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Our Goal: Lifetime Comprehensive Health Care for ALL
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
What to Say to Those Who Think Single-Payer Advocates are Wacko
SPAN Ohio does not support the health care legislation currently pending in the U.S. Congress. See our open letter to the Ohio delegation for an explanation of our position.
ANNOUNCING SPAN Ohio's Seventh Annual State Conference Saturday, April 17, 2010 Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center Columbus, Ohio Conference Theme: "Washington's Failure is our Opportunity — Now Health Care For All Ohioans" Keynote Speakers: Deb Richter, M.D., Physicians for a National Health Program and Vermont Health Care for All Chuck Pennacchio, Ph.D., Executive Director, Health Care for All Pennsylvania
Click here to view the full conference brochure and mail-in registration form, which can be downloaded for printing. Click here if you prefer to register and pay online.
LISTEN TO THE MAD AS HELL DOCTORS THEME SONG! Written and performed by Bob Wickline, backed up by Lynda, Marcee and Mandi Wickline
Click here to view photos of the community breakfast sponsored by the Cleveland Chapter of SPAN Ohio to see the Mad As Hell Doctors off to Washington.
YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE If you're interested in hanging on to either, check out this video of the July 24 Bill Moyers Journal. It cuts through the clutter of health reform plans being proposed and goes straight to the heart of the problem. Single-Payer Hearing in Washington
If you missed the May 22nd broadcast of Bill Moyers Journal on PBS titled "Our Broken Health Care System," click here to view his eye-opening interview with Drs. David Himmelstein and Sidney Wolfe. Click here to view his equally enlightening interview with Donna Smith of the California Nurses Association.
UPDATE: Single-Payer Bill Re-Introduced in Ohio House in 2009
URGE YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE TO SUPPORT THIS BILL!
For each new session of the General Assembly, bills introduced in previous sessions which have not been acted upon must be reintroduced if action by the new Assembly is desired.
Accordingly, on April 29, 2009 State Representatives Michael Skindell and Robert Hagan jointly reintroduced the Health Care For All Ohioans Act (HCFAOA) in the House of Representatives (H.B. 159).
Co-sponsors of H.B. 159 are: Barbara Boyd, Edna Brown, Michael DeBose, John Domenick, Mike Foley, Marian Harris, Sandra Stabile Harwood, Joseph Koziura, Tom Letson, Clayton Luckie, Dale Mallory, Peter Ujvagi, W. Carlton Weddington, Sandra Williams, and Kenny Yuko.
If you don’t see your state representative listed above, we urge you to phone, write or email him or her asking for their support of this bill. (If you DO see your representative listed, let him or her know you appreciate their support.)
If you don't know who your state representative is, click Find Legislator by Zip Code which will take you to a page where all you need do is fill in your zip code to be taken to page that shows who your State Representative is. Click on his/her name to go to a page showing how to reach him or her.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich is currently circulating this letter to his colleagues in the House of Representatives, giving them the opportunity to sign on. The requested language would remove federal barriers to the enactment of state single payer plans.
ADDITIONAL ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE Members of the HealthCare Access and Affordability Committee, shown in the table below, should be urged to include single-payer in their deliberations.
You can also help rally support for this bill by asking your local city council or commission to pass a resolution in support of the Health Care For All Ohioans Act. SPAN will provide you with a sample resolution and tips for getting the issue on your local government’s agenda. Call 216-376-4766 or email
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for assistance.
ACTION is needed. PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN TO HELP.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTO DIARY OF DAVE PAVLICK'S 2008 WALK FOR HEALTH CARE JUSTICE
MUST SEE — The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has posted an excellent short video, "A Tale of Two Countries," on the union’s website. The video, produced by the Canadian Media Guild-CWA, compares the healthcare systems in the United States and Canada.
Click here to view the video.
PBS Report Shows Universal Health Care Systems Working Abroad Private card, huge deductible? No way
Don't be fooled by all the politicians claiming to support "universal" health care. If you read the fine print, most of their proposals dictate that everyone should buy a private health care card. What good is your card if it commits you to a $5,000 deductible and 50 percent co-pay before you receive any of your (limited) benefits?
We should reject a mandate that everyone must contribute to the coffers of the big insurance corporations. No, thanks. That sort of "universal" plan could mainly bankrupt the middle class and further enrich the private insurance manipulators. We need a universal plan that is compassionate and sustainable.
The clearest way is to eliminate the role of for-profit insurance companies. Having been practicing medicine for 35 years, after seeing "Sicko" I'm convinced we need (and will eventually demand) a single payer, universal, health insurance system.
Thanks, Michael Moore, for pointing the way.
HENRY S. KAHN
Who We Are
Single-Payer Action Network Ohio (SPAN Ohio) is a coalition of individuals and organizations in Ohio working together to achieve fundamental reform of the health insurance system, first in our state and eventually at the national level, so that every resident is guaranteed full and comprehensive coverage from birth to death. SPAN Ohio is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(4) organization. Contributions to SPAN are not tax deductible.
To join the coalition, please complete the sign-up form, which will add your name to our mailing list and allow us to keep you informed of our progress. Since we are not a membership organization, there is no cost to join. However, voluntary contributions in any amount to help cover the cost of printing and other expenses are greatly appreciated. To make a financial contribution, please CLICK HERE or on the button below.
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 WELCOME HOME, DAVE! In July of 2006, Dave Pavlick, a dedicated SPAN supporter based in Cleveland, decided to use his four weeks of vacation to hike across the state to call attention to the plight of the uninsured and underinsured and to publicize and win support for SPAN's campaign to put single-payer health care on the ballot in Ohio. Dave completed his grueling 23-day walk on July 27 at 7:00 p.m. on the steps of Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue. The Walk was a complete success, raising awareness of the issue and support from people across the state. Click here to see some of the press coverage Dave got. |
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MEDICARE FOR ALL? March 24, 2010 (6:00 pm - 8:00 pm) Rm 133 Health Sciences Building - Lorain County Community College - 1005 Abbe Road, Elyria, OH - Dr. Johnathon Ross will speak about a state initiative calling for guaranteed health care for all. Panel discussion to follow will include Dave Pavlick... Cleveland Chapter SPAN Mtg April 5, 2010 (7:00 pm - 8:30 pm) Cleveland Heights Public Library, 2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, Meeting Room B - Come early at 6:30 PM for informal discussion Portage SPAN Chapter Meeting April 6, 2010 (7:00 pm - 9:00 pm) Monthly meeting of the Portage Area SPAN Chapter at the UU Church of Kent, 228 Gougler Ave, Kent. All are invited to attend. SPAN Ohio 7th Annual State Conference April 17, 2010 (10:00 am - 5:00 pm) The Ramada Plaza Hotel & Conference Center - 4900 Sinclair Road - Columbus, OH 43229 - Click for full details. Joint Meeting of Northeast Ohio SPAN Chapters May 15, 2010 (10:00 am - 12:30 pm) South Haven United Church of Christ - 415 Northfield Road - Bedford, OH (just south of Rockside Rd.) - View Full Calendar |
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"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
Single-Payer Action Network Ohio
3227 West 25th Street
Cleveland, OH 44109 (216) 736.4766