ACTION: Do you want Universal Health Care in North Carolina?

Greetings all! Health Care for All NC has begun its short-session "Two Over Ten" push, but this time it is not focused on Verla Insko's "Health Care for All" bill. Instead, this session the push is for House Bill 1897, which creates a Healthcare Policy Council that would make recommendations to the General Assembly on how to integrate public and private healthcare services to form an effective, coordinated system of healthcare for North Carolina.

Two Over Ten is a unique program because it is not just random emails/phone calls/snail mail to legislators. Each contact is logged with the organization and the members who have been contacted are then visited by local activists from HCfA. These activists are able to provide first-hand education on health care in North Carolina and House Bill 1897. Such personal visits were able to sway a number of legislators in the long session and if we can spread this network throughout the state, we can do something about the quagmire we face.

I'm a few weeks behind getting this information to you, so there are already some updates. HCfA members throughout the Triangle and Triad have had good luck getting their House members to support this bill (those who were not already on board). What is needed is more response from the rest of the state - especially Charlotte and WNC. If you are a supporter of this idea or of HCfA NC or of Universal Health Care, then please email Bill Brooks and he will help you set up your own network. It's fast, it's easy, it's a great way of keeping those activists you just recruited busy from now until November!!!

Did you march at HKonJ or do you support it? Then, you need to be working for this bill, because "Health Care for All" was one of the pillars of that movement. More about the bill and the first letter to send your House member after the break.

What is HB 1897?

Rep. Insko will be resubmitting H1897 “Health Care Policy Council” to give you the opportunity of cosponsoring. It gives you the opportunity to show us your commitment to real, effective change.

The Council is not another study commission. It brings the stakeholders in health care together and charges them with planning our transition from a system that leaves over a million North Carolinians without health insurance to a system that provides access to care at the most cost effective point.

Guiding principles in the bill came from intense discussions at regional meetings across North Carolina. The participants were consumers, providers, public health representatives, church members and business people. The bill does not show preference towards any particular model for the healthcare system. It bases planning on the interests of the public, the business community, and the State. The Council would include representatives of each of these groups and medical professional organizations.

The bill details principles to be used in planning the healthcare system. These include:

-Healthcare providers and clients should have a primary role in healthcare decisions.
-Evidence of effectiveness is central to care decisions.
-Healthcare decisions must be cost effective.
-There should be continuous oversight of the healthcare system.
-The role of prevention should be promoted.
-All North Carolina citizens should have access to comprehensive healthcare.

Improving NC’s health care will require leadership from many. Please join Representative Insko in this first step towards integrated Health Care for North Carolina.

Business and consumers are calling for meaningful change in our health care system. Over 1 million North Carolinians, 78% of who are in families with at least one full time worker do not have health insurance. The system is only going to get worse, it is time to plan for a better future with a better system. The above information is taken from the letters that hundreds of HCfA members are sending to their legislators. It's time for us to do the same.