the United States National Health Insurance Act-H.R 676

[Kaleva]

A single payer health care proposal sponsored by Rep. John Conyers and co-sponsored by 83 other members of the House.

Info on Mr. Conyers proposal:

http://www.johnconyers.com/hr676faq

List of co-sponsors:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR00676:@@@P

Link to Senator Sander's petition:

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=314528

I'm working on a rough draft asking my Representative Bart Stupack to co-sponser Mr. Conyers proposal H.R 676. Here it is:

"Dear Mr. Stupack,

I am writing asking you to seriously consider co-sponsoring H.R 676 which is also called the United States National Health Insurance Act. I also respectfully ask that you endevour to task the Congressional Budget Office with calculating the cost of a single payer health care system so that it can be compared with other proposals under consideration.

I thank you for your time!"

I haven't written to my reps in a long time and am asking you others if my draft is good enough.

[rpannier]

1. It's good

It's short and to the point
I'm guessing it's more likely to be read because it is short and it's obviously not a form driven e-mail

[Kaleva]

7. Just sent it out!

[katandmoon]

2. That sounds fine. You'll probably get back a blizzard of bullshit response three times longer than

yours to him!

I'm glad my own rep is already on the list of co-sponsors.

[Kaleva]

8. Stupack and Stabenow have been pretty good at responding...

to my e-mails in the past. I don't recall ever getting a response from Senator Levin though.

[WaveRunner]

3. This will be the best

1.6 Trillion dollars we have ever spent.

[Maru Kitteh]

9. It's cheaper than Jr.'s illegal vanity war for oil. You're a teabagger, aren't you?

Mmmmmmm. Salty.

[Donnachaidh]

11. why do I smell pizza? n/t

[sisters6]

15. I think that 1. 6 Trillion was the Kennedy bill GOB estimate wasn't it?. I

have not seen the signal payer estimate. Schumer once talked of doing it but I have not read that he followed up on it. Correct me if I am wrong.

[sisters6]

4. It is very important also to CALL his office--leave a message

[Kaleva]

6. Will do that tomorrow!

[sisters6]

16. Its tomorrow:-)

[Kaleva]

18. Was up till close to 4 a.m.

Wife is on the phone now but I'll call later today. I've been unable to work since last November because of recurring blood clots in my legs. Without my income, my wife and I were eligible to be on Medicaid for 6 months and thus I was able to have surgery on both of my legs which I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. Am now in the process of applying for disability as my primary doctor and others have said I can't work anymore.

[sisters6]

19. Best of luck to you. It was only a gentle reminder. Glad

to see the Medicaid came through for you.

[Kaleva]

21. Okay. Just called Mr. Stupak's DC office.

Talked to the lady who answered about what I would like Mr. Stupak to do and she asked for my name and address and said she'd forward my message.

[sisters6]

5. REC and thanks for posting.

[msongs]

10. also signed bernie sanders' petition btw on your draft letter -

oops see you've already sent it? perhaps next time don't ask for consideration, ask for action: as in please co-sponor, not consider it.

Msongs

[Ms. Toad]

12. Make sure you read the bill, not just the headlines for it

before deciding whether to support this particular plan.

It is a single payer system - which is good. Everyone is covered - which is good. Competing private insurance is banned - which is good.

The plan is aspirational, rather than prescriptive, however, and its implementation in accordance with the bill could be wonderful - or a disaster - or anything in between because of this. The program is implemented over a 15 year period, with no details as to how to get from here to there - specifically no timeline or fixed starting date by which some portion of the plan, at least, will be implememted.

Other things that concern me (and I haven't decided yet whether they concern me enough to prevent me from supporting the plan):

The plan permits paying doctors on a capitation scheme. If a doctor has generally healthy patients, a capitation scheme motivates doctors to keep them healthy because it pays them a fixed amount per patient and they get to keep all, or a portion, of what remains after paying for the patients' medical care at the end of the year. Healthy patients require fewer medical costs, which means a bigger salary for the doctor.

The problem is that when patients are not healthy (or have some mystery illness), capitation also provides a strong motivator not to pay for specialists, expensive tests, etc. Typically, the primary doc is responsible for paying at least specialists and tests out of the capitation amount. No referral to a specialist = more money left for the doc at the end of the year. No expensive test = more money left for the doc at the end of the year.

The other concern I have is the imposition of a drug formulary without an exception process built in. There is a means locally to request the addition of drugs to the formulary, but no means for an individual patient who needs a specific medication not on the formulary to obtain an exception. This may lead to inappropriate medication being used - or to costly out of pocket payments for uncovered drugs.

I am supporting Sander's petition - his list of criteria ticks through everything I consider essential. HR 676, however, leaves more open than I am comfortable with, as well as having the above specific concerns.

[UrbScotty]

13. Just so you know: No 'C' in Stupak

:-)

[Kaleva]

17. Damn

[sisters6]

14. signed.

[PHIMG]

20. The most popular bit of proposed legislation in the USA!

It's time to get this bill passed.