-in Love and Peace,
-Demi Miller
"One of the common failings among honorable people is
a failure to appreciate how thoroughly dishonorable some
other people can be, and how dangerous it is to trust them."
-Thomas Sowell (1930- ) Writer and economist
"There is more to life than increasing its speed."
-Gandhi
"We know how to transform this world to reduce our impact on nature by several fold,
how to provide meaningful, dignified living-wage jobs for all who seek them,
and how to feed, clothe, and house every person on earth.
What we don't know is how to remove those in power, those whose ignorance of biology
is matched only by their indifference to human suffering. This is a political issue. It is not an ecological problem."
- Paul Hawken, from a speech at the Bioneers conference in Oct. 2002
"Whenever the people are well-informed,
They can be trusted with their own Government."
-Thomas Jefferson, 1789
"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution."
-Emma Goldman
"I decided to accept as true, my own thinking."
-Georgia O'Keefe "Fire does not burn from the top down - it burns from the bottom up!"
-Jesse Jackson

 

Joel, et al.

 

There is one fundamental problem with Health Care Reform. It is true that Americans would be healthier if they had a system similar to Canada or Brittan, there would be less jobs in the healthcare sector.  Most of what is spent for healthcare goes directly to paychecks. So if the US spent less than ten percent, instead of the sixteen percent it does, the difference would be less paychecks or jobs. Those job losses would not be in providers, since the US has the same per portion of doctors, nurses etc as other countries.  the job losses would come from the coders, etc that are necessary in our current payment system.

 

Tue, surgeons and some other overpaid doctors have now broken ranks with the AMA. they now oppose the Senate bill.

 

Because too many people would have there lives changed significantly, I don't see any real change occurring in the US HC system.  If we started from scratch Since payer Is clearly the bees, but getting there from here is not possible, because of job losses and other economic displacement.

 

Dave Moseman, MD, MPH  

----- Original Message -----

From: Joel Albers

To: uhcan-mn@yahoogroup s.com ; practitionersunited mn@yahoogroups. com ; econmelt@yahoogroup s.com

Cc: Spirit of 1848

Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 2:26 PM

Subject: [uhcan-mn] Latest Unemployment rate and health care

 

Brief comment on the latest unemployment data and how it relates to health care:

Altho 11,000 jobs were shed in the U.S. in Nov., 100,000 new jobs are required nationally just to keep

pace with pop'n growth and maintain the current employment rate, which the Mpls Strib article below omitted.(so the U.S. unemployment rate is at 10%, seasonally adjusted, and about 17% if include the underemployed and those who stopped looking; but the unemployment rate excludes farmers, and people in institutions like jails and the military)

Note that every 1% increase in the unemployment rate correlates with a .6% increase in the HC uninsured rate.

Also, the Ed and Health services sector gained by 40,000 jobs and this is typical, and the reason

some say health care is recession-proof. Yet this is not the case, as we know from the 100s of jobs lost in hospitals

all over the Twin Cities, not just HCMC Cty hospital, and major job losses by drug companies. The jobs gained in HC are mostly

administrative (billers, coders, reimbursement analysts, etc) while the number of practitioner jobs either stays

flat or decreases, and is highly maldistributed geographically and by high-tech specialist v. primary care.The

$2.5 trillion spent on HC in 2009 is one sixth of the U.S. economy, and its jobs ripple thru most sectors of the economy.

This is why an excellent 2009 study by the institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, entitled, "Single-Payer/ Medicare

for All, An Economic Stimulus Plan for the Nation", found that Single-Payer would solve both the health care crisis, AND create

3 million jobs. So as in the Great Depression era, where the U.S. welfare state was created, both the health care AND the economic

crisis need to be solved simultaneously. 

joel

Joel Albers 

Clinical Pharmacist, Health Economics Researcher

Universal Health Care Action Network - MN

Community/Universit y Collaborative Research

www.uhcan-mn. org

email: joel@uhcan-mn. org

phone: 612-384-0973

address: 3500 35th ave S

           Mpls, MN, 55406

This Article from StarTribune. com has been sent to you by joelAlbers. *Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified. The full Article, with any associated images and links can be viewed here.

