Latest News

How US private insurance healthcare is failing

Sky-high premiums, denied treatments, families bankrupted by medical bills … which bit of US healthcare would you like?
By Rose Ann DeMoro, The Guardian (UK)
January 27, 2012

Insurers Say Telling Truth on Costs is Just Too Expensive

When I had my own adventure in ‘cancer land’, I ended up paying about $50,000 out-of-pocket. This was in addition to what my insurance company paid. It would have been nice to have some idea that this would be the case when I was shopping for an insurance policy and this new requirement would go a long way towards making that possible.
By Rick Ungar, Forbes
January 26, 2012

Improved Medicare for All is Within Reach for the Golden State

California Senate Bill 810 (Improved Medicare for All) would create a single-payer health care system in the state of California.[1] On January 19th, the California Senate Appropriations Committee approved this bill, meaning it now goes to the full Senate for a vote.
By Carmen Gonzalez, Occupy Healthcare
January 26, 2012

Survey: Uninsured rose in 2011

January 25, 2012

Shumlin Administration presents “next steps” for health care reform

A series of reports charting the next steps in Governor Peter Shumlin’s health care reform initiative were submitted today by his administration to the Vermont General Assembly.
Vermont Press Release (originally released Jan. 17, 2012)
January 25, 2012

Updated SB 810 Supporter List

Check to make sure your organization is listed, or help us add more organizations.
January 24, 2012

Research Opportunities in Cuba

Marazul Charters (www.marazul.com) is pleased to advise you of three exciting research opportunities in Cuba in Spring 2012, focusing on Integrative Medicine, Healthy Aging and Gender and Health. Our consultant on these programs is MEDICC (Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba www.medicc.org). Participants can include full time professionals whose work relates to the focus of the research (physicians, nurses, psychologists, health advocates, administrators, etc). If you think you might be interested in participating in any of these programs, please respond to this email or to marazulhealth@gmail.com as soon as possible and Marazul will send you further information.
January 23, 2012

Remington: ‘Sorry for your loss — here’s your bill’

With the family of deceased Canadian skier Sarah Burke facing a U.S. medical bill topping the value of an average Calgary home, I was reminded Friday of a quote by the late Justice Emmett Hall, a crusader for Canada’s public health-care system. “We as a society are aware that the trauma of illness, the pain of surgery, the slow decline to death are burdens enough for the human being to bear without the added burden of medical or hospital bills penalizing the patient at the moment of vulnerability,” Hall wrote in a 1979 review of publicly funded health insurance.
By Robert Remington, Calgary Herald
January 23, 2012

Senator Leno’s Single-Payer Health Care Bill Clears Senate Appropriations

The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved the California Universal Health Care Act, authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The legislation passed with a 6-2 vote.
Senator Leno’s Press Release
January 19, 2012

Government survey finds that 5 percent of Americans suffer from a ‘serious mental illness’

According to the study, slightly less than half the people with any mental illness — and only 60 percent of those with serious, disabling ones — get treatment each year.
By David Brown, Washington Post
January 19, 2012

Senate committee considers ‘Medicare for all’

Would “Medicare for all” in California cut medical costs and insurance premiums and also improve access to health care? The Senate Appropriations Committee is taking up a bill today that would set up a state agency to run a single-payer health care system. Senate Bill 810, by Democratic Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco, is [...]

SB 810 Appropriations Hearing Report

We had a great Senate Appropriations hearing today on SB 810 with a stellar panel of speakers and more than 150 supporters from a good representation of unions, community, single payer groups, faith, small business owners, schools and municipalities. As expected, the bill was moved to the Suspense file where they will decide on Thursday if it is moved to the Senate floor or not.
Campaign for a Healthy California
January 17, 2011

Obama needs to find his backbone on healthcare reform

After backing off from a ‘public option’ and settling on extending coverage to 30 million of the nearly 50 million uninsured, he’s apparently content to let each state set policy and price standards.
By David Lazarus, LA Times
January 17, 2011