Bentley out, Ivey in - newspaper front pagesWade Kwon
A collection of newspaper front pages from April 11, 2017, showing Gov. Bentley's resignation, Kay Ivey's swearing-in ceremony. • For more, visit http://itswa.de/bentley-pages.
Nonprofit community health centers and clinics that provide preventive and primary healthcare services for 24 million people – or one in 13 persons in the U.S. – report that the first year of the Affordable Care Act’s implementation had uneven effects, particularly between facilities in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states.
The findings were released today by Direct Relief in The State of the Safety Net 2014, an annual report that examines issues and trends within the extensive network of nonprofit, community-based health centers and clinics, which are the principal point of access to healthcare and the medical home for persons with low incomes, without health insurance, and among the country’s most vulnerable. Such facilities include Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), nonprofit community-based health clinics, and free and charitable clinics.
Direct Relief’s annual report on Fiscal Year 2014: During this period—July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014—Direct Relief responded to more requests for assistance, fulfilled its humanitarian mission more expansively, and provided more assistance to more people in need than ever before in the organization’s 66-year history.
EPWN Federation VP Treasurer, Anne Frisch delivered this keynote on at the French Bavarian Business Dinner 27.11.13. To be read in conjunction with PPT slide deck.
A great insight into how women are advancing in Germany and the value of inclusive leadership.
EPWN is a dynamic fast-growing offline and online networking and leadership development platform for professional women of all sectors and industries. With nearly 3000 members and more than 90 nationalities, EPWN organizes over 600 events a year in our community of 23 city networks. We welcome you to our events; as a mentor or mentee; and to explore our rich knowledge and resources across the Federation and our City Networks.
Join today: https://epwn.memberclicks.net/join-us
Bentley out, Ivey in - newspaper front pagesWade Kwon
A collection of newspaper front pages from April 11, 2017, showing Gov. Bentley's resignation, Kay Ivey's swearing-in ceremony. • For more, visit http://itswa.de/bentley-pages.
Nonprofit community health centers and clinics that provide preventive and primary healthcare services for 24 million people – or one in 13 persons in the U.S. – report that the first year of the Affordable Care Act’s implementation had uneven effects, particularly between facilities in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states.
The findings were released today by Direct Relief in The State of the Safety Net 2014, an annual report that examines issues and trends within the extensive network of nonprofit, community-based health centers and clinics, which are the principal point of access to healthcare and the medical home for persons with low incomes, without health insurance, and among the country’s most vulnerable. Such facilities include Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), nonprofit community-based health clinics, and free and charitable clinics.
Direct Relief’s annual report on Fiscal Year 2014: During this period—July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014—Direct Relief responded to more requests for assistance, fulfilled its humanitarian mission more expansively, and provided more assistance to more people in need than ever before in the organization’s 66-year history.
EPWN Federation VP Treasurer, Anne Frisch delivered this keynote on at the French Bavarian Business Dinner 27.11.13. To be read in conjunction with PPT slide deck.
A great insight into how women are advancing in Germany and the value of inclusive leadership.
EPWN is a dynamic fast-growing offline and online networking and leadership development platform for professional women of all sectors and industries. With nearly 3000 members and more than 90 nationalities, EPWN organizes over 600 events a year in our community of 23 city networks. We welcome you to our events; as a mentor or mentee; and to explore our rich knowledge and resources across the Federation and our City Networks.
Join today: https://epwn.memberclicks.net/join-us
On the same day the House passed the landmark health care bill—extending health care coverage to more than 30 million Americans—tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied on the National Mall Sunday to re-energize Congress to take up the next volatile issue on the President’s agenda—immigration reform.
Presentation at 2012 Houston Economic Summit by Dr. Leonard A. Zwelling of MD Anderson Cancer Center, about process of passing the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare)
Go Fund Yourself: Paying for health care is now a popularity contest
Stephen Marche
Mother Jones.
43.1 (January-February 2018): p28+.
From Opposing Viewpoints In Context.
