PETITION SUPPORTING SIGNIFICANT HEALTH CARE REFORM NOW

Please support Single Payer Health Care Reform

Dear Senators

To the Honorable Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray:

We, the undersigned, your constituents, urgently request that you take action to support health care reform as follows:

-WHEREAS, our Washington state Democratic platform, 2008, states: “Health care is a basic human right. Our government should assure, and guarantee by law, accessible and affordable health care for all….We call for a comprehensive, single-payer national health care plan….”

-WHEREAS, the single resolution which won the top number of votes at our 2008 state convention was entitled “Universal National Health Care,” with its primary action being to urge support for single payer bills HR1200 and HR676;

-WHEREAS, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously in 2009 to support single payer health care legislation;

-WHEREAS, a recently conducted survey of state Democratic elected PCOs and other officers showed 66% support of single payer and 33% support of Obama’s plan including a public option;

-WHEREAS, national polls show a majority of American people want universal coverage that includes a government plan to compete with private insurance;

-WHEREAS, market forces have not and will not bring down the cost of medical coverage, and continuing our current system will constitute a huge bailout of the insurance industry and corporate medicine at a time that we cannot afford it;

-WHEREAS, there is a true disconnect between what We, the People, are requesting for health care reform and what Congress, particularly the Senate, is currently crafting;

THEREFORE WE URGE YOU TO:

1. Direct the Congressional Budget Office to score and cost out single payer legislation (HR676; S703) and compare these to the scoring and costing of legislation coming out of their committees;

2. Request that single payer experts be included in all committee hearings on health care reform;

3. Support S703, the American Health Security Act, introduced in 2008 by Senator Sanders as a single payer bill;

4. Support, at a minimum, a strong public option bill, preferably involving an improved version of a Medicare-type program, expanded to cover those under the age of 65, and insist that private insurance plans be strongly regulated, to disallow cherry picking or exclusion of persons with pre-existing conditions;

FINALLY WE REQUEST that you submit written responses to the King County Democratic Party by July 20,2009 to inform us of your positions and actions on these requests.

[Your name]