Links and Resources

National Organizations

Physicians for a National Health Program – A continually updated website with extensive resources including recent articles, FAQs, op eds, etc.  You can subscribe to Don McCanne’s Quote of the Day, an excellent no pain way to learn about single payer in the context of the day’s events.

Healthcare-NOW – A national organization/coalition of organizations supporting single payer.  Members include unions, nursing organizations, advocacy groups, and lots of ordinary folks. The New Jersey Universal Health Care Coalition is a member. – https://campaignforguaranteedhealthcare.org/ 

National Nurses United (NNU) – Largest professional organization of registered nurses in the country. Strong supporter of single payer/Medicare for All health care.

Labor for Single Payer – Many labor unions support single payer health care.  Labor for Single Payer works to increase labor support and coordinate efforts to support both national (HR676) and viable state efforts to bring about Improved Medicare for All/Single Payer legislation.

Health Care Reform Articles – A blog managed by Dr. Philip Caper of Maine.  Provides at least weekly compilation of health policy articles from across the country and abroad.

The Sanders Institute – Recently formed organization promoting a range of progressive initiatives.   A recent study carried out with Nurses United provides extensive information on the current state of US health care.  “Medicare for All Vs. All the health care each can afford.”

The Commonwealth Fund – A private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable. Promotes extensive research and study of health care policy and practice worldwide.

The Kaiser Family Foundation – A website that provides extensive information and statistics regarding health care policy, practice and outcomes including Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, hospitals, etc. See recent polling data on this website for public support for single payer.

Pew Research Center – Provides polling data on public support for single payer.

National Women’s Health Network – The NWHN is a non-profit women’s health advocacy organization located in Washington, D.C.  It does not explicitly endorse single payer, but the single payer organizations often do not explicitly address women’s health and we need to be paying attention!

Public Citizen – A nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest. Consisting of 400,000 members, they defend democracy, resist corporate power, and work to ensure that government works for the people – not for big corporations. Also check out their report, “The Case for Medicare for All”.

State Based Organizations

National Organization for Women – New Jersey Chapter – The New Jersey State Organization of the National Organization for Women is a state-wide women’s rights activist organization consisting of 10,000 women and men members, activists, and allies

South Jersey National Organization for Women – Alice Paul Chapter – Supports single-payer, and has worked with NJUHC to bring information about single payer to women-owners of small businesses.

Essex County National Organization for Women – Supports single payer and focuses on priority issues including reproductive rights, ending sex discrimination/constitutional equality, and promoting diversity.

Physicians for a National Health Program: Metro Chapter – New York PNHP chapter supporting the NYS legislation New York Health (A.4738/S.4840) endorsing state single payer health care.  This legislation, whose primary sponsor is Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, has passed the NYS assembly twice.

Health Care for All PA – Pennsylvania organization for state based single payer health care reform. Includes information on legislative and advocacy work.

Heal California – California organization for state based single payer legislation. The Healthy California Act, SB562, has been passed by the California Legislature.

Health Care for All Colorado – Advocacy group for single payer healthcare in Colorado. A referendum supporting single payer in Colorado lost in the last election.

Maine All Care – Advocacy group for single payer health care in Maine. Supports Healthy Maine Act LD1274 currently under discussion in the Maine Legislature.

 

For Watching –

FixIt – Available for download at https://fixithealthcare.com/ (available in short (38 min) and longer version (58 min).  Made in Pennsylvania; excellent documentary on the business case for single payer.  Healthcare-NOW edited the longer version to create a short (21min) and focused version available at https://vimeo.com/148933942

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/   (2009) Information on health care systems around the world.

 

http://thehealthcaremovie.net   A 2011 documentary by Laurie Simmons and  Terry Sterrenberg and narrated by Kiefer Sutherland.  Tells the story of how the Canadian and US health care systems evolved to be completely different.   Reveals the personal and emotional impact on Canadians who now have access to universal health care because of the heroism of people who took a stand nearly 50 years ago. It also reveals the continuing struggle in the United States between the fear of government intervention and the right to quality health care for all people.

 

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/08/22/has-your-local-lawmaker-pledged-support-medicare-all-have-you   Brief summary of why Medicare for All is the obvious solution to the US health care crisis.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/calnurses  Variety of brief videos produced by the California Nurses Association on problems in health care system and the need for single payer.

 

Bernie Sanders press conference on 9/13/2017 when he released S. 1804, the Medicare for All Act of 2017. The press conference includes comments from Richard Masters, the producer of Fix-It.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?433998-1/senator-sanders-unveils-medicare-bill

 

For Reading –

The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper and Fairer Health Care  by T.R. Reid,  2010.

Hijacked: The Road to Single Payer in the Aftermath of Healthcare Reform by John Geyman, MD,   2010

Medicare for All vs all the Healthcare Each can Afford by the Sander’s Institute and the California Nurses Association, 2017.

Doing Democracy: The MAP Model for Organizing Social Movements by Bill Moyers, 2001.

Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks out on how Corporate PR is Killing Healthcare and Deceiving Americans, by Wendell Potter, 2011.

Talking About Single Payer: Health Care Equality for America, by James F. Burdick, MD, 2016.

————————————————————————————–

OTHER LINKS & RESOURCES