Copyright:
COPYRIGHT 2018 Foundation for National Progress
http://www.motherjones.com
Full Text:
TWO DAYS AFTER receiving a diagnosis of stage 4 breast cancer,
Marisa Rahdar had to figure out how to beg for her life. "I didn't
want to do it at all," she recalls. Rahdar is a 32-year-old bartender
from Detroit, and she has insurance. Her brother, Dante, the one in the
family who's good with numbers, worked out the amount she'd need to
cover her out-of-pocket medical expenses and take a break from serving beer
so she could rest up after chemotherapy. The number he came up with was
$25,000. Next came the pitch. That job fell to Dante, too. He chose
YouCaring.com, rather than another crowdfunding site, because he'd
recently seen a campaign posted on GoFundMe.com by a guy trying to raise
money for potato salad; he didn't want to post his sister's
suffering beside practical jokes. The pitch was brief:
My sister, Marisa Rahdar, was diagnosed with breast cancer on
March 16th of 2017. Through the testing phase she has also been diagnosed
with cancer located in her lymph nodes and tailbone. This upcoming week she
will begin radiation and meet with her team of doctors at Troy Beaumont to
finalize a plan of action for her treatment. In the meantime, we have
estimated her medical expenses not covered by her insurance, as well as her
living expenses during the time of her treatment. We will update this site
during her treatment so you can all get a small sample of that famous Marisa
"charm." For those concerned, her eyebrows remain unsullied.
By now, almost everybody has seen pleas for help covering urgent
medical bills in their Facebook feeds. With health care costs and
high-deductible plans on the rise for more than a decade, medical expenses
are the largest single cause of bankruptcies nationwide. Despite
Obamacare's efforts to rein in costs, the average deductible on a
typical plan under the Affordable Care Act is $2,550--nearly as much as the
entire monthly take-home pay of the average American worker. President Donald
Trump's efforts to destabilize Obamacare have already raised premiums,
and experts predict the cost of a deductible under some versions of
Republican health care legislation would rise to an average of at least
$4,100. Meanwhile, according to the Federal Reserve, 44 percent of Americans
in 2016 didn't have so much as $400 saved u ...
American Healthcare IssuesTierra Fussman-Henry.docxdaniahendric
American Healthcare Issues
Tierra Fussman-Henry
American Military University
American Healthcare Issues
Lack of Insurance is depriving citizens with their Healthcare Rights
The American healthcare system has been the talk for quite some time ever since the recession took place. Healthcare is something that should not be dependent upon the economy of the country because getting sick or unwell is not in anyone's hand. Every human whether rich or poor is bound to get sick and then, healthcare facilities should be there to treat them equally. Healthcare facilities should be equal for everyone but unfortunately, this is not happening in the system of American healthcare.
Some glaring issues need to solve on an urgent basis in the American healthcare system but the one which is being pointed out more than others is affordable insurance. Due to the expensive cost nature of health insurance, millions of people tend to avoid it. and in return, they deprived themselves of the healthcare that is rightfully theirs. “The cost of health insurance and health care is rising at a pace faster than wages and inflation.” (unknown, 2020). Due to the increasing rate of insurance, the system of healthcare is dying slowly and it is high time for the authorities to look into this matter.
For the matters sake, two simple solutions are designed to overcome the expensive insurance policies.
Solution
no.01 would be that the system of healthcare and health insurance must be handled by the state because it is their responsibility that they should provide affordable healthcare and affordable is not in the card then, insurance must be there. It falls within the responsibilities of state, federal and local governments to think over it and launch innovative programs. “An important reason is the US system of private health insurance. As discussed earlier, other Western nations have national systems of health care and health insurance.” (unknown, n.d.).
Without the state's support and consideration, the cost of healthcare is reaching the sky and whenever someone has tried to work over it, the system has been harsh to them. Every new government says that they will be working on the healthcare system and making it more affordable and within everyone's reach but nothing has ever happened. In an interview, PwC was recorded saying that states are developing different strategical plans to counteract the healthcare situations. "States will be taking more direct action to secure their insurance markets in 2019, even as the methods for doing so become more variate, creating challenges for regulatory compliance," PwC said.” (Siwicki, 2019). But it has been proved through time again and again that leaders don’t come with new schemes or if they do come up, then they are not as supportive as they ought to be.
