Single-Payer Support Monitor
Endorsers / Supporters
Organizations Which Endorse/Support Single-Payer
Also see Single-Payer Organizations
Businesses
Churches / Religious Denominations
Consumer/Citizen Advocates
Health Care Professionals’ Organizations
Justice / Equality / Rights Advocates
Magazine/Newspaper Staffs (see explanation there)
Patient Advocates
Political Groups: National and By State
Retirees
Unions
… plus … an idea of the total number of members of these groups
More organizations are added as information becomes available. Contact Bob if you have a supporting organization that documents its support of H.R.676 or otherwise makes it clear that the organization supports single-payer national health insurance, Medicare for All.
Businesses
| Organizations |
Notes |
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Business Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare (web site will be linked) |
National focus: - This coalition is being established. “… there are many ways to get from Point A to Point B. Our preference is a straight line, as the crow flies. An Improved Medicare-for-all (single-payer) approach is the best not just for the public, but also businesses that must compete with foreign companies that do not have health care built into their product prices.” (a portion of the coalition’s statements related to “Our Goal”) |
Churches
Following are the churches which have a supportive position on single-payer, such as specifically supporting H.R. 676.
| Organizations |
Notes |
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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): Presbyterian Health Education and Welfare Association (PHEWA) (web page on health care policy) from the Washington office |
National focus: - Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has 2.9 million members (2009) - “PHEWA endorse a single payer, “Medicare for all,” publicly funded, privately administered national health insurance program. PHEWA work toward endorsement of HR 676, or bills with similar provisions, by the General Assembly of PC(USA). PHEWA encourage interfaith and ecumenical cooperation with the goal of obtaining passage of HR 676, or bills with similar provisions, by the congress and its signing by the President.” - from resolutions web page of 1/14/2007 The most recent General Assembly (2008) “endorse[d] in principle the provision of single-payer universal health care reform in which health care services are privately provided and publicly financed … as the program that best responds to the moral imperative of the gospel.” [Minutes, 2008, p. 1133] - from the Washington office web page on health policy. |
United Methodist Church: General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church (web site) |
National focus: - United Methodist Church has almost 7.9 million members (2009) - “GBCS advocates for health care for all in the United States by focusing on a single-payer national health plan …” (Go to “Jump Start a Topic”, then “Health Care”) - “(GBCS) … calls on the United Methodist Church to “exert its influence in any arena and wherever possible to bring about substantive change in the health care system” as well as “implementation of a totally nonprofit health care insurance system, a single-payer system administered by the federal government.” and “… Congress may not pass any substantial health care access expansion legislation until it hears vigorous cries from constituents in support of it (Go to “Jump Start a Topic”, then “Health Care”, then News Statement, then GBCS Resolution “Universal Health Care in the USA”) |
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United Methodist Church: (continued) General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church (web site) |
National focus: - United Methodist Church (UMC) - GBGM encourages UMC members to call or write their Congresspersons and sign petitions to support H.R. 676 that go to Congress |
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United Church of Christ (web site) |
National focus: The United Church of Christ has 1.1 million members (2009); refer to this page. Their 36-page booklet (pdf) titled “God is still speaking about health care” includes education about the proposed H.R. 676 legislation to enact a single-payer system. Members are encouraged to make contacts to the U.S. Congress to get hearings held on H.R. 676. See pages 14 and 15. |
Associated web page: Religion, a list of many or most religious denominations in the United States.
Consumer / Citizen Advocates
| Organizations |
Notes |
| Public Citizen via its Health Research Group |
National focus: – Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts – The organization’s support of single-payer is documented via an interview with Dr. Sidney Wolfe |
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Pulse Coalition (web site) |
National focus: – The Pulse Coalition for Healthcare Reform is a national, nonprofit consumer which “supports investigation of the principles of HR 676, single-payer healthcare.” - (homepage) – The coalition (explains) why they consider the support of H.R. 676 to be tied to patient safety, which is their primary focus. |
Health Care Professionals’ Organizations
This list is in addition to the organizations that are devoted to single-payer education, such as Physicians for a National Health Program.
Also see unions which may have part or all of their members be health care workers.