Jobless rate drops to 10 percent in Nov.; employers shed 11,000 jobs, fewest since Dec. 2007 CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, Associated Press WASHINGTON - A surprising drop in the unemployment rate and far fewer job losses last month cheered investors Friday and raised hopes for a sustained economic recovery. The rate unexpectedly fell to 10 percent, from 10.2 percent in October, as employers cut the fewest number of jobs since the recession began. The government also said 159,000 fewer jobs were lost in September and October than first reported. If part-time workers who want full time jobs and laid-off workers who have given up looking for jobs are included, the so-called underemployment rate also fell, to 17.2 percent from 17.5 percent in October. The better-than- expected figures provided a rare dose of good news for a labor market that's lost 7.2 million jobs in two years. The unemployment rate hadn't fallen since July. Still, the respite may be temporary. Job creation is expected to remain far too weak in coming months to absorb the 15.4 million unemployed people who are seeking work — and the 11.5 million others who are underemployed. As more people begin seeking work, the jobless rate is likely to resume rising. Minnesota state economist Tom Stinson noted that "one observation does not a trend make. But this is good news. It's one of these things where if you look at the surface it looks good. And as you look at the details, it looks even better." The fact that average hours worked increased from 33 hours a week -- the lowest level in U.S. history -- to 33.2 hours equates to a gain of roughly 100,000 jobs nationwide, he said. In addition, temporary hires grew by 50,000 nationally and overall job losses were a modest 11,000 for the month. "All these things make the [economic] picture a lot more pleasant. I think it will carry over" into Minnesota, Stinson said. Despite tepid holiday hiring, "We hope to see is something around zero job losses for Minnesota in November. … if we were tracking [with] the national number." The report offered evidence of how hard it remains to find a job: The number of people unemployed for at least six months rose last month to 5.9 million. And the average length of unemployment has risen to more than 28 weeks, the longest on records dating to 1948. Even counting last month's decline, the unemployment rate has more than doubled since the recession began in December 2007, when it stood at 4.9 percent. And the underemployment rate has jumped to 17.2 percent from 8.7 percent. "We will need very substantial job growth to get unemployment lower, especially when the labor force ... starts growing again," said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank. Still, economists and investors drew hope from the Labor Department report. It said the economy shed 11,000 jobs last month — a sharp improvement from October's revised total of 111,000. And it was much better than the 130,000 Wall Street economists had expected. The average work week also rose to 33.2 hours, from a record low of 33 hours, along with average earnings. Economists expect employers will increase hours for their current workers before hiring new ones. "We've still got a long way to go, but the good news in this report provides important positive momentum," said Carl Riccadonna, senior U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank. President Barack Obama, speaking in Allentown, Pa., applauded the drop in job losses and put finishing touches on a proposal he'll unveil next week to try to stimulate business hiring. He will endorse sending new money to state and local governments to stem their layoffs and expanding a program that gives people cash incentives to fix up homes with energy-saving materials, a senior administration official said. Obama will also endorse new tax breaks for small businesses that hire workers, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the package, and Obama's speech, are still being crafted. The stock market initially jumped in response to the jobs report, before paring its gains later in the day. In early afternoon, the Dow Jones industrial average was up about 19 points. Broader stock averages rose slightly. The increase in hours worked means employees are earning more income, Riccadonna said, which could help boost consumer spending and enable Americans to pay down more debt. Average weekly earnings jumped $4.08 to $622.17, the report said. Temporary help services added 52,000 jobs, the fourth straight increase. That's also positive news, because companies are likely to hire temporary workers before adding permanent ones. Total employment usually starts to increase between three and six months after temporary employment, Riccadonna said. The economy has now lost jobs for 23 straight months. But the small decline in November indicates the nation could begin generating jobs soon. Many economists think it will happen in the first quarter of next year. David Rosenberg, chief economist for Canadian wealth management firm Gluskin Sheff, said the 7 point difference between the jobless rate and underemployment rate is almost double the usual gap. That's an indication of how many more people are likely to be looking for work in coming months. Another worrisome sign: The National Federation of Independent Business said Thursday that a monthly survey of its small business members showed that more companies plan to reduce employment in the next three months than plan to add jobs. And a survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Thursday found a sharp drop in the number of companies planning to hire workers in November, compared with the previous month. The services sector gained 58,000 jobs last month, while manufacturing and construction shed 68,000 positions. Education and health services added 40,000 jobs, and government employment rose 7,000. The unemployment rate fell because the number of jobless Americans dropped by 325,000 to 15.4 million. The jobless rate is calculated from a survey of households. The number of jobs lost or gained, by contrast, is calculated from a separate survey of business and government establishments. The two surveys can sometimes vary. The unemployment rate also dropped because fewer people are looking for work. The size of the labor force, which includes the employed and those actively searching for jobs, has fallen by 1.2 million in the past six months. That indicates more of the unemployed are giving up on looking for work. The participation rate, or the percentage of the population employed or looking for work, fell to 65 percent, the lowest since the recession began. Once laid-off people stop hunting for jobs, they are no longer counted in the unemployment rate. Even as layoffs are easing, the slow pace of hiring is causing headaches for political leaders. The employment report comes a day after President Barack Obama hosted a "jobs summit" at the White House, where he told economists, business executives and union leaders that he is "open to every demonstrably good idea" to create jobs. Democrats in Congress are considering legislation that would extend jobless benefits for those who have run out and help the unemployed pay for health care coverage. Those measures could cost up to $100 billion. ___ Staff writer Dee DePass contributed to this report.

----- Original Message -----

From: Susan Mattes

To: uhcan-mn@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 6:21 PM

Subject: Re: [uhcan-mn] Sanders' amendment

 

You have put your finger right on a hot-button issue. This is a hundred pound gorilla of an issue, the elephant in the room. Antis at the state level will push this one really hard, that MN will be swamped by people coming here to use our health care system.    If the federal government passes health care reform and if it passes with an amendment that allows states to enact single payer systems, there will have to be firewalls that addreess this issue built into any state legislation in order to get single payer passed at the state level.  --- On Fri, 12/4/09, Blanche Hall <blanche.hall@gmail.com> wrote: From: Blanche Hall <blanche.hall@gmail.com> Subject: [uhcan-mn] Sanders' amendment To: "uhcan-mn" <uhcan-mn@yahoogroups.com> Date: Friday, December 4, 2009, 12:51 PM   I have a question on the Sanders' amendment, wondering if anyone out there can answer it? If states administer a federally funded program can you go to a state in which you do not reside for your medical treatment or to see a doctor? Thanks Blanche

----- Original Message -----

From: Joel Albers

To: uhcan-mn@yahoogroups.com ; practitionersunitedmn@yahoogroups.com ; econmelt@yahoogroups.com

Cc: Spirit of 1848

Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 2:26 PM

Subject: [uhcan-mn] Latest Unemployment rate and health care

 

Brief comment on the latest unemployment data and how it relates to health care:

Altho 11,000 jobs were shed in the U.S. in Nov., 100,000 new jobs are required nationally just to keep

pace with pop'n growth and maintain the current employment rate, which the Mpls Strib article below omitted.(so the U.S. unemployment rate is at 10%, seasonally adjusted, and about 17% if include the underemployed and those who stopped looking; but the unemployment rate excludes farmers, and people in institutions like jails and the military)

Note that every 1% increase in the unemployment rate correlates with a .6% increase in the HC uninsured rate.

