Single payer vote tomorrow -- Thursday -- in House Committee, ACT NOW.

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Act Now -- Model Email Below

I just received this alert.

This Thursday, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will introduce, in the Energy and Commerce Committee, an amendment that abolishes private insurance and creates a national single-payer system that would cover everyone. This amendment would substitute Rep. John Conyers' (D-MI) single-payer bill, HR 676, for the current Tri-Committee Health Reform Bill.

If your representative is a member of the Energy & Commerce Committee, please call and ask him or her to support Rep. Weiner's single payer amendment.

Energy & Commerce Committee members can be found at:

http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=catego...

The Congressional Switchboard can be reached, toll free at 800-473-6711.

If your representative is not a member of the Committee, please call Committee Chair Henry Waxman at 202-225-3976 and ask him to support Weiner's single payer amendment.

HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.

HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care.

HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In the current Congress, HR 676 has 85 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced SB 703, a single payer bill in the Senate.

The Democratic leadership bill, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, fails to control costs, does not provide health care for all, undermines the economy and makes job growth more difficult.

"Affordable" health insurance in the Democratic bill means if you make $88,000 per year you will spend 19% of your income on health care that you are required to buy -- or you get additional taxes added to your tax bill. See http://www.prosperityagenda.us/node/866

And, it will choke the economy. Small businesses, $400,000 and up, will face a penalty of 8% of their payroll if they do not provide health insurance. How is that going to help avoid the jobless recovery that seems to be occurring? In fact, this provision ensures a jobless recovery.

Just as the PATRIOT Act was the opposite of its name, the Affordable Health Choices Act is unaffordable. It wrecks havoc on the already weak economy in order to provide the insurance industry, whose profits have increased from $2.4 billion to $12.9 billion from 2000 to 2007, with hundreds of billions (a low estimate) in new revenue . This bill is pay to play corruption on display in Washington, DC.

Protecting big business health profiteers is so important to the Democrat leadership that they ignore single payer which would create 2.6 million new jobs, and infuse $317 billion in new business and public revenues, with another $100 billion in wages. Single payer would actually expand the economy and produce jobs rather than undermine it. See http://www.prosperityagenda.us/node/865

Urge every member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee to vote for the single payer amendment, HR 676.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE WIDELY

Here is a model email to Members of Committee

Dear

Please support the single payer amendment, HR 676, being introduced by Rep. Weiner. The amendment would:

- Institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.

- Cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care.

- End deductibles and co-payments.

- Save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.

The Affordable Health Choices Act is unacceptable it:

- Creates unaffordable insurance for tens of millions of Americans. Americans who make $88,000 per year will spend 19% of their income on health care they are required to buy -- under the penalty of increased taxes. See http://www.prosperityagenda.us/node/866

- Undermines business and prevents job creation. Small businesses, $400,000 and up, will face a penalty of 8% of their payroll if they do not provide health insurance. How is that going to help avoid the jobless recovery that seems to be occurring? In fact, this provision ensures a jobless recovery.

- Gives hundreds of billions of dollars in more revenue to the corrupt insurance industry by mandating that tens of millions of Americans or their employers purchase expensive insurance. The profits of the insurance industry increased from $2.4 billion to $12.9 billion from 2000 to 2007 while America has faced a health care crisis. These health care profiteers should not be protected.

Vote for HR 676.

Sincerely,

Authors Website: http://www.ItsOurEconomy.us and http://www.ComeHomeAmerica.U

Authors Bio:
Kevin Zeese is co-chair of Come Home America, www.ComeHomeAmerica.US which seeks to end U.S. militarism and empire. He is also co-director of Its Our Economy, www.ItsOurEconomy.US which seeks to democratize the economy and give people greater control over their economic lives and more influence over the direction of the economy.