Exciting New Opportunities for Single Payer

Ten years after its founding, Health Care for All - California has grown from a small group of dedicated single payer supporters into a statewide organization with over 30 chapters and an incredible list of organizational achievements. We have accomplished much to put the issue of universal, single payer health care back in the public view and a top priority for leadership in California. Our successes have been many, but....it is time to escalate our work and broaden our support base so that we have a massive grassroots movement that can't be ignored! To realize this goal, Health Care for All - California is introducing its "OneCareNow" Campaign for successful passage of SB840 to attain universal health insurance in this state. Vote Health is the East Bay affiliate of HCA-CA. and will be discussing this campaign at our meeting March 20.

The OneCareNow Campaign defines, in simple terms, our unique California version of "single payer" health care: OneCareNow means one plan, NOW. It means one standard of high quality care for all. It is one risk pool that includes everyone, for insurance that covers everyone. OneCareNow clearly states what we are fighting for.

The OneCareNow Campaign includes a statewide petition drive for SB 840 and the 365-City Campaign, which will be the primary organizational framework for building our movement into a major political force. The central idea of the 365-City Campaign is simple - starting in August of this year, there will be an activity every day in a different city or town focused on educating and promoting universal health care insurance with the local government, schools, officials, officeholders, etc., starting with the 365th largest California city and culminating a year later in California's largest city, Los Angeles. A week later, people from the 365 cities (and everywhere else in the state) will hold a huge rally in Sacramento for universal health insurance.

This effort will broadly expand the push for universal health insurance into many new areas of this large state and effectively educate millions of people in California about our sane alternative to this crumbling health care system. Clearly, this effort cannot be accomplished without the collaboration and cooperation of our many organizational allies, and the campaign provides an ideal method for facilitating coalition work for expanding the universal health insurance movement.

Next Monday, March 20, the members of Vote Health will discuss the plan and decide how we will participate in the campaign. It is an opportunity to activate our membership, be creative, and build our base. Please come to our meeting to provide your input and learn more about this exciting campaign.

For questions or if you want to participate in the campaign, please call Vote Health at (510) 832-8683. For information in general about SB840, including copies of the petition you can download, check healthcareforall.org. To sign the petition online, you can also go to OneCareNow.org, which will soon be the online home for this campaign

Newsletter committee:
Jan Arnold, Bradley Cleveland, Kay Eisenhower and Jim Forsyth.
Our thanks to CA Nurses Association for their help in producing this newsletter.