Also, the Ed and Health services sector gained by 40,000 jobs and this is typical, and the reason

some say health care is recession-proof. Yet this is not the case, as we know from the 100s of jobs lost in hospitals

all over the Twin Cities, not just HCMC Cty hospital, and major job losses by drug companies. The jobs gained in HC are mostly

administrative (billers, coders, reimbursement analysts, etc) while the number of practitioner jobs either stays

flat or decreases, and is highly maldistributed geographically and by high-tech specialist v. primary care.The

$2.5 trillion spent on HC in 2009 is one sixth of the U.S. economy, and its jobs ripple thru most sectors of the economy.

This is why an excellent 2009 study by the institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, entitled, "Single-Payer/Medicare

for All, An Economic Stimulus Plan for the Nation", found that Single-Payer would solve both the health care crisis, AND create

3 million jobs. So as in the Great Depression era, where the U.S. welfare state was created, both the health care AND the economic

crisis need to be solved simultaneously. 

joel

Joel Albers 

Clinical Pharmacist, Health Economics Researcher

Universal Health Care Action Network - MN

Community/University Collaborative Research

www.uhcan-mn.org

email: joel@uhcan-mn.org

phone: 612-384-0973

address: 3500 35th ave S

           Mpls, MN, 55406

This Article from StarTribune.com has been sent to you by joelAlbers. *Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified. The full Article, with any associated images and links can be viewed here.

Jobless rate drops to 10 percent in Nov.; employers shed 11,000 jobs, fewest since Dec. 2007 CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, Associated Press WASHINGTON - A surprising drop in the unemployment rate and far fewer job losses last month cheered investors Friday and raised hopes for a sustained economic recovery. The rate unexpectedly fell to 10 percent, from 10.2 percent in October, as employers cut the fewest number of jobs since the recession began. The government also said 159,000 fewer jobs were lost in September and October than first reported. If part-time workers who want full time jobs and laid-off workers who have given up looking for jobs are included, the so-called underemployment rate also fell, to 17.2 percent from 17.5 percent in October. The better-than-expected figures provided a rare dose of good news for a labor market that's lost 7.2 million jobs in two years. The unemployment rate hadn't fallen since July. Still, the respite may be temporary. Job creation is expected to remain far too weak in coming months to absorb the 15.4 million unemployed people who are seeking work — and the 11.5 million others who are underemployed. As more people begin seeking work, the jobless rate is likely to resume rising. Minnesota state economist Tom Stinson noted that "one observation does not a trend make. But this is good news. It's one of these things where if you look at the surface it looks good. And as you look at the details, it looks even better." The fact that average hours worked increased from 33 hours a week -- the lowest level in U.S. history -- to 33.2 hours equates to a gain of roughly 100,000 jobs nationwide, he said. In addition, temporary hires grew by 50,000 nationally and overall job losses were a modest 11,000 for the month. "All these things make the [economic] picture a lot more pleasant. I think it will carry over" into Minnesota, Stinson said. Despite tepid holiday hiring, "We hope to see is something around zero job losses for Minnesota in November. … if we were tracking [with] the national number." The report offered evidence of how hard it remains to find a job: The number of people unemployed for at least six months rose last month to 5.9 million. And the average length of unemployment has risen to more than 28 weeks, the longest on records dating to 1948. Even counting last month's decline, the unemployment rate has more than doubled since the recession began in December 2007, when it stood at 4.9 percent. And the underemployment rate has jumped to 17.2 percent from 8.7 percent. "We will need very substantial job growth to get unemployment lower, especially when the labor force ... starts growing again," said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank. Still, economists and investors drew hope from the Labor Department report. It said the economy shed 11,000 jobs last month — a sharp improvement from October's revised total of 111,000. And it was much better than the 130,000 Wall Street economists had expected. The average work week also rose to 33.2 hours, from a record low of 33 hours, along with average earnings. Economists expect employers will increase hours for their current workers before hiring new ones. "We've still got a long way to go, but the good news in this report provides important positive momentum," said Carl Riccadonna, senior U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank. President Barack Obama, speaking in Allentown, Pa., applauded the drop in job losses and put finishing touches on a proposal he'll unveil next week to try to stimulate business hiring. He will endorse sending new money to state and local governments to stem their layoffs and expanding a program that gives people cash incentives to fix up homes with energy-saving materials, a senior administration official said. Obama will also endorse new tax breaks for small businesses that hire workers, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the package, and Obama's speech, are still being crafted. The stock market initially jumped in response to the jobs report, before paring its gains later in the day. In early afternoon, the Dow Jones industrial average was up about 19 points. Broader stock averages rose slightly. The increase in hours worked means employees are earning more income, Riccadonna said, which could help boost consumer spending and enable Americans to pay down more debt. Average weekly earnings jumped $4.08 to $622.17, the report said. Temporary help services added 52,000 jobs, the fourth straight increase. That's also positive news, because companies are likely to hire temporary workers before adding permanent ones. Total employment usually starts to increase between three and six months after temporary employment, Riccadonna said. The economy has now lost jobs for 23 straight months. But the small decline in November indicates the nation could begin generating jobs soon. Many economists think it will happen in the first quarter of next year. David Rosenberg, chief economist for Canadian wealth management firm Gluskin Sheff, said the 7 point difference between the jobless rate and underemployment rate is almost double the usual gap. That's an indication of how many more people are likely to be looking for work in coming months. Another worrisome sign: The National Federation of Independent Business said Thursday that a monthly survey of its small business members showed that more companies plan to reduce employment in the next three months than plan to add jobs. And a survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Thursday found a sharp drop in the number of companies planning to hire workers in November, compared with the previous month. The services sector gained 58,000 jobs last month, while manufacturing and construction shed 68,000 positions. Education and health services added 40,000 jobs, and government employment rose 7,000. The unemployment rate fell because the number of jobless Americans dropped by 325,000 to 15.4 million. The jobless rate is calculated from a survey of households. The number of jobs lost or gained, by contrast, is calculated from a separate survey of business and government establishments. The two surveys can sometimes vary. The unemployment rate also dropped because fewer people are looking for work. The size of the labor force, which includes the employed and those actively searching for jobs, has fallen by 1.2 million in the past six months. That indicates more of the unemployed are giving up on looking for work. The participation rate, or the percentage of the population employed or looking for work, fell to 65 percent, the lowest since the recession began. Once laid-off people stop hunting for jobs, they are no longer counted in the unemployment rate. Even as layoffs are easing, the slow pace of hiring is causing headaches for political leaders. The employment report comes a day after President Barack Obama hosted a "jobs summit" at the White House, where he told economists, business executives and union leaders that he is "open to every demonstrably good idea" to create jobs. Democrats in Congress are considering legislation that would extend jobless benefits for those who have run out and help the unemployed pay for health care coverage. Those measures could cost up to $100 billion. ___ Staff writer Dee DePass contributed to this report.