Another solution would be the development of such a system where either healthcare cost is affordable or insurances are affordable. Like the plan that ex-President Obama l ...
American Healthcare IssuesTierra Fussman-Henry.docxgreg1eden90113
American Healthcare Issues
Tierra Fussman-Henry
American Military University
American Healthcare Issues
Lack of Insurance is depriving citizens with their Healthcare Rights
The American healthcare system has been the talk for quite some time ever since the recession took place. Healthcare is something that should not be dependent upon the economy of the country because getting sick or unwell is not in anyone's hand. Every human whether rich or poor is bound to get sick and then, healthcare facilities should be there to treat them equally. Healthcare facilities should be equal for everyone but unfortunately, this is not happening in the system of American healthcare.
Some glaring issues need to solve on an urgent basis in the American healthcare system but the one which is being pointed out more than others is affordable insurance. Due to the expensive cost nature of health insurance, millions of people tend to avoid it. and in return, they deprived themselves of the healthcare that is rightfully theirs. “The cost of health insurance and health care is rising at a pace faster than wages and inflation.” (unknown, 2020). Due to the increasing rate of insurance, the system of healthcare is dying slowly and it is high time for the authorities to look into this matter.
For the matters sake, two simple solutions are designed to overcome the expensive insurance policies.
Solution
no.01 would be that the system of healthcare and health insurance must be handled by the state because it is their responsibility that they should provide affordable healthcare and affordable is not in the card then, insurance must be there. It falls within the responsibilities of state, federal and local governments to think over it and launch innovative programs. “An important reason is the US system of private health insurance. As discussed earlier, other Western nations have national systems of health care and health insurance.” (unknown, n.d.).
Without the state's support and consideration, the cost of healthcare is reaching the sky and whenever someone has tried to work over it, the system has been harsh to them. Every new government says that they will be working on the healthcare system and making it more affordable and within everyone's reach but nothing has ever happened. In an interview, PwC was recorded saying that states are developing different strategical plans to counteract the healthcare situations. "States will be taking more direct action to secure their insurance markets in 2019, even as the methods for doing so become more variate, creating challenges for regulatory compliance," PwC said.” (Siwicki, 2019). But it has been proved through time again and again that leaders don’t come with new schemes or if they do come up, then they are not as supportive as they ought to be.
Another solution would be the development of such a system where either healthcare cost is affordable or insurances are affordable. Like the plan that ex-President Obama l.
Chad Terhune: "Left in Limbo: Obamacare’s Shaky Insurance Exchanges" 6.7.17 reportingonhealth
Chad Terhune's slides from the Center for Health Journalism webinar, "Left in Limbo: Obamacare’s Shaky Insurance Exchanges," 6.7.17
More info: https://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/content/left-limbo-obamacares-shaky-insurance-exchanges
FIX HEALTHCARE AND HEAL THE NATION (Jamie Koufman)Jamie Koufman
Unethical for-profit healthcare is bankrupting the United States. This presentation makes a convincing argument for a National Health Service (NHS) (not an insurance system) as Tier-One in a Three-Tier medical system.
Presentation: Health Reform in Massachusettsmasscare
This is a slideshow presentation that looks at the outcomes of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform law. These are major findings related to insurance coverage, access to care, costs, emergency room use, and other select outcomes from the more comprehensive report by Mass-Care and Massachusetts PNHP: "Massachusetts Health Reform in Practice, and the Future of National Health Reform."
This is a training on the financial crisis facing Medicare in the next generation. Are Democratic of Republican proposals for Medicare reform able to address the crisis, or can only single payer save the Medicare entitlement for seniors?
Impact of Health Reform on Racial and Ethnic Inequitiesmasscare
This presentation collects all of the available data on how the 2006 Massachusetts health reform law impacted racial and ethnic inequities. Presentation reviews inequities in health insurance coverage, access to care, and some health outcomes.
