PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES NEGOTIATED
Breaking news, 10 more drugs will have negotiated prices. Watch for the Harris campaign to champion expanding the Affordable Care Act and work on lowing the cost of healthcare.
FIXING OUR BROKEN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Based on the belief that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, Indivisible Healdsburg works to protect Medicare and the gains made by the Affordable Care Act—and to continue to expand access to care. The ultimate goal is a single-payer system that will save money while, far more important, saving lives.
WHAT IS SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE?
Single-payer healthcare is universal healthcare: meaning that all medically necessary care is covered for everyone. The “single-payer” part reflects the fact that healthcare is covered by a single payer: the government, instead of an inefficient (and expensive—and sometimes deadly) patchwork of funding coming from insurance companies, government agencies, employers, and individuals.
This terrific Single-Payer 101 video gives you the basics (and a lot to think about) in five slides.
IS MEDICARE SAFE?
In a word, no. Profit-driven entities want to take over regular Medicare (where you can see any doctor you want) in favor of systems where middlemen can decide on patients’ treatment options—guided by the almighty dollar.
Healthcare-reform advocates like Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP) are sounding the alarm and rallying volunteers to the fight against privatizing Medicare. To hear moving stories—and better understand the harm of Medicare Advantage plans that drain the trust fund and harm seniors, check out PNHP’s Taking Advantage report.
There’s also plenty to be alarmed about over the government’s stated goal to get all Medicare recipients into privately managed care (mostly risk-bearing accountable care organizations [ACOs]). That includes everyone who has chosen original/traditional Medicare—though not necessarily with their knowledge or consent.
In response to this threat, California’s state Senate and Assembly have stepped up and passed AJR 4, a resolution that calls on Biden to halt the ACO REACH program—a continuation of a Trump plan enlarging and enriching the power and profits of middlemen, including private equity firms. You can learn more about it from this press release from Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, who co-authored the bill.
If you’re interested in joining in (or learning more about) the movement to end the privatization of Medicare, email Ana Malinow at anamalinow@gmail.com.
WHAT CAN I DO TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT FOR HEALTHCARE REFORM?
CONNECT WITH THE HEALTHCARE FOR ALL WORKING GROUP
The Healthcare for All Working Group is the main group in Sonoma County educating and advocating for guaranteed healthcare for all. Its focus is the urgent need for an equitable and sustainable healthcare system that no longer has financial barriers to care. Besides engaging with the general community, the Working Group does outreach to labor, business, legislators, and those underserved by our current system. Email heathcareforallsonoma@gmail.com with questions, updates on activities, or an invitation to the group’s monthly Zoom meetings.PLAN A FILM SCREENING
You choose the film:American Hospitals: Healing a Broken System focuses on how hospitals—and patients—are harmed by profit-seeking.
Now Is The Time, a general call to action.
The Healthcare Movie, compares U.S. and Canadian systems.
Fix It, makes the compelling business case for single payer. Once you pick a film and venue, Sonoma County’s own Healthcare for All Working Group will supply a speaker to introduce the movie and field questions.
Once you pick a film and venue, Sonoma County’s own Healthcare for All Working Group will supply a speaker to introduce the movie and field questions.
ARRANGE FOR A SPEAKER TO TALK TO A GROUP
Informative, non-threatening, any length. A member of the Healthcare for All Working Group will speak to service clubs, PTAs, homeowners’ associations, organizational boards, professional groups, or a gathering of friends.WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Respond to articles from a single-payer perspective.BE A ROVING ADVOCATE
Wear a single-payer button. When people ask about it, offer them a brochure.HOST A HOUSE PARTY
Invite friends, colleagues, relatives, and/or neighbors. Great for Q&A, voicing concerns, sharing enthusiasm—getting the conversation going.MARCH IN A PARADE
Carry a sign, sing and/or dance in your community’s next parade.
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE STATE LEVEL?
Despite facing an uphill battle, California legislators and activists are working to provide universal healthcare for the state, becoming a model for what’s possible nationwide. Canada’s universal healthcare system started in a trail-blazing province, so it’s possible that the United States could start with a trail-blazing state like California. The UC Berkeley Labor Center estimates that between $140 billion and $500 billion could be saved over 10 years (depending on the benefits included) if California has a publicly funded “unified financing” healthcare system.
In terms of recent legislation, there’s good news and bad news.
The success story is SB 770, Unified Health Care Financing, which was passed by the Senate and Assembly and signed into law by Governor Newsom in October 2023. That begins the process of the state working with federal officials to gain potential federal approval for a CA state-based system, including financing. The final report from the process is due in November 2025. Here’s some prospective on the bill from the Healthy California Now coalition.
The less good news is about AB 2200, The Guaranteed Health Care for All Act. That bill, the latest effort to establish a single-payer healthcare system in our state, passed the Assembly Health Committee, but was “suspended” by the Assembly Appropriations Committee in May 2024. Much of the rationale for that was the state’s tightened budget. Here’s single-payer champion Assemblymember Ash Kalra’s statement on the bill’s failure.