-------------- Original message from Joel Albers <joel@...>: --------------

 

Brief comment on the latest unemployment data and how it relates to health care:

Altho 11,000 jobs were shed in the U.S. in Nov., 100,000 new jobs are required nationally just to keep

pace with pop'n growth and maintain the current employment rate, which the Mpls Strib article below omitted.(so the U.S. unemployment rate is at 10%, seasonally adjusted, and about 17% if include the underemployed and those who stopped looking; but the unemployment rate excludes farmers, and people in institutions like jails and the military)

Note that every 1% increase in the unemployment rate correlates with a .6% increase in the HC uninsured rate.

Also, the Ed and Health services sector gained by 40,000 jobs and this is typical, and the reason

some say health care is recession-proof. Yet this is not the case, as we know from the 100s of jobs lost in hospitals

all over the Twin Cities, not just HCMC Cty hospital, and major job losses by drug companies. The jobs gained in HC are mostly

administrative (billers, coders, reimbursement analysts, etc) while the number of practitioner jobs either stays

flat or decreases, and is highly maldistributed geographically and by high-tech specialist v. primary care.The

$2.5 trillion spent on HC in 2009 is one sixth of the U.S. economy, and its jobs ripple thru most sectors of the economy.

This is why an excellent 2009 study by the institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, entitled, "Single-Payer/Medicare

for All, An Economic Stimulus Plan for the Nation", found that Single-Payer would solve both the health care crisis, AND create

3 million jobs. So as in the Great Depression era, where the U.S. welfare state was created, both the health care AND the economic

crisis need to be solved simultaneously. 

joel

Joel Albers 

Clinical Pharmacist, Health Economics Researcher

Universal Health Care Action Network - MN

Community/University Collaborative Research

www.uhcan-mn.org

email: joel@uhcan-mn.org

phone: 612-384-0973

address: 3500 35th ave S

           Mpls, MN, 55406

This Article from StarTribune.com has been sent to you by joelAlbers. *Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified. The full Article, with any associated images and links can be viewed here.