This is a training to introduce audiences to the problems with the health care system in Massachusetts, and to describe how a single payer health care system controls costs and saves lives elsewhere in the world.
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Title: Sense of Taste
Presenter: Dr. Faiza, Assistant Professor of Physiology
Qualifications:
MBBS (Best Graduate, AIMC Lahore)
FCPS Physiology
ICMT, CHPE, DHPE (STMU)
MPH (GC University, Faisalabad)
MBA (Virtual University of Pakistan)
Learning Objectives:
Describe the structure and function of taste buds.
Describe the relationship between the taste threshold and taste index of common substances.
Explain the chemical basis and signal transduction of taste perception for each type of primary taste sensation.
Recognize different abnormalities of taste perception and their causes.
Key Topics:
Significance of Taste Sensation:
Differentiation between pleasant and harmful food
Influence on behavior
Selection of food based on metabolic needs
Receptors of Taste:
Taste buds on the tongue
Influence of sense of smell, texture of food, and pain stimulation (e.g., by pepper)
Primary and Secondary Taste Sensations:
Primary taste sensations: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Umami
Chemical basis and signal transduction mechanisms for each taste
Taste Threshold and Index:
Taste threshold values for Sweet (sucrose), Salty (NaCl), Sour (HCl), and Bitter (Quinine)
Taste index relationship: Inversely proportional to taste threshold
Taste Blindness:
Inability to taste certain substances, particularly thiourea compounds
Example: Phenylthiocarbamide
Structure and Function of Taste Buds:
Composition: Epithelial cells, Sustentacular/Supporting cells, Taste cells, Basal cells
Features: Taste pores, Taste hairs/microvilli, and Taste nerve fibers
Location of Taste Buds:
Found in papillae of the tongue (Fungiform, Circumvallate, Foliate)
Also present on the palate, tonsillar pillars, epiglottis, and proximal esophagus
Mechanism of Taste Stimulation:
Interaction of taste substances with receptors on microvilli
Signal transduction pathways for Umami, Sweet, Bitter, Sour, and Salty tastes
Taste Sensitivity and Adaptation:
Decrease in sensitivity with age
Rapid adaptation of taste sensation
Role of Saliva in Taste:
Dissolution of tastants to reach receptors
Washing away the stimulus
Taste Preferences and Aversions:
Mechanisms behind taste preference and aversion
Influence of receptors and neural pathways
Impact of Sensory Nerve Damage:
Degeneration of taste buds if the sensory nerve fiber is cut
Abnormalities of Taste Detection:
Conditions: Ageusia, Hypogeusia, Dysgeusia (parageusia)
Causes: Nerve damage, neurological disorders, infections, poor oral hygiene, adverse drug effects, deficiencies, aging, tobacco use, altered neurotransmitter levels
Neurotransmitters and Taste Threshold:
Effects of serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) on taste sensitivity
Supertasters:
25% of the population with heightened sensitivity to taste, especially bitterness
Increased number of fungiform papillae
Ozempic: Preoperative Management of Patients on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Saeid Safari
Preoperative Management of Patients on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists like Ozempic and Semiglutide
ASA GUIDELINE
NYSORA Guideline
2 Case Reports of Gastric Ultrasound
Report Back from SGO 2024: What’s the Latest in Cervical Cancer?bkling
Are you curious about what’s new in cervical cancer research or unsure what the findings mean? Join Dr. Emily Ko, a gynecologic oncologist at Penn Medicine, to learn about the latest updates from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2024 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer. Dr. Ko will discuss what the research presented at the conference means for you and answer your questions about the new developments.
Couples presenting to the infertility clinic- Do they really have infertility...Sujoy Dasgupta
Dr Sujoy Dasgupta presented the study on "Couples presenting to the infertility clinic- Do they really have infertility? – The unexplored stories of non-consummation" in the 13th Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE 2024) at Manila on 24 May, 2024.
