Real Healthcare Freedom for All of Us
A free public service for a better community
Happy Friday Healthcare Advocates
I would like to encourage comments and suggestions from you if you have time. If there is a special topic you’d like to see please let me know. Please use the comment button below. Some of the topics in work are funding for key medical research, rural healthcare, and healthcare in prison.
Mifepristone News
The fifth circuit court finally ruled in the Mifepristone case. They reduced the the number of weeks of pregnancy over which Mifepristone can be used to 7 and reinstated an in person doctor visit. Now it is off to the Supreme Court.
This is, of course, a matter of restricting women’s rights, but it has another important component. The ruling is made so that courts can restrict the Food and Drug Administration.
In the climate we currently have this is dangerous. If you can find a federal judge to rule against an approved medication, you might be able to have it taken off the shelves. These rulings are made by on the bench advocates for a certain political outcome and flies in the face of world wide accepted scientific standards, practices and acceptable statistical procedures.
The future of medical care really is at risk.
ACTION
We need to let our Senators and Congressional representatives know that this is not acceptable. Find their contact info here or use Resistbot on your cell phone by texting to 50409 SIGN PVXEYO to send the message below.
“ I am your constituent. I want you to do two things. I want you to create legislation to protect the work of the FDA from activist judges who seek to overrule the science of creating and testing medications. Second pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. Thank you.”
Healthcare Freedom
Recall that arguments made against Universal Healthcare harken back to the late 1940’s campaign by the American Medical Association, that this kind of program is socialism and we can’t have that in America. Of course, that was false and then everyone was scared of the Soviet Union. PS the AMA also did not want to force White doctors to treat Black patients.
I was reminded in an email by Chris, from One Payer States, that it is a good idea to clearly explain what Universal Healthcare can do and just how liberating it is.
You will now have the freedom to change or quit a job, or even retire early, without worrying about health insurance.
Your are free to choose any provider and free from the restrictions that health networks provide.
Business owners are free to focus their limited resources on their business rather than healthcare and that help’s them to be more competitive
Charlie Munger, a VP at Berkshire Hathaway, likes universal healthcare for those reasons. Here is a link to a video interview with him.
Unions are free to discuss and negotiate important measures other than healthcare (which takes up most of their time).
Doctors are free to actually treat patients the way they see fir, not the way an insurance company decides the patient should be treated.
Freedom from medical debt and medical bankruptcy.
Freedom from useless, time wasted on preauthorizations which can lead to serious complications and negative outcomes. Check these links to see how physicians feel about them and how dangerous they can be.
Freedom from the waste of 15% to 22% of every premium dollar on unneeded overhead. (Medicare is around 2% overhead).
Since single payer universal health care will cost less than the $4 trillion we spend now, we will have more money in our pockets to spend on other things. If you are an economics person, you know that is the engine that drives the US economy.
Bottom line - business benefits and employees benefit, and the economy benefits. Wow what a concept. Tell your representatives often how important it is to you.
Extra Credit
Let your Congressional Representative and Senators know that Single Payer Universal Healthcare, like HR 3421 or S 1655, can be quite liberating for employers, employees, for everyone. Here is their contact info.
Our use Resistbot on your cellphone by sending a text to 50409 that says SIGN PYXEBO to send the message below.
I am your constituent and I want you to know that Single payer Universal Healthcare, like HR 3421 or S 1655, can be quite liberating for everyone, employers, employees, just everyone. Here’s how:
You will now have the freedom to change or quit a job, or even retire early, without worrying about health insurance.
Your are free to choose any provider and free from the restrictions that health networks provide.
Business owners are free to focus their limited resources on their business rather than healthcare and help them to be more competitive
Charlie Munger, a VP at Berkshire Hathaway, likes universal healthcare for those reasons. Here is a link to a video interview with him.
Unions are free to discuss and negotiate important measures other than healthcare (which takes up most of their time).
Doctors are free to actually treat patients the way they see fir, not the way an insurance company decides the patient should be treated.
Free from medical debt and medical bankruptcy.
Freedom from useless, time wasting preauthorizations which can lead to serious complications and negative outcomes. Check these links to see how physicians feel about them and how dangerous they can be.
Freedom from the waste of 15% to 22% of every premium dollar on unneeded overhead. (Medicare is around 2% overhead).
Enact either HR 3421 or S 1655 Single Payer Universal Healthcare and free your constituents. Thank you.
Well Done - You’re making it another good day for healthcare reform!!
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Plan
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Insurance Commissioner in your state- This website can get you their phone number.
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water Resistbot write up
Thanks for spotlighting healthcare freedoms well laid out by Cris (his spelling) in a One Payer States email thread. Here are other takes on healthcare freedom:
https://medium.com/@idember/9-freedoms-of-healthcare-justice-5077bdbff9f2
https://businessfreedom1@weebly.com (also at businessfreedom.us)
https://medium.com/@idember/universal-healthcare-boon-to-business-owners-3ff561951da1
Further, on PDA’s weekly zoom this coming Sunday 20 Aug 2023, Progressive Democrats of America will feature economist Mark Paul discussing these freedoms, framed as part of an economic bill of rights. https://jacobin.com/2023/05/economic-bill-of-rights-insecurity-poverty-freedom
To register for this Sunday’s PDA zoom: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration.
Republicans and corporate Dems together screech “we can’t afford” universal healthcare. Nonsense, of course. In 2020 I penned a whitepaper reframing the “afford” issue in positive ways — sparked by my disgust at how poorly Dem candidates (except Sanders) handled Medicare for All in the televised 2020 presidential primary debates. A pdf of the paper is available on request via ira@fairnow.org.