| Organizations |
Notes |
|
American College of Physicians (web site) |
National focus: “a national organization of internists — physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection and treatment of illnesses in adults. ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in the United States. Its membership of 124,000 includes internists, internal medicine subspecialists, and medical students, residents, and fellows.” — from About ACP “Single-payer financing models, in which one government entity is the sole third-party payer of health care costs, can achieve universal access to health care without barriers based on ability to pay. Single-payer systems (among the comparison of 12 countries) generally have the advantage of being more equitable, with lower administrative costs than systems using private health insurance, lower per capita health care expenditures, high levels of consumer and patient satisfaction, and high performance on measures of quality and access.” — from the ACP position paper, a study of the U.S. and 12 other countries with documented lessons learned and recommendations “This new proposal by the ACP brings single payer into the mainstream,” said Dr. C. Anderson Hedberg, President Emeritus of the ACP. “It’s the logical next step.” — from PNHP |
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American Medical Students Association (web site) |
National focus: “Of the many options that exist for providing health care for all, AMSA most strongly supports a single-payer system.” — from the AMSA web page of Universal Health Care Educational Resources |
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American Nurses Association (web site) |
National focus: — “ANA reaffirms its support for a restructured health care system that assures universal access to a standard package of essential health care services for all citizens and residents.” and “Ultimately ANA supports a single-payer mechanism as the most desirable option for financing a reformed healthcare system.” – ANA’s document Health Care Agenda 2008 - “The ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation’s 2.9 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent member nurses associations.” – news announcement of Health System Reform Agenda 2008 Also see ANA State Groups |
Justice / Equality / Rights Advocates
| Organizations |
Notes |
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National: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (web site) |
National focus: ” … diabetes strikes African Americans 70% more often than Caucasian Americans; Hispanic Americans twice as often as whites. The diabetes rate for Native Americans is even higher, striking members of this community 180% more often than Caucasian Americans. Furthermore, African Americans are 40% more likely to die from coronary heart disease and 35% more likely to die from cancer than whites. In order to address the lack of adequate access to health care overall, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI) has introduced the United States National Health Insurance Act (USNHIA) (H.R. 676). The United States National Health Insurance Act creates a single-payer national health care system in all America; a federally financed but privately delivered health care system. …” — from NAACP Legislative priorities (pdf) |
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National: National Healthcare for the Homeless Council (web site) |
National focus: “The expansion of Medicare, as proposed in House Resolution 676, is the smoothest road toward universal coverage and the only way to achieve sustainable, cost-effective coverage for every American.” — Single Payer web page “… Recommendations … Guarantee access to comprehensive, high quality, affordable health services for all Americans through a national health insurance program with a single payer financing mechanism. Enact House Resolution 676 to this end. …” — policy paper (pdf) on “Universal Health Care and Homelessness” |
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National: National Organization of Women (web site) |
National focus: “People need and deserve universal, continuous, and accessible health coverage that is provided by a single payer … It is time for our nation to adopt a national public health policy that ensures an equitable health care … Ask your representative to co-sponsor the U.S. National Health Insurance Act, H.R. 676.” — from NOW’s Action Alert “Code Blue: Demand Health Care for All Now” — NOW toolkit |
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New York: Women’s Economic Agenda Project (web site) |
National focus: “Because research shows that poverty makes all ailments worse, we need to proceed from strategies committed to ending poverty and promoting a single payer universal health care system that would cover all people living in the United States from birth to death. By taking administrative waste and corporate profit out of the health care system, we can have comprehensive and universal health care without spending any more money.” — from the “Health Care is an Economic Human Right” web page See the toolkit. |
Magazine and Newspaper Editorial Staffs
Explanation about this list of magazines and newspapers.The following list is NOT strictly a list of endorsers. Some of the following organizations simply have excellent publications that explain single-payer. See the text at each entry for further information.
| Organizations |
Notes |
|
Charleston Gazette (web site) |
National focus: “… Thousands of physicians and many organizations such as the American College of Physicians and The Charleston Gazette have endorsed a single-payer universal health plan. Physicians for a National Health Plan is a national group that has been working for a single-payer plan for the past 20 years (PNHP.org). We have a Mountaineer Chapter of PNHP here in Charleston. Every other Western country covers everybody. We can do it, too. …” — from a 2/10/2008 op-ed
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Des Moines Register (web site) |
National focus: “… Like Kucinich, we have long advocated a so-called “single-payer” system, in which the government is the payer for services delivered by private-sector hospitals, doctors and clinics. That’s not socialized medicine. Patients would still choose their own doctors. Yet red tape and administrative costs would be cut dramatically. …” — from their 12/3/2007 editorial |
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Peoples Weekly World (web site) |
National focus: – The pamphlet “Medicare for All! A Guide to Single Payer National Health Insurance” by B.S. Rosen and the pamphlet’s associated low-cost availability are examples of this organization’s strong commitment to education about single-payer. |
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Yes! Magazine (web site) |
National focus: – Fall 2006 Health Care for All issue has articles in strong support of single-payer |
Patient Advocates
| Organizations |
Notes |
|
New York: AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) |
National focus: ACT UP/NY’s 20th Anniversary Action inaugurated their campaign to make access to health care a major issue through the 2008 election campaigns. |
Political Groups: National
| Organizations |
Notes |
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Green Party (web site) |
National focus: “… Under a universal national single-payer health care system, the administrative waste of private insurance corporations would be redirected to patient care. …” — an excerpt from the health care part of their platform |
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Progressive Democrats of America (web site) |
National focus: “It is immoral for a country as wealthy as ours to have 45 million people with no health coverage, and tens of millions more with inadequate or overly expensive coverage. It also makes no economic sense … (to spend twice as much money and have a system that performs poorly) … PDA supports … H.R. 676, which establishes streamlined, nonprofit national health insurance–enhanced Medicare for All … Care (will) be privately delivered by healers and hospitals, but publicly financed …. (from PDA priorities web page) State focus: “PDA also supports health care initiatives at the state and local level that move us toward a nonprofit single-payer system. (from PDA priorities web page) |
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The U.S. Conference of Mayors (web site and who they are) |
National focus: See the Resolution in Support of the National Health Insurance Act (H.R. 676) adopted at the 76th Annual Meeting of June 20-24, 2008 |
Political Groups: By State
| Organizations |
Notes |
|
Ohio: Progressive Democrats of America Ohio Chapters (web site) |
National focus See Progressive Democrats of America Notes. State focus: “The Ohio chapters of Progressive Democrats of America unanimously endorse the Single-Payer Action Network Ohio (SPAN Ohio) plan to bring every resident of the Buckeye State fully guaranteed and comprehensive health care coverage.” (from PDA news page about SPAN-Ohio) |
Retirees
| Organizations |
Notes |
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Florida: Florida Alliance for Retired Americans (FLARA) |
National focus: “The Florida Alliance for Retired Americans continues to advocate for single-payer health care and point to Medicare as an example that excels as a single-payer model. Wikipedia defines Medicare as “social insurance administered by the United States government providing health insurance coverage to people age 65 and over or who meet other special criteria. Medicare operates as a single-payer health care system.” Single-payer is defined as a system that pays from a single fund. Prior to the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, Medicare provided quality affordable health care for millions of older and disabled Americans.” — newsletter |
Where bolding is seen within quotes at this web page, I added it compared to the original text. — Bob
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