Kucinich: Urgent - Act Today To Protect Single Payer Initiatives!

[inna]

I just got this e-mail from Dennis Kucinich:




Time To Act Today To Protect Single Payer Initiatives!
Restore The Kucinich Amendment To The Health Care Bill.

Dear Friends,

Today is the last day to impact the health care bill which will be taken up by Congress. As you know by now, the Kucinich Amendment, which protects the right of states to pursue single payer health care initiatives, was stripped from the legislation. The only way to reinstate it is for it to be included in a Manager's Amendment which will be completed this evening.
Help the fight for single payer, contribute.

There is no question that taking my Amendment out of the bill seriously weakens any effort to begin a single payer initiative. At the same time it is a stunning gift to insurance interests who are currently in legal battles across America to try to stop states from pursuing single payer, not-for-profit health care on behalf of their citizens. Without the Kucinich Amendment we will have no chance to pressure the insurance companies to keep premiums low. Without the Kucinich Amendment insurance companies will never have to worry about the ultimate threat to their profits, people taking control of their own health care destiny at a state level through single payer health care.

Your voice is needed today. Call the Capitol at 202-224-3121 and ask for your congressman or congresswoman and ask them to demand that the Kucinich Amendment to protect state single payer initiatives be put back in the bill. We do not want a separate up or down vote on my amendment. There are many provisions in the bill which would not survive a separate up or down vote. But we do want the Kucinich Amendment put back in the bill. Remember, it had already been approved by the Education and Labor Committee in a bipartisan vote!!

Make your voice heard today. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Please contribute: your contribution will help continue the fight for single payer.

Sincerely.

Dennis

[redqueen]

1. Or call toll free at 800-828-0498 (nt)

[bobbolink]

2. Toll free numbers! Not everyone can afford long-distance phone calls, remember.

Toll-free Capitol Hill Numbers:


1-800-828-0498 1-866-388-1015 1-866-220-0044 1-877-851-6437

[inna]

3. Thank you!

:hi:

[bobbolink]

4. You're very welcome. Please keep saved somewhere, and remind others.

This way, we can ALL do our part.

(I have those free numbers on speeddial...hehehhe)

[inna]

5. State Single Payer Petition

http://www.democrats.com/state-single-payer

State Single Payer
21332 of 100000 people have signed – see totals by state and Congressional District.
Petition

I urge you to support State Single Payer as part of the health reform bill.

In the House, the "Kucinich Amendment" passed the Education & Labor Committee on July 17 on a bi-partisan 27-19 vote.

Speaker Pelosi made an enormous mistake by removing it from the bill she introduced on October 29. The "Kucinich Amendment" must be included in a "Managers Amendment" to H.R. 3962 immediately.

States should be free to create the best possible healthcare plans for their residents. If Congress gives States the right to "opt-in" or "opt-out" of a national "public option," it must also give States the right to "opt-in" to a State Single Payer plan.

Moreover, the "public options" currently before the House and Senate are both grossly inadequate. Even with the stronger House plan, CBO predicts only 2% of Americans - 6 million people - will join by 2019.

This small program will not create real competition for private insurance monopolies and therefore will not reduce costs for individuals, businesses, or the government. Instead, costs will continue to skyrocket until no one can afford healthcare.

Therefore the only way to reduce skyrocketing costs is through a Single Payer plan. Activists in California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania want to enact State Single Payer plans, but cannot do so under current law.

The Kucinich amendment would grant a waiver of the application of ERISA to a State Single Payer Plan.

[silenttigersong]

6. Small task

Done.Thank you.

[Greyhound]

7. We are quickly running out of time. n/t

:kick: & R