Jobless rate drops to 10 percent in Nov.; employers shed 11,000 jobs, fewest since Dec. 2007 CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, Associated Press WASHINGTON - A surprising drop in the unemployment rate and far fewer job losses last month cheered investors Friday and raised hopes for a sustained economic recovery. The rate unexpectedly fell to 10 percent, from 10.2 percent in October, as employers cut the fewest number of jobs since the recession began. The government also said 159,000 fewer jobs were lost in September and October than first reported. If part-time workers who want full time jobs and laid-off workers who have given up looking for jobs are included, the so-called underemployment rate also fell, to 17.2 percent from 17.5 percent in October. The better-than-expected figures provided a rare dose of good news for a labor market that's lost 7.2 million jobs in two years. The unemployment rate hadn't fallen since July. Still, the respite may be temporary. Job creation is expected to remain far too weak in coming months to absorb the 15.4 million unemployed people who are seeking work — and the 11.5 million others who are underemployed. As more people begin seeking work, the jobless rate is likely to resume rising. Minnesota state economist Tom Stinson noted that "one observation does not a trend make. But this is good news. It's one of these things where if you look at the surface it looks good. And as you look at the details, it looks even better." The fact that average hours worked increased from 33 hours a week -- the lowest level in U.S. history -- to 33.2 hours equates to a gain of roughly 100,000 jobs nationwide, he said. In addition, temporary hires grew by 50,000 nationally and overall job losses were a modest 11,000 for the month. "All these things make the [economic] picture a lot more pleasant. I think it will carry over" into Minnesota, Stinson said. Despite tepid holiday hiring, "We hope to see is something around zero job losses for Minnesota in November. … if we were tracking [with] the national number." The report offered evidence of how hard it remains to find a job: The number of people unemployed for at least six months rose last month to 5.9 million. And the average length of unemployment has risen to more than 28 weeks, the longest on records dating to 1948. Even counting last month's decline, the unemployment rate has more than doubled since the recession began in December 2007, when it stood at 4.9 percent. And the underemployment rate has jumped to 17.2 percent from 8.7 percent. "We will need very substantial job growth to get unemployment lower, especially when the labor force ... starts growing again," said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank. Still, economists and investors drew hope from the Labor Department report. It said the economy shed 11,000 jobs last month — a sharp improvement from October's revised total of 111,000. And it was much better than the 130,000 Wall Street economists had expected. The average work week also rose to 33.2 hours, from a record low of 33 hours, along with average earnings. Economists expect employers will increase hours for their current workers before hiring new ones. "We've still got a long way to go, but the good news in this report provides important positive momentum," said Carl Riccadonna, senior U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank. President Barack Obama, speaking in Allentown, Pa., applauded the drop in job losses and put finishing touches on a proposal he'll unveil next week to try to stimulate business hiring. He will endorse sending new money to state and local governments to stem their layoffs and expanding a program that gives people cash incentives to fix up homes with energy-saving materials, a senior administration official said. Obama will also endorse new tax breaks for small businesses that hire workers, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the package, and Obama's speech, are still being crafted. The stock market initially jumped in response to the jobs report, before paring its gains later in the day. In early afternoon, the Dow Jones industrial average was up about 19 points. Broader stock averages rose slightly. The increase in hours worked means employees are earning more income, Riccadonna said, which could help boost consumer spending and enable Americans to pay down more debt. Average weekly earnings jumped $4.08 to $622.17, the report said. Temporary help services added 52,000 jobs, the fourth straight increase. That's also positive news, because companies are likely to hire temporary workers before adding permanent ones. Total employment usually starts to increase between three and six months after temporary employment, Riccadonna said. The economy has now lost jobs for 23 straight months. But the small decline in November indicates the nation could begin generating jobs soon. Many economists think it will happen in the first quarter of next year. David Rosenberg, chief economist for Canadian wealth management firm Gluskin Sheff, said the 7 point difference between the jobless rate and underemployment rate is almost double the usual gap. That's an indication of how many more people are likely to be looking for work in coming months. Another worrisome sign: The National Federation of Independent Business said Thursday that a monthly survey of its small business members showed that more companies plan to reduce employment in the next three months than plan to add jobs. And a survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Thursday found a sharp drop in the number of companies planning to hire workers in November, compared with the previous month. The services sector gained 58,000 jobs last month, while manufacturing and construction shed 68,000 positions. Education and health services added 40,000 jobs, and government employment rose 7,000. The unemployment rate fell because the number of jobless Americans dropped by 325,000 to 15.4 million. The jobless rate is calculated from a survey of households. The number of jobs lost or gained, by contrast, is calculated from a separate survey of business and government establishments. The two surveys can sometimes vary. The unemployment rate also dropped because fewer people are looking for work. The size of the labor force, which includes the employed and those actively searching for jobs, has fallen by 1.2 million in the past six months. That indicates more of the unemployed are giving up on looking for work. The participation rate, or the percentage of the population employed or looking for work, fell to 65 percent, the lowest since the recession began. Once laid-off people stop hunting for jobs, they are no longer counted in the unemployment rate. Even as layoffs are easing, the slow pace of hiring is causing headaches for political leaders. The employment report comes a day after President Barack Obama hosted a "jobs summit" at the White House, where he told economists, business executives and union leaders that he is "open to every demonstrably good idea" to create jobs. Democrats in Congress are considering legislation that would extend jobless benefits for those who have run out and help the unemployed pay for health care coverage. Those measures could cost up to $100 billion. ___ Staff writer Dee DePass contributed to this report.

Blanche,

To answer your (good) question  "If states administer a federally funded
program can you go to a state in which you do not reside for your medical
treatment or to see a doctor?"

Yes. These types of bills--incl. the MN single-payer bill et al.--let people
get care in other states (other nations in some bills) paid by the state.
Providers elsewhere would just bill the State the person is from, which
plays the role of insurer/payer as far as the provider is concerned, just as
if they were billing HealthPartners here.

Below is a message I sent in but never appeared here that explains more the
Sanders bill. I've also attached the Sanders bill itself--this is the one I
referred to, not his new single-payer amendment proposal for the current
Senate health bill. He's not pursuing the Bill we're talking about here and
that's attached.

John Schwarz

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Schwarz" <john@...>
To: <uhcan-mn@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 10:55 PM
Subject: Re: [uhcan-mn] Kucinich, Sanders, single-payer amendments


> Amy and all,
>
> I've attached the Sanders bill that would empower states to establish
> their
> own single-payer system. It received far less attention than Kucinich's
> for
> 2 reasons in my view:
> --Kucinich's bill passed a sub-committee in the House, so it showed up on
> the media radar. Plus it received a number of Republican votes, making it
> even more noteworthy.
> --The House is more liberal/progressive than the Senate, so Kucinich's
> bill
> had a better chance to advance, whereas in the less liberal/progressive
> Senate, Sander's bill was much less viable. It was essentially DOA.
> Sanders
> recently proposed another amendment that has received some attention but
> it
> is different from the one here, which is from August.
>
> Pasted below is the essential outline of what Sander's bill will do to
> grant
> state's authority to set up their own single-payer system. In contrast,
> Kucinich's bill only addresses # (1), the ERISA waiver issue. Sanders
> covers
> almost the entire universe of existing federal barriers to Minnesota or
> other states implementing a single-payer system on their own. That's what
> we
> need, not just Kucinich and self-insured employer plans.
>
> I've written more about these issues this past year--can be found on front
> page of my site at www.unitedhealthsystem.org, and can send or attach
> those
> for anyone who's interested.
>
> From Sanders' bills:
> Subtitle D—State Single Payer Health Care Systems
> ...
> SEC. 3121. STATE AUTHORITY.
> (e) WAIVER OF ERISA PREEMPTION AND WAIVERS
> TO POOL FUNDS.—As part of an implementation grant under this section and
> subject to the benefit maintenance requirements applicable under section
> 3124(b), a State may request (and the Secretary shall grant) the following
> waivers of requirements and provisions to the extent necessary to carry
> out
> the State plan under section 3124:
> (1) ERISA
> (2) MEDICARE
> (3) MEDICAID
> (4) CHIP
> (5) FEHBP
> (6) USE OF OTHER FUNDS
> (7) OTHER LAWS
>
> John Schwarz

I have a question on the Sanders' amendment, wondering if anyone out
there can answer it?

