zeitzer

=Representative Zeitzer (HI-D)=


 * Universal Healthcare under United States National Health Insurance**

1. Title: Universal Healthcare under United States National Health Insurance

2. Sponsor Names: Representative Zeitzer (HI-D), Representative Hubbard (MA-D), Representative Rodosta (D), Representative Soomro (NY-D), Representative Young (IL-D), Representative Kock (NM-D), Representative Zemanek (CA-D), Representative O'Quinn (VA-D), Representative Robert (MA-D), Senator Potts (D), Senator DeKlerk (D), Senator Brown (ID-D), Senator Summitt (R), Senator Joseph (D), Senator Nunez (D), Senator Conrad (D),

3. Purpose
 * 1)  All American will have access, as a result of this bill guaranteed by law, to the highest quality and most cost effective health care services regardless of their employment, income, or health care status.
 * 2)  All Americans will have access to have a freedom of choice of doctors and medical procedures

4. Eligibility
 * 1) citizens of the US
 * 2) residents of the US territories
 * 3) receive a US National Health Insurance Card and ID

5. Findings
 * 1) 50 million people in the United States are uninsured
 * 18,000 US citizens will die this year simply because they are uninsured
 * 1) The US health Care system ranks 37 out of 191 countries
 * 2) There are four times as many health care lobbyists as there are members of Congress
 * 3) The Medicare Part D plan will hand over $800 billion of our tax dollars to the drug and health insurance industry.

6. Benefits of Service
 * 1) //universal//: cover all medically necessary health care services covered all medically necessary services: primary care, inpatient care, outpatient care, emergency care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, long-term care, mental health services, dentistry, eye care, chiropractic, and substance abuse treatment
 * 2) //portability//: such benefits are available through any licensed health care clinician anywhere in the US that is legally qualified to provide the benefits
 * 3) //no cost sharing//: no deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance, or other cost sharing shall be imposed with respect to covered head benefits
 * 4) //freedom of choice//: patients have their choice of physicians, providers, hospitals, clinics and pratices

7: Terms of Service //* in general:// Health care delivery facilities must meet regional and State quality and licensing guidelines as a condition of participation under such program, including guidelines regarding safe staffing and quality of care. //* Licensure requirements:// Participating clinicians must be licensed in their State of practice and meet the quality standards for their area of care. No clinician whose license is under suspension or who is under disciplinary action in any State may be a participating provider.
 * 1) exceptions are coverage for cosmetic surgery and other medically unnecessary treatments
 * 2) //cost containment provisions:// set reimbursement rates annually for physicians, allow for global budgets for health care providers, and negotiate prescription drug prices
 * 3) Care Standards:

- We can end the long waiting lines for healthcare in the U.S. Almost 50 million of us have no coverage; another 50 million are partially covered, paying huge deductibles and co-pays, getting denials from the insurance company, or living in fear that their employer will drop them, raise the co-pays, or cancel their insurance. WE CAN HAVE MUCH MORE FREEDOM OF CHOICE of doctors and medical procedures. everyone will be guaranteed healthcare and not just the wealthy like now __national single payer__, guaranteed quality healthcare system for //everybody// in this country. __Less expensive__ – single payer means //no insurance companies// therefore healthcare will be less expensive! //controlled by us and our doctors, not by the insurance companies//! //Everybody will be covered with the money we are now wasting on insurance company profits and bureaoucracy// __Universal__ __Guaranteed choice__ __**How can we afford it?**__ __**MYTHS**__ 1: GOVERNMENT FUNDED PROGRAM WOULD NOT BE AS GOOD AS A PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT PROGRAM 2: WE CANT GET A NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY &lt;-- WRONG!!!!!!!!!
 * Everybody will get healthcare--no co-pays, no deductibles, no denials.
 * choice of doctors and treatment, not just choice between one for-profit insurance company or another.
 * quit paying the insurance company bureaucracies hundreds of billions of extra dollars every year to deny healthcare to one-third of us --100 million people.
 * WE ARE PAYING ALMOST TWICE AS MUCH PER CAPITA as the closest other nation in the world. Yet, many of those countries are rated higher by the World Health Organization
 * 41 countries have better infant mortality rates than the United States including South Korea, Cyprus, and Slovenia.
 * WE REPRESENT MORE THAN 70% of the POPULATION We are business people, labor unions, people of all faiths, doctors, nurses, students, workers, and above all, families who seek to have the great healthcare system that we are already paying for.
 * WE WANT A BETTER CLIMATE FOR OUR BUSINESS ECONOMY
 * 1) Many other countries are rated as better places to do business because of their "seamless healthcare systems" including Finland and New Zealand
 * 2) already spending enough money for a national healthcare system that would cover everybody for much better benefits, but we are not getting better healthcare and almost 50 million of us have no benefits at all.
 * Bush Prescription Drug Program (Part D). It is a bureaucratic and costly fiasco that provides huge profits for the pharmaceutical companies and forbids people the freedom to get their necessary medications directly from Medicare
 * The Veterans Administration, a government program proven to be superior to other hospitals, provides drugs at a fraction of the cost through economies of scale and negotiations ­ good business practices. Why not do the same for the rest of us under an improved regular Medicare drug program where prices would be negotiated on the basis of a huge pool of participants, all 300 million of us?
 * We have been brainwashed -- convinced that we need insurance companies to handle the money and pay the bills for healthcare rather than a single payer system that would eliminate those tremendous extra costs for multiple administration, lobbying, advertising and ceo profits
 * cut out the unconscionable profits raked off by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. It is a matter of political will.
 * Every other advanced nation has universal healthcare. We are rated number 37 in the world among nations -- many of whom have much fewer resources than we do.
 * __**Taxes!!?**__: We all know that nothing of any real value is ever free, but if you think of the taxes that will be required to support national health insurance as simply a lower cost alternative to the staggering private health insurance premiums that most of us already have to pay but which will be totally eliminated under the new system, then it becomes immediately clear that this could be a really good deal after all!

