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That wasn't all. By Saturday morning it seemed as if almost everyone in attendance was sporting a "Vote for the Single-Payer Resolution" button. Congressman Joe Sestak, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, was telling this writer and others that he supports state single-payer, and renewed an earlier promise to introduce a bill in the House of Representatives shielding Pennsylvania from an ERISA challenge if it enacts single-payer legislation (Senator Arlen Specter has made a similar pledge for a Senate ERISA-Shield bill). Sestak also promised to help secure grant funding to pay for an Economic Impact Study.
Saturday morning the regional caucuses of State Committee people convened, and one-by-one they expressed overwhelming support for the single-payer resolution. When it finally came time for the Committee to meet and vote the result was almost anti-climactic. Jack Hanna, the Chair of the Rules Committee said that there that there was "great concensus in support of this resolution" and urged that the entire membership be permitted to consider it." Democratic Chair T.J. Rooney shepherded the resolution to the floor, and in seconds it was over. The resolution was passed by acclamation.
HealthCare4ALLPA Executive Director Chuck Pennacchio said "Not only does Pennsylvania now have the Democratic Party on board with Single Payer healthcare for all. "We also have the promised signature of our governor and the active support of Republican and Democratic leaders in both the State Senate and State House." He added: "Pennsylvania is clearly "ground zero' for cost-saving, life-enhancing, job-creating, quality, comprehensive, publicly-funded, privately-delivered, healthcare for all. Once PA adopts the proven single payer solution, our neighboring states will move rapidly to adopt the same answer, and congress will quickly follow suit."
There can be little doubt that this was a huge step forward toward the passage of single-payer, comprehensive healthcare in Pennsylvania. The passage of HB 1660/SB 400 is now in sight.
What is in doubt is when the media, which was present in substantial numbers at the Committee meetings in Lancaster, will decide that single-payer healthcare is news. The endorsement by the Gubernatorial candidates and the unanimous vote of the State Committee was conspicuously absent from virtually all mainstream coverage of the State Committee Meetings.
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