Jay Parkinson MD+MPH

First, let’s counteract the lies and untruths with what Huidekoper calls, “no-brainers.” These are the simple facts that you can copy and paste and include in an email to all your family and friends, and they are:

1. Healthcare is a human right.
2. We are not starting from scratch—we are taking an existing program, Medicare, and expanding it.
3. Medicare is a single payer program for those 65 and older. (We know what it is.)
4. Single payer means expanding Medicare to cover all. (Take something we are already doing and make it cover all Americans, not just those 65 and older.)
5. 5% overhead instead of 30% (Think about how much insurance and pharamaceutical companies spend on advertising. I never saw ads for erectile dysfuction, eyelash lengtheners, overactive bladder, or hyperactive leg syndrome on TV 10 or 15 years ago.)
6. It will cost less.
7. Everyone is covered, no denials, no preexisting conditions.
8. It is NOT free.
9. Employees and Employers pay into the system. Look at your pay stub, we already know how to do it.
10. Business will be paying 4.75% payroll instead of 16%.
11. A rich benefit package will be available to all.
12. All will have long term care, vision and dental covered (individual state plans right now may not, but federal will).
13. No more bankruptcies due to health care bills.
14. It is NOT socialized medicine. Socialized medicine is where government owns the hospitals, doctors, and everything in it. There are only a handful of truly socialist medicine systems in the world and guess what? One of them is in the United States: it’s called the VA.
15. Health care delivery remains private. Under HR676 patients continue to see private doctors in private hospitals. Government claims will be processed by private insurance companies not government agencies. See #14: It is NOT socialized medicine.
16. Total choice of health care provider. Under single payer you can go to any doctor, not just the ones in your plan. HMOs are more restrictive NOW.
17. More money will go to health care.
18. No more middle man between doctor and patient, contrary to what opponents say. The middle men are the insurance companies who currently tell doctors what tests and medications they will and will not allow.
19. Doctors will regain control of healthcare—which is why 60% of doctors support single payer.
20. No more deaths due to uninsurance or denial of care. Twenty thousand people a year die yearly because they are not insured, are under insured, or have been denied care. That is an outrage.
21. No more obscene salaries for insurance CEOs.
22. No more inhumane waits in ERs for primary care.
23 We will join all the other industrialized nations in covering EVERYONE.

Second, you must contact your congressmember and to tell to vote yes on:

1. Anthony Weiner’s amendment to HR 3200 about single payer when it comes up for a vote on the House floor in September and
2. Dennis Kucinich’s amendment which waives ERISA requirements so that states can pursue single payer legislation.

Call 202-224-3121 and ask for your member’s office.

Third, you must call the Senate Finance Commitee Members NOW to demand a public option on their bill:

Max Bauchus D-MT (ranking member) 202-224-2651
John D. Rockefeller, IV D-WV 202-224-6472
Kent Conrad D-ND 202-224-2043
James M. Jeffords I-VT 202-224-5141
Jeff Bingaman D-NM 202-224-5521
John F. Kerry D-MA 202-224-2742
Blanche Lambert Lincoln D-AR 202-224-4843
Ron Wyden D-OR 202-224-5244
Charles Shumer D-NY 202-224-6542