Single-Payer Action Network Ohio - SpanOhio.org

Our Goal: Lifetime Comprehensive Health Care for ALL

Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand. It is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy. ---Wendell Berry

PBS Report Shows Universal Health Care Systems Working Abroad
A "Frontline" report on PBS examines the universal health care plans of five countries--Britain, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland--and shows that in each country "insurance premiums are significantly lower than those in America (in Britain there are none), and the waiting time to see a doctor is either tolerable (in Britain) or nonexistent," reports the New York Times.

URGENT ACTION ALERT!

Gov. Strickland has assembled a task force comprising a State Coverage Initiative Team of 12 and a Healthcare Coverage Initiative Advisory Committee of 40. $500,000 tax dollars have been allocated to study health care options — the goal being to cover a third of Ohio’s 1.5 million uninsured. What about the other two-thirds? And what about the additional millions of underinsured?

Incredibly, single-payer — the only plan that would help ALL Ohioans, uninsured and underinsured alike — will NOT be included among the plans to be studied. Only plans that include the private insurance companies are being considered. This is unacceptable. (See letter from U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich to Governor Strickland urging inclusion of single-payer in the study.)

Please take Action NOW

1) Contact Governor Ted Strickland

Governor's Office

Riffe Center, 30th Floor

77 South High Street

Columbus, OH 43215-6108

Contact the Governor Online

2) Contact Governor Strickland's Policy Director Janetta King This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Phone: 614-466-3555

3) Go to the Governor's Public Input Request Site

Tell them that as an Ohio constituent, you want a single-payer plan (H.B.186 and S.B. 168) to be one of the five models studied by the Governor's task force for healthcare reform in Ohio.

Talking points:

Single-payer is the only plan that will provide guaranteed, quality, comprehensive medical and dental care to EVERY Ohioan.
A single-payer system is the most fiscally conservative. Ohio H.B.186 and its companion bill in the Senate, S.B.168, i.e., the Health Care For All Ohioans Act, would save more than $11 billion in health care costs.
Commissioned studies were done in Colorado and California by the highly regarded Lewin group. Single-payer was included as a model. They concluded that single-payer will, "cover more people, for more services, for less money."
Plans being considered by the State Coverage Initiative Team of 12 have been tried in other states and have failed miserably, resulting in an increase in the number of uninsured. It is a disservice to the people of Ohio not to include a single-payer model.
The people of Ohio insist that a single-payer plan be considered in the comparative analysis done by our governor, for Ohioans, with our tax dollars.

If you would like to do more, contact one or more of the members of the Healthcare Coverage Initiative Advisory Committee. It would also be helpful for you to contact your State Representative and your State Senator to express your support for H.B.186 and S.B.168.

If you send an email to any of the above, please CC: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and let us know what response, if any, you receive.

Thank you for taking the time to take action!

Click here for HIGHLIGHTS OF THE

HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OHIOANS ACT

See Toledo City Paper cover story featuring Dr. Johnathon Ross, practicing physician and member of SPAN Ohio State Council.

See essay on Diversity and Single-Payer Health Care Reform written by Dr. Richard Wyderski, who also serves on SPAN Ohio's State Council.

Private card, huge deductible? No way

Don't be fooled by all the politicians claiming to support "universal" health care. If you read the fine print, most of their proposals dictate that everyone should buy a private health care card. What good is your card if it commits you to a $5,000 deductible and 50 percent co-pay before you receive any of your (limited) benefits?

We should reject a mandate that everyone must contribute to the coffers of the big insurance corporations. No, thanks. That sort of "universal" plan could mainly bankrupt the middle class and further enrich the private insurance manipulators.

We need a universal plan that is compassionate and sustainable.

The clearest way is to eliminate the role of for-profit insurance companies. Having been practicing medicine for 35 years, after seeing "Sicko" I'm convinced we need (and will eventually demand) a single payer, universal, health insurance system.

Thanks, Michael Moore, for pointing the way.

HENRY S. KAHN
Kahn is emeritus professor of family and preventive medicine at Emory University School of Medicine

See Michael Moore's interview with Jay Leno.

Who We Are

Single-Payer Action Network Ohio (SPAN Ohio) is a coalition of individuals and organizations in Ohio working together to achieve fundamental reform of the health insurance system, first in our state and eventually at the national level, so that every resident is guaranteed full and comprehensive coverage from birth to death. SPAN Ohio is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(4) organization. Contributions to SPAN are not tax deductible.

To join the coalition, please complete the sign-up form, which will add your name to our mailing list and allow us to keep you informed of our progress. Since we are not a membership organization, there is no cost to join. However, voluntary contributions in any amount to help cover the cost of printing and other expenses are greatly appreciated. To make a financial contribution, please CLICK HERE or on the button below.

WELCOME HOME, DAVE!

Last July, Dave Pavlick, a dedicated SPAN supporter based in Cleveland, decided to use his four weeks of vacation to hike across the state to call attention to the plight of the uninsured and underinsured and to publicize and win support for SPAN's campaign to put single-payer health care on the ballot in Ohio. Dave completed his grueling 23-day walk on July 27 at 7:00 p.m. on the steps of Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue. The Walk was a complete success, raising awareness of the issue and support from people across the state. Click here to see some of the press coverage Dave got.