Prix Galien International 2024 Forum ProgramLevi Shapiro
June 20, 2024, Prix Galien International and Jerusalem Ethics Forum in ROME. Detailed agenda including panels:
- ADVANCES IN CARDIOLOGY: A NEW PARADIGM IS COMING
- WOMEN’S HEALTH: FERTILITY PRESERVATION
- WHAT’S NEW IN THE TREATMENT OF INFECTIOUS,
ONCOLOGICAL AND INFLAMMATORY SKIN DISEASES?
- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ETHICS
- GENE THERAPY
- BEYOND BORDERS: GLOBAL INITIATIVES FOR DEMOCRATIZING LIFE SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROMOTING ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
- ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN LIFE SCIENCES
- Prix Galien International Awards Ceremony
Lung Cancer: Artificial Intelligence, Synergetics, Complex System Analysis, S...Oleg Kshivets
RESULTS: Overall life span (LS) was 2252.1±1742.5 days and cumulative 5-year survival (5YS) reached 73.2%, 10 years – 64.8%, 20 years – 42.5%. 513 LCP lived more than 5 years (LS=3124.6±1525.6 days), 148 LCP – more than 10 years (LS=5054.4±1504.1 days).199 LCP died because of LC (LS=562.7±374.5 days). 5YS of LCP after bi/lobectomies was significantly superior in comparison with LCP after pneumonectomies (78.1% vs.63.7%, P=0.00001 by log-rank test). AT significantly improved 5YS (66.3% vs. 34.8%) (P=0.00000 by log-rank test) only for LCP with N1-2. Cox modeling displayed that 5YS of LCP significantly depended on: phase transition (PT) early-invasive LC in terms of synergetics, PT N0—N12, cell ratio factors (ratio between cancer cells- CC and blood cells subpopulations), G1-3, histology, glucose, AT, blood cell circuit, prothrombin index, heparin tolerance, recalcification time (P=0.000-0.038). Neural networks, genetic algorithm selection and bootstrap simulation revealed relationships between 5YS and PT early-invasive LC (rank=1), PT N0—N12 (rank=2), thrombocytes/CC (3), erythrocytes/CC (4), eosinophils/CC (5), healthy cells/CC (6), lymphocytes/CC (7), segmented neutrophils/CC (8), stick neutrophils/CC (9), monocytes/CC (10); leucocytes/CC (11). Correct prediction of 5YS was 100% by neural networks computing (area under ROC curve=1.0; error=0.0).
CONCLUSIONS: 5YS of LCP after radical procedures significantly depended on: 1) PT early-invasive cancer; 2) PT N0--N12; 3) cell ratio factors; 4) blood cell circuit; 5) biochemical factors; 6) hemostasis system; 7) AT; 8) LC characteristics; 9) LC cell dynamics; 10) surgery type: lobectomy/pneumonectomy; 11) anthropometric data. Optimal diagnosis and treatment strategies for LC are: 1) screening and early detection of LC; 2) availability of experienced thoracic surgeons because of complexity of radical procedures; 3) aggressive en block surgery and adequate lymph node dissection for completeness; 4) precise prediction; 5) adjuvant chemoimmunoradiotherapy for LCP with unfavorable prognosis.
These simplified slides by Dr. Sidra Arshad present an overview of the non-respiratory functions of the respiratory tract.
Learning objectives:
1. Enlist the non-respiratory functions of the respiratory tract
2. Briefly explain how these functions are carried out
3. Discuss the significance of dead space
4. Differentiate between minute ventilation and alveolar ventilation
5. Describe the cough and sneeze reflexes
Study Resources:
1. Chapter 39, Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology, 14th edition
2. Chapter 34, Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, 26th edition
3. Chapter 17, Human Physiology by Lauralee Sherwood, 9th edition
4. Non-respiratory functions of the lungs https://academic.oup.com/bjaed/article/13/3/98/278874
1. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 3, NUMBER 3 ~ FALL 2009
CommonHealth
Insurance Companies - The Real Death Panels
Civil Disobedience at Cigna in Newton The arrests were made when eleven demonstrators attempted
How does the health insurance industry make billions of to present a pledge form to Cigna asking them to: (1) not get
dollars in profits each year - by denying care, rescinding between patients and doctors in making medical decisions, (2)
policies, and refusing to insure people who have preexisting not use health premium dollars to lobby against health care
conditions or who fit the demographics of high risk reform, (3) not deny care because of preexisting conditions, and
individuals. Denial of care has lead to thousands of deaths (4) end company policy of rewarding employees for denying care.
each year. Cigna refused to sign the pledge and had the protesters
arrested for “trespassing”.