If states administer a federally funded program can you go to a state
in which you do not reside for your medical treatment or to see a
doctor?

Thanks

Blanche

Hi Everyone,

-We had the UHCAN-MN retreat last fri/sat w/ 15 attending, ok for
late notice and already scheduled.
It was a ton of work organizing it, and if we do another one, at this
beautiful place, we're going to need
a lot more participation in coordinating it. Pulling these together
does not happen magically. In addition
to the 9 hrs of mtgs we had (1 1/2 of which i had personally w/
Roseangellica to specifically determine
her role in food service only). Note that i had to f/u on all the
things that people said they would do but
didnt. So 150 phone calls, photocopying, coordinating food,
coordinating the place, shlepping a ton of
food later, we had a really good Retreat. so i hope folks can
appreciate that in the form of a thank you once in awhile.

-Big thanks to David Sundeen for creating and donating 24 "single-
payer" t-shirts which we can use as a fundraiser.

-BUILDING the NETWORK:
What we decided at the Retreat was that several of us- David, Mike,
Kari, Joel, Greg, Dorothy, Sarah, and
a few others will all do outreach to faith, indy business, labor,
community groups, practitioner etc to form a loose,
decentralized single-payer NETWORK. This simply means an organization
(via a contact person), agrees to:

1. endorse single-payer at any level (state, federal etc) and single-
payer actions (demos, press conferences, written position statements,
etc)
2.endorse any single-payer publicly issued statements:  press
releases, flyers, other written statements to media, the public,
legislature
3.forward any actions (see #1 above) to an organizations distribution
lists to potentially turn out people to actions.

If you are reading this and are a contact person of an organization
that would like to be on board let me know. Or if you know of any
groups of
whom might want to become part of this NETWORK or more info, pls
contact that group, and let me know.
We decided that a script for calling groups would facilitate this
outreach. If you need more info than the 3 criteria above, in the form
of a script, let me know. The uhcan-mn.org website has info on
defining single-payer. I will be putting a brief 1 paragraph script
together
based on the above points.

-ART AND PROTEST:
We had a great discussion on this. Kari obtained a lot of paint
brushes, paint, sheets, along with UHCAN-MN's existing banner
materials/placards
for painting on. Thanks for that. at the Retreat we didnt have enough
time to paint banners, but Roger has suggested we could do this at
his house,
and show us the how-to. Roger suggested a sat  from 1-4pm or other
time ?

-MEDIA CAMPAIGN (CHANGING THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE):
Great discussion, brainstorming on this too. To putt all the great
suggestions together, we would ideally need to form a MEDIA NETWORK
for skills-sharing
on this incl: videographers, photographers, graphic designers,
writers etc.

-Next UHCAN-MN mtg is monday Dec 7, 7pm, Walker Church, 3104 16th ave
s,mpls (near lake street and bloomington avenues).

Amy's Minneapolis Office    612-727-5220

Washington  202-224-3244

Al's St. Paul Office  (651) 221-1016

Washington (202) 224-5641

Published on Monday, November 23, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

Before You Carve that Turkey: All In for Bernie Sanders

by Donna Smith

Those millions of us who support a Medicare for All, single-payer, reform for the healthcare crisis in this nation have some work to do over the next few days.  Senators are on their way to their home states for the one-week Thanksgiving recess - and they need a little up close and personal constituent attention before dinnertime on Thursday.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is a stalwart supporter of doing the right thing for his state, our healthcare system and this nation - and he has said repeatedly that moving toward a just and economically sound system is possible through Medicare for All, single-payer.  In the purest sense of giving patients control over their own healthcare, single-payer gives us all control over our choice of providers - and it gives our healthcare professionals the freedom they need to advise us on the basis of health rather than payment source.

So, even though the current Senate bill is not what we want - Senator Sanders will offer an amendment that would be a substitute for that bill and is mirrored on S. 703, The American Health Security Act.

We need to make it clear before our Senators are immersed in their own holiday events and then in traveling  back to Washington, DC, that we want them to support Senator Sanders' amendment. 

Call today, call tomorrow and keep calling until the home offices of the Senators close for the holidays - and many will stay open until Wednesday at noon.  Tell the staff you want to talk turkey about the Senate effort.

Time is drawing short for our Senators to hear from us.  Debate will begin on November 30 on the current Senate bill.  Senator Sanders needs support.  He has already told us that he does not expect a win on his amendment.  But we are all laying groundwork for this nation to move in the right direction before long - we know that the current bills do not "bend the cost curve" enough and we know they certainly do not bend the death or bankruptcy curve nearly enough to make the bills what this nation needs.

Additionally, we want the legislation to contain language that will allow states that opt in to a single-payer system to be able to do so with the appropriate waivers from federal legal provisions which might otherwise present obstacles to doing so.

So, the ask of our Senators - each and every one, liberal, centrist or conservative - is two-fold and urgent:

1.       Vote with and for Sanders' S. 703 substitute amendment; and

2.       Support state single-payer enabling language in the final bill.

Calls to DC won't be effective this week.  We can all return to that effort next week.  Thanksgiving week calls must go to your Senators' offices in your state.  Look them up here, using your zip code: http://www.votesmart.org/

Tell friends, neighbors and relatives.  This year, talk a little turkey about healthcare.  Ask folks how thankful they would be to have healthcare as a basic human right for their neighbors and for themselves.  And then help them look up their Senators' contact information and tell them how easy it really is to call and log your concerns and your expectations for an affirmative vote for the Sanders' amendment.