Click here for photos of Dave's Walk

Attorney General Certifies SPAN Petition

CLICK HERE for more information.

UPDATE: Single-Payer Bills Re-Introduced in Ohio House and Senate in 2007

URGE YOUR STATE SENATOR AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE TO SUPPORT THESE BILLS!

For each new session of the General Assembly, bills introduced in previous sessions which have not been acted upon must be reintroduced if action by the new Assembly is desired.

Accordingly, on April 25, 2007 State Representative Michael Skindell reintroduced the Health Care For All Ohioans Act (HCFAOA) in the House of Representatives (H.B. 186), and on May 15, 2007 State Senator Dale Miller reintroduced it in the Senate (S.B. 168).

Co-sponsors of H.B. 186 are: Jennifer Brady, Edna Brown, Michael DeBose, John Domenick, Lorraine Fende, Mike Foley, Bob Hagan, Joseph Koziura, Tom Letson, Clayton Luckie, Dale Mallory, Eugene Miller, Dan Stewart, Peter Ujvagi, Sandra Williams, and Kenny Yuko.

Co-sponsors of S.B. 168 are: Teresa Fedor, Sue Morano, Tom Roberts and Shirley Smith.

If you don’t see your state representative or senator listed above, we urge you to phone, write or email them asking them to support these bills. (If you DO see your representative or senator listed, let them know you appreciate their support.)

Clicking Find Legislator by Zip Code will take you to a page where all you need do is fill in your zip code to be taken to page that shows who your State Representative and State Senator are. Click on their names to go to a page showing how to reach them.

It would also be helpful for you to contact the members of the Healthcare Access and Affordability Committee, listed below. This is the Committee that holds hearings on the bill and controls whether it moves forward through the legislative process. (On May 17, 2007 Representative Skindell appeared before the Committee and gave testimony on H.B. 186) Click any name in the table below for contact information.

Healthcare Access and Affordability Committee
REPUBLICAN	DEMOCRAT
James Raussen Chair	Chris Redfern Ranking Minority Member
Matt Huffman Vice Chair	Jennifer Brady Member
Bob Gibbs Member	Armond Budish Member
Jimmy Stewart Member	Timothy DeGeeter Member
Jon Peterson Member	Jay Goyal Member
Ross McGregor Member	Clayton Luckie Member
Lynn Wachtmann Member
Larry Wolpert Member

You can also help rally support for these bills by asking your local city council or commission to pass a resolution in support of the Health Care For All Ohioans Act. SPAN will provide you with a sample resolution and tips for getting the issue on your local government’s agenda. Call 216-376-4766 or email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it for assistance.

Wishing won’t get this job done – ACTION is needed. PLEASE DO YOUR PART.

Volunteers are needed in all 88 Ohio counties

Volunteers are needed in all 88 Ohio counties to collect petition signatures. If you want to help, This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . We will get the necessary materials and instructions to you.

Samples of SPAN's printed materials and how to obtain copies for distribution

Click here for more information.

NEWS AND OPINION

Upcoming Events:

Ohio Council of Churches Health Care Summit
May 13, 2008 (10:00 am - 2:00 pm)
ACHIEVING HEALTH CARE FOR ALL Sponsored by: Ohio Council of Churches- Episcopal Church - Dioceses of Ohio and Southern Ohio; United Methodist Church - East and West Ohio Conferences; Ohio Presbyterian Public Policy Network - Hunger ...

Cincinnati SPAN Chapter Meeting
May 14, 2008 (7:30 pm - 9:00 pm)
We will meet at the Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church at 103 Wm. Howard Taft Rd. The entrance is off the parking lot in the rear. Press the button for the Geier Room if the door is locked. On the agenda will be reports from the SPAN State Conference hel...

WORKSHOPS on Health Care Messaging
May 16, 2008 (10:00 am - 2:00 pm)
Learn how to effectively communicate and use the right words when talking to friends, family, neighbors and elected officials to make Healthcare Reform For All a reality - Attend the Workshop on Health Care Messaging co-sponsored by Toledo Area Jobs wit...

SPAN Ohio State Council Meeting
June 7, 2008 (10:00 am - 1:00 pm)
AFSCME OHIO COUNCIL 8 - 6800 North High St. - Worthington, OH 43085 [DIRECTIONS: Take I-71 south or north, as the case may be, to 270 west, take 270 west to the first exit, which is I-23 ("Worthington"), take I-23 south to High Street, ex...

KICK-OFF SPAN Ohio's Walk for Health Care Justice
September 1, 2008 (All Day)
Depart from East Cleveland - head for Painesville

Day 2 of Walk for Health Care Justice
September 2, 2008 (All Day)
Depart Painesville - head for Ashtabula

View Full Calendar

How You Can Help:

Circulate Petitions

Form a Chapter

Lobby Your Legislator

Obtain Endorsements

Write Letters to Editors

Make a Donation

Fundraisers and House Parties

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."
–Martin Luther King, Jr.

Single-Payer Action Network Ohio
3227 West 25th Street
Cleveland, OH 44109 (216) 736.4766