Cigna’s actions illustrate the underlying “modus operandi” of the
health insurance industry; to make money on the backs of sick
people without regard to the human consequences. The major
for-profit companies have paid out billions of dollars in
settlements for securities fraud, underpaying physicians and
violating disability clauses. The insurance companies are
spending millions of our health premium dollars to confuse and
scare the public and lobby against healthcare reform. It’s time
to vote the real villains out! Speak to your state and national
senators and representatives. - Pat Berger, Mass-Care Co-Chair
Boston Blue Cross-Blue Shield Protest October 29th
Pat Berger front and center
(Massachusetts Jobs with Justice photo)
To draw attention to the insurance industry atrocities, acts
of civil disobedience are being carried out across the
country. Mass-Care participated in a protest at Cigna
headquarters in Newton on October 15. that culminated in
the arrest of 11 protesters. Dr. Pat Berger, Ben Day, Lorie
Miller and Walter DuCharme from Mass-Care were in the
group that was jailed in Newton. Protesters against Cigna in
eight other cities were arrested on the same day.
The protest began with around 75 people chanting and Ann Eldridge Malone, Alliance to Defend Health Care
carrying signs. Then 15 protesters staged a “die-in”. The (Sandy Eaton photo)
“dying” patients lay on the ground holding balloons with
dollar signs on them which were gleefully collected by a Universal Health Care Education Fund c/o Mass-Care
demonstrator “CEO” delighted to make off with a bundle of 33 Harrison Avenue, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02111
money. P: 617-723-7001, F: 617-723-7002
info@masscare.org http://www.masscare.org
2. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 3, NUMBER 3 ~ FALL 2009
Mass-Care in Washington Hardball Time: An Editorial
Lobby & Rally to Celebrate Medicare When you come right down to it, the Weiner gambit to substitute a
The 44th anniversary of Medicare was celebrated by a single-payer bill for the Massachusetts plan writ large was always a
major rally in Washington, DC on July 30th. Mass-Care symbolic gesture, but one much of the health reform movement clung
sent a delegation which included Pat Berger, Ben Day, to as a test of our strength at the grassroots level. We've worked
Sandy Eaton, Frank Olbris, Alice Swift, Diana Stein, hard for years now to pressure our representatives in Congress to
Kathleen Bridgewater, Jackie Balance and Jackie Wolf, stand up for HR.676, the Conyers-Kucinich Medicare-for-all bill. And
among others. IBEW DC representative John Wash and we've not been afraid to play hardball with them. Some suggest that
Verizon worker John Horgan from Local 2222 joined us the corrupting influence of the health insurance industry and other
in Senator Kerry’s office. Our delegation joined with pigs at the trough is at play here, and of course they’re right. But
other organizations from across the country at the there's an additional factor, the lack-of-backbone factor. There's a
rally to get Single Payer healthcare reform on the reluctance to step out of line and be identified as a die-hard opponent
table, and to debunk the idea that the current of greedy corporations, the real death panels. The Republican Party
Massachusetts law should be a “model” for the country. and the tea baggers will target you next year and make your life a
living hell. So everyone plays hardball except the Democratic Party
majority. The screaming tea baggers have set the agenda, and we
haven't consolidated our power enough to move in a different
direction.
