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Is There a Role for the Seattle City Council in Achieving Universal Health Care in 2008 - 2009???
Speakers:
Nick Licata, City Councilmember and Chair of the Culture, Civil Rights, Health & Personnel Committee
Brian King, Health Care for All – Washington, a chief architect and organizer for the 2005 Seattle Universal Health Care Advisory Ballot Measure
In 2005, the citizens of Seattle passed a Universal Health Care Advisory Ballot Measure by a wide margin, and requested the City “take the necessary steps to help realize this (health care) right for Seattle residents and others, including but not limited to the following:
*Ask Washington State representatives and senators in the U.S. Congress to adopt legislation that provides universal access to quality health care.
*Ask the Washington State legislators to support our efforts and work toward this goal”
*(plus 4 other steps)
We are privileged to have Nick Licata discuss how the City Council has and will continue to follow up on the voters’ intent and other actions to ensure the availability of health care to Seattle residents. The Council’s 2008 Work Program lists “review ongoing work related to Universal Health Care Advisory Ballot including review of other health care models” as one of its tasks for which Nick has primary responsibility.
Also, we are pleased that Brian King, who was a chief architect and organizer for the ballot measure, will discuss how the resolution was successfully passed and how it might be pursued at this point in time.
PNHPWW believes that our Council should pass a resolution endorsing HR 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act (Expanded and Improved Medicare For All), following the lead of the US Council of Mayors (Mayor Greg Nichols a signer) and at least 32 other cities and counties across the country including Baltimore, Boston, Detroit and our neighbor Bellingham, Wa.
Download Meeting Flyer
Critical Condition from PBS "Point of View" - A Must See
 This is a very moving documentary that follows four average Americans as they heroically struggle with complications caused by the very difficult medical conditions of diabetes, ovarian cancer, cryptogenic cirrhosis, and ankylosing spondolysis. Their lack of health insurance is clearly indicted as a major cause of their suffering. Without offering a specific solution, it is quite clear that a comprehensive rather than incremental approach is necessary. Everyone dedicated to the cause of health care justice will be further energized to carry the torch forward, along with these brave people and the millions of others who are suffering because of the inequities of our health care system.
Critical Condition is being streamed in its entirety from October 1, to November 11, 2008. Click here to watch.
Barack Obama Supports Single-Payer! - (in 2003)
“By taking this action,” said Dr. Quentin Young, national coordinator of PNHP, “the mayors have put, in the boldest way, single-payer national health insurance on top of the domestic agenda, squarely in the middle of the legislative and presidential elections.”
Read Resolution
Did Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels support this resolution??? - YES! - Thank him
What about other Western Washington mayors?
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Great New Video on Single Payer
Health Care Reform
California State Senator Sheila Kuehl with OneCare Card
New PNHP National Campaign
We invite you to join in endorsing the “Open Letter to the Presidential Candidates” on single payer national health insurance. After gathering endorsements, we will release the letter to the media and publish it, along with a list of signers, as an advertisement in major newspapers and magazines nationally and locally. So far, more than 2000 physicians, health professionals, and other health justice advocates have signed on - 79 from Washington State. For info on the letter, other signers, and to sign click here
The information You Need to Remain Up-To-Date on Health Care Reform:
This Week's Perspectives in Health Care Reform
Larry Kalb, President, Health Care for All Washington, selects the best weekly information on health care reform
Listserve free subscription - http://www.newseattle.net/HCFA-WA/perspectiveemail.html
Quote of the Day
 For invaluable daily current health care reform information and analysis read PNHP Senior Staff Policy Analyst Don McCanne's Quote of the Day
Listserve free subscription http://two.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/quote-of-the-day
Donations to PNHPWW are accepted through Democracy in Action. Click here to donate to PNHP Western Washington Chapter (Select "Educational Projects" on the pull down menu)
New - PNHPWW Lending Library
We have books on health care reform and health related topics of interest as well as some DVD's. These can be borrowed for one month, first come, first served. They can be picked up at meetings or by email request (pay postage). Some of these books are new and for sale.
For a list of Books and DVD click here
If you have books you would like to donate to the library, please do so.
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The prestigious American College of Physicians (ACP), the nation's second largest medical association (124,000 members), endorsed single payer national health insurance as "one pathway" to universal coverage. This is the first time the group has endorsed single payer and represents a huge step forward in the movement for fundamental health care reform.
The ACP position paper “Achieving a High-Performance Health Care System with Universal Access: What the United States Can Learn from Other Countries” notes that single payer systems have the advantage of being "more equitable, have lower administrative costs, have lower per capita health care expenditures, have higher levels of patient satisfaction, and have higher performance on measures of quality and access than systems using private health insurance."
David Dale, MD is now President of the ACP and spokesman for the position paper. He is a UW physician. Dr. Dale will addressed our January monthly meeting.
Quentin Young on the significance of this endorsement and recommendations for PNHP'ers to follow up this opening
The Commonwealth Fund recently released a paper “A Roadmap to Health Insurance for All: Principles for Reform." This paper compares and contrasts the three major approaches to HC reform based on 10 criteria. It reaches conclusions very similar to the ACP paper noted above. Clearly, the conservative "Tax Incentive and Individual Insurance Market" approach does not measure up. The "Mixed Private-Public Group Insurance" model meets all the criteria, but not as well as the "Public Insurance" model EXCEPT for the criteria of “Minimize Dislocation, Ability to Keep Current Coverage.”
PNHPWW August Meeting/Monthly Report
PNHPWW September Calendar
 The Presidential Candidates Health Care Reform proposals
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View/Download the Rockridge white paper "The Logic of the Health Care Debate"
From its Introduction: "This analysis presents something new and important: a distinction among three modes of thought — progressive, conservative, and neoliberal"
Ramon Bernal, Seattle's first student at the Latin American School of Medicine
 Cuba trains physicians from the Carribean, Central and South America, Africa, and the United States at the free Latin American School of Medicine in Havana (ELAM), the largest medical school in the world. Students make a commitment to return to their underserved communities after graduation. There are now 110 US student studying at ELAM.
Ramon Alejandro Bernal in now in Havana, becoming the first student from Seattle to receive the opportunity for a free medical education at ELAM. PNHPWW has committed to support this outstanding individual as he persues his MD degree.
Ramon returned to Seattle in August for his summer break. He spoke at our August 29th monthly meeting
Click for info about Ramon and his monthly reports from Havana as he progresses (now 10 reports with photos)
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n, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has spent 25 years in academic family medicine. He is Past President of Physicians for National Health Program (PNHP) and a PNHPWW Board member. John has written several books that are indespensible for understanding the roots of our health care crisis, its current condition, and what must be done to achieve a just and sustainable replacement. You can find information about his books and ordering information by following these links - 
e Fein, PNHP President-Elect,