GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATEShttp://www.gp.org
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org
Greens, joining other groups throughout the week, protest the exclusion of Single-Payer from the public debate on health care reform
Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on health care http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-health-care.php
WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Parties are planning various events and actions for the national Day of Action for Single-Payer national health care (Medicare For All) on Saturday, May 30 (http://www.healthcare-now.org/campaigns/may-30th-day-of-action).
The Day of Action is being organized by Healthcare-Now (http://www.healthcare-now.org) and other groups dedicated to winning a national health care program that covers all Americans and replaces private insurance/HMO coverage. Polls show strong popular support for a national health care program that guarantees universal coverage (http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/PollResults.html).
The Green Party of Maricopa County (http://maricopagreens.org) and other Single-Payer activists in Arizona will gather at 10:00 am on May 30 in front of the office of Rep. Harry Mitchell, 7201 East Camelback Road in Scottsdale. "Unlike Representatives Ed Pastor (CD 4) and Raul Grijalva (CD 7), Harry Mitchell has not signed on as a co-sponsor of HR 676. The time has come to change our inefficient and costly healthcare system," said Maricopa Greens co-chair Angel Torres.
The Maine Green Independent Party (http://www.mainegreens.org) will participate in a 'Your Feet to the Street' rally at noon on May 30 at the Maine Statehouse in Augusta. Maine Greens will join Midcoast Health Care Reform, the Maine State Nurses Association, Physicians For A National Health Program, the Maine AFL-CIO, and other Single-Payer advocates at the rally. Pat LaMarche, the Green Party's 2004 vice presidential candidate, will emcee.
New York Greens (http://www.gpnys.org) will attend an 8pm vigil on May 30 at Union Square for Single Payer NYC sponsored by the Private Health Insurance Must Go! Coalition, Healthcare-NOW! and ACT-UP in honor of the thousands of people who die each year because they lack access to health care.
Pennsylvania Greens (http://www.gpofpa.org) are supporting and will join a demonstration from noon until 1:30 pm on May 30 at Cigna headquarters, Two Liberty Place, 16th and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia.
The Illinois Green Party (http://www.ilgp.org) has endorsed and will participate in a Single-Payer rally in Chicago at the offices of Cigna Insurance, 525 West Monroe, on Tuesday, June 2, at 4:30 pm. A coalition of Single-Payer groups is sponsoring the event.
Greens throughout the US are also writing letters to newspapers, sending messages to Congress members, and urging public support for Single-Payer and for HR 676, Rep. John Conyers' (D-Mich.) Single-Payer bill.
Earlier this week:
On Tuesday, May 26, the Green Party of Pima County (http://pimagreens.org), the Arizona Green Party (http://azgp.org), and other pro-Single-Payer groups rallied in Tucson and then testified at US Rep. Grabrielle Giffords' 'Health Care Town Hall.'.
On Thursday, May 27, New York Greens helped organize a rally and lobby day at the state capitol in Albany in support of a statewide Single-Payer health care plan and passage of HR 676 nationally. The rally was sponsored by Single Payer New York (http://www.singlepayernewyork.org) and other groups; New York Green activist Mark Dunlea serves as co-chair of Single Payer New York.
Greens have been involved in the campaign for Single-Payer throughout the US. David Doonan, Village Mayor of Greenwich, New York, submitted a resolution supporting Single-Payer to the Village Board of Trustees in September, 2008, which passed. Green Party activists Dr. Jill Stein and Dr. John Battista have led efforts to win statewide Single-Payer legislation in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
After Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus stated that Single-Payer would be "off the table," Greens supported and participated in public protests against attempts in the media, Congress, and White House to bar Single-Payer from the health care reform debate (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=212). Greens were among protesters at congressional health care reform roundtables on May 5 and 12, at which the 'Baucus 13' were arrested for speaking out against the exclusion of Single-Payer advocates.
Greens reject the 'public health care option' promoted by many Democratic politicians and pro-Democrat liberal groups, since a public option will leave the private health insurance industry intact and not curb the current inefficiencies and soaring costs of health care (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=216).
Democrats and Republicans accepted $46 million in contributions from the insurance industry in 2008 (http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=F09). Sen. Baucus took $183,750 from health insurance companies and $229,020 from drug companies in the last two election cycles. The Green Party and Green candidates do not accept corporate contributions.
MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Tally of Green election victories http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html
Green candidate news http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php
Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections
Green Party information page on Single-Payer http://www.gp.org/organize/sicko.html
"Fire Departments and Health Care"
By Scott McLarty, OpEdNews.com, May 15, 2009
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Fire-Departments-and-Healt-by-Scott-McLarty-090511-756.html
http://www.gp.org/commentary/scott-mclarty/fire-health.shtml
Interview with Dr. Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen and Dr. David Himmelstein of Physicians for a National Health Program, Bill Moyers Journal, PBS, May 22, 2009
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05222009/watch2.html
"We Spend Twice as Much on Health Care as Other Rich Countries -- and What Do We Get for It?"
By Dean Baker, AlterNet, May 19, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/140098
Single-Payer advocates:
Physicians for a National Health Program http://www.pnhp.org
Healthcare-Now Coalition http://www.healthcare-now.org
Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care http://guaranteedhealthcare4all.org
Single-Payer Action http://singlepayeraction.org
California Nurses Association http://www.calnurses.org
Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1
The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog
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