The Kucinich Amendment to grant states the waivers necessary to
succeed at creating a breakthrough for real healthcare reform was
our best hope to make a difference. And it too has been declared off
the table. This is where we need to take a stand. But we cannot afford
any illusions here either. Some imply that the fact that California
twice passed a single-payer bill harkens well for our movement. We
need to be aware that the California constitution requires bills with
funding mandates to pass by two thirds. So the California bill lacked a
funding provision. However, the passage of the bill, twice, was vital for
movement building, but of itself was symbolic, not practical. In
Massachusetts for years we wrestled with the question of whether to
Jackie Wolf, Frank Olbris, Ben Day, Sandy Eaton, Alice Swift, include a funding mechanism in our single-payer bill. For years our
Pat Berger (Jackie Balance photo) legislative sponsors counseled us not to. For the last several sessions
we have included such a funding piece. But either with or without the
The Mass-Care group lobbied the Massachusetts funding, our bill never came out of committee, no matter how
Congressional delegation to support Representative compelling our arguments at hearings or how many prestigious
Conyers’ bill HR.676 and Bernie Sanders’ bill SB.703, individuals and dedicated grass-roots people we mobilized at the State
and warned that the rising costs of the Massachusetts House. Several years ago a delegation from Mass-Care had a heart-to-
“model” and lack of cost control mechanisms will make heart talk with the House chair of the Joint Committee on Health
the system unsustainable in the long term. We met with Care, where she admitted that nothing comes out of her committee
the aides of Senators Kennedy and Kerry, and of without the approval of the health insurance industry. In other words,
Representatives Barney Frank, Niki Tsongas, Richard single payer has been declared off the table here too. So maybe
Neal and Stephen Lynch. We joined a rousing rally of California or Massachusetts won't be the US equivalent of
over one thousand people held at noon outside the Saskatchewan, but maybe Vermont, Maine, or any of the other states
Capitol, where we heard President Obama’s former will make the breakthrough and set the example for the country.
doctor speak, as well as patients who have been hurt by
the insurance industry. Congressional Single Payer We are working hard to get Bernie Sanders' initiatives in place. The
leaders addressed the crowd, including Senator Bernie movement is hoping to get ten senators to vote from the floor for
Sanders and Representatives Conyers, Kucinich and Bernie's single-payer substitution proposal (S.703), and many are
others from Pennsylvania, New York and California. - hoping that the state-waiver piece to facilitate single payer will be
Pat Berger, Mass-Care Co-Chair included in the Senate version and survive conference. So put the heat
on Washington to stand up for this opportunity to win at the state
level. Give them some backbone. - Sandy Eaton, RN, Editor
3. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 3, NUMBER 3 ~ FALL 2009
Massachusetts Fights for Single Payer Massachusetts Health Care Trust Hearing
Progressive forces, including Mass-Care, successfully HB.2127 was heard before the Joint Committee on Public Health
rolled back an attempt to weaken the Democratic Party on October 20th. Senator Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) and
Platform at the Springfield convention on June 6th, Representative Matt Patrick (D-Falmouth) are its lead sponsors.
preserving that party’s support for single payer. A score of diverse backers offered compelling testimony as to
the bankruptcy of the existing system in Massachusetts and the
need for the fundamental reform, single payer. Mass-Care will
convene a summit of constituent group representatives and
advisory board members in January to plot our course ahead.
Small Business Health Insurance Survey
Cambridge & Western Massachusetts
Small businesses are suffering cost increases in health insurance
premiums by as much as 25% - 40% annually. This is
unsustainable. Businesses would benefit tremendously from a
Single Payer system because they would no longer have to
manage and pay for health insurance for their employees and
would allow them to be more competitive in the market. Mass-
Care is directing a survey of the cost of healthcare for small
businesses and is identifying business people who will partner
with Mass-Care to support Single Payer reform.
A Mass-Care intern, Kevin Chithran, Tufts University School of
Public Health graduate student, has been conducting the survey
Delegates Frank Olbris (MTA) & Patty Healey (MNA) on of 150 businesses that were randomly selected from the
the convention floor. (PDA photo) Cambridge Local First membership list of 280 businesses. Forty-
five small business owners and managers completed the survey –
Mass-Care and allies fight for equal health care for a 30% response rate.
immigrants in Massachusetts as Chapter 58 (the
Massachusetts Plan) proves inadequate and not Selected results from Chithran’s initial report include the fact
sustainable. that 64% of the small business owners support or strongly
support replacing the current health care system with a single
payer plan. Only 18% opposed or strongly opposed single payer.
