone, and that
means organizing in all communities.” Joy agrees: “If you’re not taking the time
to really organize from the ground up, we’ll end up with the ACA
again.”</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 23px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: minion-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12px; FONT-SIZE: 17px"><FONT
size=4><STRONG>For Espana, organizing around single-payer presents an
opportunity to begin a broader discussion about economic justice and human
rights. “All of these politics of austerity are just lies,” he says. “Through a
fight for healthcare reform you can demonstrate that not only is it morally
righteous for us to have a universal healthcare system, but it’s actually
cheaper.”</STRONG></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>