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 * Health care Horror Stories: Real Americans Suffer From Our Current Health Care**

Leukemia patient describes "Best Bill" - $10,000 for use of a chair in an outpatient room media type="youtube" key="E_DG3EKzhT4&amp;rel=1" height="355"

What life can be like for a diabetic without insurance. media type="youtube" key="gwNlvChOJYs&amp;rel=1" height="355"

My journey through cancer treatment, skeevy hospital billing practices, and my inability to get health insurance. media type="youtube" key="IL_HWVG5Ajo&amp;rel=1" height="355"

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--Watch this story about how an RN of 30 years is dropped from her health insurance just before being diagnosed with two stage four cancers. media type="youtube" key="2peGqRrjXek&amp;rel=1" height="355"

CONCORD, CA--Bonnie Drew was a successful attorney working for the federal government authorizing benefits for people with disabilities and social security. After developing a rare disease and being denied adequate health insurance coverage, she now finds herself in the same boat as many of her former clients, and is advocating for a SinglePayer healthcare system in the U.S. Please post and share this story widely. media type="youtube" key="b4kEvdyIcBk&amp;rel=1" height="355"

When Hampton Falls, NH resident Gary Dozier took out health insurance for catastrophic illness, he didn't know his wife would soon be diagnosed with grade 1, stage 1 uterine cancer. Now, Gary is not the only one in the know -- so are the insurance companies. And since there are pre-condition clauses that preclude other insurance companies from having to cover the cancer for at least five years, Gary can't change his wife's insurance coverage even if they find a better health care plan. media type="youtube" key="6wHLdK-DKuY&amp;rel=1" height="355"

Sandra Burt lost her job this summer and, with it, her health insurance. Follow this 65 year old as she first learns the health care system, then works to improve it. media type="youtube" key="qCYCjmsZK4E&amp;rel=1" height="355"

The $5,000.00 insulin pump that I can't afford to use media type="youtube" key="dBm3cvSBM7s&amp;rel=1" height="355"

Bernie and Priscilla King were delighted to fulfill their retirement dream of living on a lake in New Hampshire. But a bout of bad health caused them to use up their cash reserve. They moved into a retirement center in Bow, where health care costs continue to plague them to the tune of $600 a month. Between insurance and prescriptions, the Kings are left with $87 a week for food, car maintenance, clothes, church and gifts for their grandchildren -- the latter which they haven't been able to afford for quite a while. Now, their rent is going up by $25 and the couple can't figure out how to make the money stretch ... and so they're moving again. media type="youtube" key="Jz8botZ7_cE&amp;rel=1" height="355"

"//Government-run universal health care leads to inefficiencies//"	reject any notion of government-run universal health care •	have seen evidence from around the world that government-run health care leads to inefficiencies o	long waiting periods o	often substandard health care •	applaud efforts by President Bush and the Republican Congress to reform the broken medical liability system that is raising health care costs and limiting patients' access to doctors-doctors who are being driven out of their practices by excessive medical liability costs. Allow customization of insurance, support health centers •	A major reason why health insurance is so expensive is that many state legislatures require policies to provide benefits that many families do not want •	These mandates increase costs for everyone •	One area of health care that is sadly ignored is the role of primary and preventive care •	boost funding for community health centers and establish stronger public-private partnerships for safety net providers and hospitals in underserved communities. A reformed Medicare will give seniors choice, flexibility •	Give older Americans access to the insurance plan Congress has, including medical savings accounts •	Build on the strengths of the free market system, offer seniors real choices, and make sure there are incentives for the private sector to develop drugs. •	Medicare also needs new measures of solvency •	reduce the administrative complexities •	A reformed Medicare program will provide reimbursement at levels that will permit providers to continue to care for patients. Give individuals tools to manage their own health needs •	Individuals should be free to manage their own health needs through Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs) and Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). •	These initiatives make a government takeover of health care as anachronistic as surgery without anesthesia. •	Individuals should be able to roll over excess FSA dollars from one year to the next, instead of losing their unspent money at the end of each year. •	MSAs should be a permanent part of tax law, offered to all workers without restriction.
 * Republican Party Position**

