Convention Message:
'Citizens Must Lead on Single-Payer'
In a blunt and forthright message to
more than 200-plus Pennsylvania single-payer healthcare
leaders gathered in Lancaster on Saturday, Representative
Kathy Manderino called for a "massive citizens movement" to
educate, organize, and mobilize support behind the "Family and
Business Healthcare Security Act," a bill for which she is the
primary sponsor in the State House (HB 1660) and for which
Senator Jim Ferlo is the lead sponsor in the State Senate.
Echoing and anticipating what members of a Business Panel, a
Healthcare Providers Panel, and colleagues on a Legislators
Panel said during the three hour meeting, Manderino added that
single-payer legislation is "not going to pass overnight."
Kicking off the day of discussion about the economic, moral,
and democratic successes of publicly-funded, privately-funded
universal healthcare, keynoter Doctor Walter Tsou presented
the 87-nation case for "single-payer guaranteed universal
healthcare," and the 10-state case against "industry-centered
'universal' healthcare." Explaining in detail the
administrative waste, fraud, and abuse of the current
for-profit multi-payer system that creates "medical apartheid"
in America among and between the rich and non-rich, on the one
hand, and the sick and healthy, on the other, Dr. Tsou
returned, time and again, to the cheaper, higher quality,
universal healthcare systems of all other advanced,
industrialized nations.
Capping off the day of presentations and questions-and-answers
were a series of breakout sessions that involved panelists and
audience members brainstorming ideas for action items -- based
initially on Business-, Healthcare Professional-, and
Legislator-centered interests --including educating,
communicating, lobbying, organizing, coalition-building, and
fund raising.
The next steps for Healthcare for All Pennsylvanians will
include follow up to the above action items, targeted
lobbying, a visibility campaign, and draft language for a
Citizen Declaration of Guaranteed Healthcare (working name).
Respectfully submitted to Pennsylvania Healthcare Leaders,
Pennsylvania Legislators, and Members of the Pennsylvania
Media,
Chuck Pennacchio, Ph.D
Executive Director, Health Care for All Pennsylvania
www.HealthCare4ALLPA.org
Chuck@HealthCare4ALLPA.org