Also interesting were the responses to the question of “How has
the Massachusetts health reform law of 2006 influenced the
rate of your businesses’ health insurance premiums?” 78%
responded their business premiums have increased since the
Massachusetts health reform law.
A similar survey is planned for the Western Massachusetts area
including the Towns of Northampton and Amherst where three
Mass-Care interns from the Smith College School of Social
Work, Luke Mechen, Kate Kyros and Jillian Robbins, are taking on
the work. Jackie Wolf, Mass-Care Co-chair for western
Massachusetts is their coordinator. Another project will be an
education program about single payer health care to present to
college students on campus. Welcome Luke, Kate and Jillian.
Mass-Care executive director Benjamin Day addresses There are great opportunities for students to do internships for
State House press conference on September 1st, with Mass-Care throughout the year. Please contact Mass-Care if you
NASW, CIR and others represented, (Sandy Eaton photo) are interested. - Jackie Wolf, Mass-Care Co-Chair
4. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 3, NUMBER 3 ~ FALL 2009
Mass-Care Needs Your Help Sing Out for Single Payer!
Thank you everyone for supporting Mass-Care and staying A fantastic folk concert was held in North Amherst on November
in the fight for true universal healthcare reform. We are 10th to benefit the education fund of Mass-Care. The concert
growing, we are being heard, and we will win! But Mass- featured valley folksingers: Tracy Grammer & Jim Henry, Charlie
Care needs your help now! King, Pat & Tex LaMountain, Jay Mankita, Annie Patterson, Sarah
Pirtle, Roger Tincknell, and Peter Blood – Master of Ceremonies.
Ben Day, executive Director of Mass-Care gave a great update on
Volunteer Talents
health care reform and a local doctor, Kate Atkinson, gave a
superb talk on the intrusion of the insurance industry into medical
We need: practice. Jackie Wolf, who helped coordinate the event with Alice
Swift, stated, “People were so energized by the end of the
1. A media person who knows how to get out a message evening that quite a number stayed after the event to keep
to the editorial boards of newspapers, radio and TV talking.” Mary Grace Farley arranged for delicious home baked
stations. goodies supplied by many of the co-sponsoring organizations of
2. A person to improve the communications with our the event. These organizations included the American Friends
member organizations, now over 100! Service Committee (Western Massachusetts), Franklin/
3. A minority person to work on healthcare disparity Hampshire Health Care Coalition, League of Women Voters of
issues including race, gender, disability, immigrant Amherst and the Northampton Area, Massachusetts Nurses
status, sexual orientation and financial status. Association, Pioneer Valley Social Workers for Peace and Justice,
Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, Western Massachusetts
4. A fundraiser/grant writer/event planner.
Jobs with Justice, Western Massachusetts PDA and the Western
5. A business person to help in starting an active
Massachusetts Single Payer Network.
“Business for Single Payer” group.
6. A website person to keep us updated with the latest
articles and events.
Funding
We are fortunate to have several committed donors who
are matching the first $5,000 contributed in this end of
year fundraising drive. Your dollars will be doubled when
you give before the end of the year. We need your
financial support to move our Health Care Trust bill
forward and continue the educational outreach needed to
get Everybody In & Nobody Out! Please be as generous
as you can. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Although
social change cannot come overnight, we must always work
as though it were a possibility in the morning.” Thank you
for your support!
CommonHealth, Volume 3, Number 3:
Director: Benjamin Day
Editor: Sandy Eaton (Alice Swift photo)
Production: Erin Servaes
Many other Mass-Care fundraising activities have included
Printing compliments of Massachusetts Nurses Association
successful house parties hosted by Roz Feldberg and Judy
Norsigian in Newton and John Blanchard in Natick. Plans are
underway for a benefit showing of Michael Moore’s new film
Capitalism: A Love Story either in Newton or Brookline. - Alice
Swift