Every American should have affordable health insurance •	redouble efforts to bring the uninsured into coverage •	We should guarantee access to affordable health care for every child •	expand coverage to working families •	ensure that dislocated workers are provided affordable care •	make health care affordable for small businesses •	In addition, Americans aged 55 to 65 should be allowed to buy into the Medicare program to get the coverage they need. Expand coverage and cut healthcare costs •	Expanding coverage: offer individuals and businesses tax credits to make quality, reliable health coverage more affordable o	provide tax credits to Americans who are approaching retirement age and those who are between jobs so they can afford quality, reliable coverage o	expand coverage for low income adults through existing federal-state health care programs o	provide all Americans with access to the same coverage that members of Congress give themselves. •	Cutting health care costs: At the center of our efforts will be a plan to reduce health costs. o	lift a financial burden on families, businesses, and the self-employed by picking up the tab for the highest-cost medical cases o	That will save America's families up to $1,000 on their premiums. Add prescription drug benefit to Medicare •	It is time we ended the tragedy of elderly Americans being forced to choose between meals and medication •	modernized Medicare with a prescription drug benefit •	Medicare Lock Box: that would insure Medicare surpluses are used for Medicare
 * Democratic party position**

Works Cited “About Us”. Healthcare-Now! 14 February 2008. . AFLCIONow. August 30, 2007. What’s Wrong with America?. February 12, 2008. . calnurses. April 02, 2007. Real People DENIED Real healthcare: Bonnie Drew. February 12, 2008. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4kEvdyIcBk&eurl>. calnurses. May 04, 2007. Real People DENIED Real Healthcare: Cynthia Campbell, RN. February 12, 2008. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2peGqRrjXek&eurl>. “Democratic party On health Care”. On the Issues: Every Political Leader on Every Issue. 13 February 2008. .

“Labor News”. Healthcare-Now!. 14 February 2008. . manuelhp42. June 09, 2007. Re: SiCKO Movie – Michael Moore Wants to Hear From You. February 12, 2008. . NHforHealthCare. October 31, 2007. Health Care Story – The Kings. February 12, 2008. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz8botZ7_cE&eurl>. NHforHealthCare. September 13, 2007. Health Care Story – Sandra Burt. February 12, 2008. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCYCjmsZK4E&eurl>. NHforHealthCare. September 18, 2007. Health Care Story – Gary Dozier. February 12, 2008. . PUTiger. June 20, 2007. Re: SiCKO Movie – Michael Moore Wants to Hear From You. February 12, 2008. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_DG3EKzhT4&eurl>. “Republican party On health Care”. On the Issues: Every Political Leader on Every Issue. 13 February 2008. . rockridgeinstitute. October 17, 2007. Don’t Think of a Sick Child. February 12, 2008. . SeanKendComic. June 09, 2007. Re: SiCKO Movie – Sean Kent – Cancer Survivor. February 12, 2008. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL_HWVG5Ajo&eurl>. SergioMomarsh. June 14, 2007. Re: SiCKO Movie – Michael Moore Wants to Hear From You. February 12, 2008. . “ ‘SiCKO’ Factual Backup”. Michael More SiCKO. 13 February 2008. . “Who We Are”. Healthcare-Now! 13 February 2008. .


 * Resources**
 * John Edwards on Health Care: [|http://www.johnedwards.com/issues/health-care/]
 * [|PBS: http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/tough_questn.htm]
 * Public Agenda: h[|ttp://www.publicagenda.org/issues/frontdoor.cfm?issue_type=healthcare]
 * Start with the overview. Then look at the discussion guide which gives you an overview of three policy options when it comes to reforming health care. You can also check out the fact file which will have some good information included.
 * This may be too specific for what you're looking for right now, but the states (those testing cases for democracy!) have been working on their own initiatives to insure the uninsured. You can find out more about their proposals here: http://www.allhealth.org/briefing_detail.asp?bi=106
 * NPR has a nice short side by side comparison of the Republican and Democratic candidates here: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/election2008/issues/healthcare.html
 * PBS's NOW has a good show on "covered the uninsured" week: http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/050506_index.html
 * If you want to go the route of children's health care: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/345/index.html