Oh, and don't forget to thank one another for caring enough to join in the struggle.  It matters.   Everybody in, nobody out.  Thank you all for believing that together we can change this, because we can.

Donna Smith is a community organizer for the California Nurses Association and National Co-Chair for the Progressive Democrats of America Healthcare Not Warfare campaign.

----- Original Message -----

From: kari sprung

To: Socialist Alternative Minnesota ; UHCAN

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 1:09 AM

Subject: [uhcan-mn] Videos From Health Care Rally (Sept.)

 

Hi All,

Below I have additional links to video I took from the Obama Rally in September.  I thought that with the health care bill being debated in the senate, it would help give some inspiration to keep fighting on for single-payer.  Videos are a lot of fun!!

Thanks everyone,

Kari

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-eehTrIFM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQcLj7TAGMk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OvmAka1jiU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deru43yUSaE

An Event about Single Payer Health Care Michael Cavlan RN will be the featured speaker at an event this Saturday, November 21st at 5:00 pm at Mayday Books. In addition to Michael Cavlan’s appearance, the Michael Moore movie entitled: “Sicko” will also be screened free of charge. If you have not had the opportunity to see this film and hear Michael Cavlan speak, you are in for a real treat. We hope that you will support this event by virtue of your attendance and invite others who may not be educated on the Single Payer Health Care reform idea to attend along with you. This is a crucial time in our nation and many people support this reform for our country. Find out how you can be helpful to push forth this cause with our elected officials. For more information about the event, please contact the Bookstore at: MAYDAY BOOKS 301 CEDAR AVENUE SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, MN 612-333-4719 For the record, Jack Nelson Pallmeyer is being officially, respectfully and publicly invited to attend this event. Michael Cavlan RN

,___

From a non Astro-Turf organization on healthcare.

For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Michael Cavlan RN


Dear Healthcare-NOW! Supporter:

On Saturday, November 7, 2009, the House passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health
Care for America Act, to much celebration by the Democratic party.
Healthcare-NOW!'s view, however, is that the House bill is a gift to the
insurance industry at the further expense of the people of this nation.

The bill's advocates claim it will cover an additional 36 million people,
subsidize the cost of insurance for families up to 400% above the poverty level,
increase Medicaid coverage to 150% above the poverty level, close the Medicare
donut hole by 2019, place a surcharge on individuals making more than $500,000
and couples making more than $1,000,000, will end rescissions and pre-existing
conditions.

What the Democrats fail to mention is the bill leaves millions of people
uninsured, allows medical bankruptcies to persist, criminalizes and fines the
uninsured, increases the number of underinsured, does nothing to contain the sky
rocketing costs, blocks women from their reproductive rights, transfers massive
public funds to private insurance companies strengthening their control over
care, protects pharmaceutical companies' superprofits at patient expense, fails
to reclaim the 31% of waste in our system, expands Medicaid without regard to
the state budget crises, discriminates based on immigration status and age, and
sets up several levels of care covering less for those without the ability to
pay. Those who have coverage will increasingly find care unaffordable and will
go without. The whole system will inevitably fail from being fiscally
unsustainable.

So is the House bill better than nothing?

"I don't think so," writes Marcia Angell, M.D., former editor of the New England
Journal of Medicine. "It simply throws more money into a dysfunctional and
unsustainable system, with only a few improvements at the edges, and it augments
the central role of the investor-owned insurance industry. The danger is that as
costs continue to rise and coverage becomes less comprehensive, people will
conclude that we've tried health reform and it didn't work. But the real problem
will be that we didn't really try it. I would rather see us do nothing now, and
have a better chance of trying again later and then doing it right."

Given that the bill does nothing to contain or reduce rising costs or end the
private health insurance industry's dominance, we hoped that the Progressive
Caucus would stand strong. But they did not. All but two of H.R. 676's
cosponsors voted for H.R. 3962 -- Rep. Eric Massa [D-NY] and Rep. Kucinich
[D-OH].

Rep. Massa stated, "At the highest level, this bill will enshrine in law the
monopolistic powers of the private health insurance industry, period. There's
really no other way to look at it."

Despite telling single-payer advocates that Congressman Weiner's single-payer
amendment could not go to vote because it would open the floodgates for
regressive amendments on abortion and immigrant access, the Democratic
leadership allowed votes on both. Prior to the vote on H.R. 3962, the Stupak
Amendment passed that will prevent women receiving tax subsidies from using
their own money to purchase private insurance that covers abortion and in many
cases will prevent low-income women from accessing abortion entirely.

"The House of Representatives has dealt the worst blow to women's fundamental
right to self-determination in order to buy a few votes for reform of the
profit-driven health insurance industry," writes Terry O'Neill, President of
National Organization for Women. "We must protect the rights we fought for in
Roe v. Wade. We cannot and will not support a health care bill that strips
millions of women of their existing access to abortion."

Healthcare-NOW! fought to win a fair and open debate on healthcare reform
including the merits of a single-payer system. This has not yet happened, but
the advocacy for this system has greatly impacted the debate in meaningful ways.

We need to continue to build the grassroots movement for single-payer,
not-for-profit, national healthcare. We look forward to much brain-storming at
our upcoming national strategy conference in St. Louis this weekend, and the
opportunity to move forward with renewed energy, creative ideas, and resolve.

Meanwhile, we have the opportunity NOW to continue to support the Sanders'
Single-Payer Amendment to be introduced in the U.S. Senate, Congressman
Kucinich's efforts to get the state single-payer amendment back in when the
House and Senate bills are reconciled, and the efforts of the Mobilization for
Health Care for All.


Thanks for all that you do,
Healthcare-NOW! National Staff

P.S. We need your support. Please donate today.

Healthcare-NOW! survives on the generosity of our supporters. Please consider
making a donation to support our efforts to pass HR 676 using our secure server.



