Please Urge Legislators to Vote Yes on HB3510 and SB888 for Single Payer in Oregon

Please Vote Yes on HB3510 and SB888 for Single Payer in Oregon

Greetings Representatives and Senators,

I am writing to ask you to please support House Bill 3510 or Senate Bill 888, the Affordable Health Care for All Oregon Plan (otherwise known as Single Payer Health Care). I urge you to support this important legislation and request that you work hard to bring it to the Governor’s desk this year.
I see Single Payer as a systemic solution to our health care crisis that affects all of Oregon, and all of the United States. Two years ago, the passage of Oregon’s HB2009 and the subsequent passing of federal health reform greatly increased the importance of Oregon’s advocacy for universal health care. This Oregon and federal health reform is a good jumping-off point for health reform, but it is not the end goal. It still leaves millions without access to adequate health insurance and care.
Single payer remains the gold standard for health care reform and is the only model that will achieve truly universal coverage. HB 3510 and SB 888 will dramatically reduce premiums for businesses and families, will cover all medically necessary health care, eliminate the risk of medical bankruptcy, and is proven to contain health care spending over the long term.
Around the world, every wealthy nation except the United States achieves universal health care through some variation of a single payer model system. All other nations spend far less than we do and in return, receive higher quality care to more people. Oregon families and employers can no longer afford to foolishly waste 30% of every health care dollar on private health insurance bureaucracy designed to minimize the payment of claims instead of maximizing the health of the people. For example, even for those lucky enough to have insurance, rising costs and deteriorating coverage cause nearly a third of our population to go without needed care because they can't afford it. Indeed, of the 1 million Americans who go bankrupt as a result of medical bills annually, more than three-quarters had insurance when they got sick.
HB 3510 and SB 888 would dramatically increase patient choice and provider competition by guaranteeing every Oregonian total choice over their doctors and hospitals instead of the narrow provider networks that restrict choice today. HB 3510 and SB 888 would significantly lower health premiums for businesses and families that are struggling to pay unaffordable premiums that rise as much as 40% every year. This legislation will help middle and lower income families and businesses who are the backbone of Oregon’s economy. HB 3510 and SB 888 will create jobs, ease the burden on Oregon’s budget and improve health care for every Oregonian. It would provide full choice of doctor and hospital for patients, and free physicians from arbitrary and meddlesome insurance companies getting in the way patient care. Single payer would control the health expenses currently crippling our economy.
Single Payer would provide reliable, comprehensive, quality health care for everyone, spend our resources wisely and would be accountable the people, not private insurance companies. I urge you to support HB 3510 and SB 888, and thank you for all of your work.

Sincerely,

[Your name]