- Follow us on -

>  this seems correct in its major conclusions...
>
>
>
> > Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:14:23 -0800
> > From: activist.thepen@...
> > Subject: [157888] Delightful New "Medicare For All" Video And Fax
> Action Page, "I'm A Democrat, And I'm A Republican"
> > To: jclayfuller@...
> >
> >
> > A couple weeks ago the Democratic Senate Committee put out a video
> > called "I'm A Democrat, And I'm A Republican" (itself a play on the
> > cultural icon Mac ads), begging us for more campaign contributions
> > based on the premise that even 60 votes in their caucus is not enough
> > to pass a decent bill. So we decided to produce a series of our own
> > issue advocacy satire videos, to propagate the truth that NEITHER the
> > Democrats NOR the Republicans want real health care reform. And you
> > can watch the first one on this page.
> >
> > Medicare For All Fax Action Page:
> > http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1020.php
> >
> > And from the same action you can also send a fax (for no charge) to
> > all your members of Congress (or special new advocacy capability)
> > calling for the passage of Medicare for All, instead of the
> > ridiculous sell out to medical corporation special interests that
> > barely squeaked out of the House over the weekend, and only at the
> > additional price of a total betrayal of a woman's right to choose.
> >
> > For this special fax action there is a prepared petition text which
> > you can read on the page above, calling on Congress to get serious
> > about doing something the American people all want, and pass to
> > economical and efficient Medicare for all. But you can still add any
> > personal comments of your own you like.
> >
> > And if you are represented by any member of the Congressional
> > so-called Progressive Caucus, you might tell them how profoundly
> > ASHAMED of them you are, given that outside of the courageous
> > exceptions of Dennis Kucinich and Eric Massa not one of others voted
> > against this terrible, awful bill (HR 3962). Remember back in June
> > they all signed a letter that they would only support a bill with a
> > "robust" public option. Instead they all voted for a total corporate
> > insurance take over of our national health care system, and they were
> > so anxious to sell out any principle they ever claimed to have, that
> > they threw a woman's right to choose under the bus along the way.
> >
> > Please take careful note we said a CORPORATE take over of health
> > care. Because the only thing more dishonest that the Democrats
> > claiming there is some kind of meaningful public option in the bill
> > are the Republicans braying that it is a government take over. It is
> > not "socialized" medicine as the "one smear fits all" demagogues on
> > the right shout, but instead capitalist medicine, with the most
> > feeble possible public plan they thought they could pass off to the
> > American people.
> >
> > And of course, nobody expects the Senate to turn it into something
> > better. Instead, it will be a monumental struggle now to even derail
> > the horrible anti-choice provision, which dictates that after a woman
> > is forced to buy one of the official overpriced insurance exchange
> > plans, even if she paid for it with 100% of her own money, that
> > provider cannot cover the expense of an abortion.
> >
> > For those who argued we should just pass SOMETHING, even if it was a
> > bad bill, because they said we could fix it later, this is what you
> > get from a strategy of perpetual compromise, a bill that is utterly
> > beyond redemption. It's time to throw HR 3962 in the medical waste
> > bin, and do what should have been done in the first place, build a
> > new national health care system on what actually DOES work, by
> > extending the existing economical and efficient Medicare plan to all
> > ages.
> >
> > Medicare For All Fax Action Page:
> > http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1020.php
> >
> > So please check out the entertaining new video on the action page
> > above. And send the link to every one you know. And bookmark the page
> > above to check back, because we will be posting a new installment of
> > the "I'm A Democrat, And I'm A Republican" Medicare for All video
> > action series at least once a week.
> >
> > And if you want one of the new single payer health care caps, with
> > the "economical and efficient" counter-branding language, you can
> > request one from the return page after you submit the fax action
> > page. Or you can use this form.
> >
> > Single Payer Health Care Caps: http://www.peaceteam.net/all_gifts.php
> >
> > We just got in the new shipment from embroiderer, so if you had
> > already requested one in the last week or so, you will have yours in
> > just a couple more days by first class mail.
> >
> > And here is the one click Facebook page for this same fax action.
> >
> > Single Payer Amendments Action:
> > http://apps.facebook.com/fb_voices/action.php?qnum=pnum1020
> >
> > And the Twitter reply to send, to send this message to all your
> > members of Congress that way, is
> >
> > @cxs #p1020
> >
> > Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed
> > to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.
> >
> > If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at
> > http://www.peaceteam.net/in.htm
> >
> > Or if you want to cease receiving our messages, just use the function
> > at http://www.peaceteam.net/out.htm
> >
> > usalone352b:157888
> >

Memorandum

November 10, 2009

 Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 We are all inspired by the current groundswell of single-payer health care   mobilizing  amid intense national  debate . In the last  few weeks alone,  over 150 activists, including a number of physicians and nurses, have been arrested doing sit-ins at  companies like UnitedHealth (Medica), WellPoint, Aetna, Cigna and Humana, and at offices of key legislators, according to Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP).

 This time of heightened public awareness affords activists the opportunity to both mobilize AND Base-BUILD the single-payer movement. Four recent meetings,   “Unity Building”  and  “ Health Care Reform based on the American Nurses Association’s Vision for HC Reform”   (Feb. 2007, Feb 2008, and July and Oct  2009) mostly  convened  at the MN Nurses Association have  attempted just that  . To further  build  the capacity  of this movement, we are inviting  a diversity of groups to attend  a single-payer network- building  retreat to brainstorm specifically on what can be accomplished in common, while maintaining  individual group autonomy to  form a loose, decentralized network of groups. We believe that unless the traditional single-payer progressive base  in Minnesota can be reconstituted, it will be very difficult  to achieve  our goals.

 Please RSVP to joel@...   to attend  if your organization: