Issue Focus: Medicare for All

[rcscastillo]

Description

Drive majority of discussions and strategies (messaging, empowerment, research, resources, partnerships) onto highlighting and supporting the drive for Universal Healthcare and Net Neutrality.

As we have stated, we are focusing on the progressive issues that are at the forefront of our society. ProgCode is a community driven by issues, and as we are aiming to be the technological support arm of the Progressive grassroots movement, we must aim to highlight/amplify/provide support to the community at large.

Note: This does not remove other issues from our sights. It just will give a more elevated focus on Single Payer Healthcare. As the progressive movement at large takes the opportunity of this moment.

Problem

At the moment, we have been very focused on inward issues of communications, as we enter Spring, I think this is a good test case on how we should move forward.

Benefit

Highlight works and issues that are focused on Healthcare and Net Neutrality. Right now, organizations are

Function

General Strategy

Action Points

Forward the email template to the following organizations:

• Healthcare NOW
• National Nurses Union
• Healthy California

• Campaign for New York Healthcare
• Physicians for a National Health Program
• #GetOrganizedBK-New York State Subgroup
• Colorado Cares
• Whole Washington
• Colorado Foundation for Universal Health Care
• NYPAN

Reachout to Media/organizations

• Creative Resistance
• Resistance Media Collective

Plan

• Vote by consent

On Strategic Partnerships

• Trigger partnerships to find organizations / initiatives focused on Single Payer Healthcare (CA and NY groups)
• Aim to build relationships with these organizations
• Find out the stresspoints and issues they are encountering
• Reachout to the network to find stresspoints in scale / provide solutions

On Partner Advocacy

• Highlight works within the networks who are focusing on or giving focus on Single Payer Healthcare.

On Communications / Messaging

• Give at least one release on Social Media per day focused on Healthcare messaging for the next three weeks.

Decision Making

By Consent

FAQs

Are there any asks for the broader community, or are you just looking for a thumbs up as to what you'll be focusing on for the next three weeks?

Question

I took a brief look at the github page. Before voting one way or another, I'd like to have a better idea of what "focusing on Healthcare" means. From what I'm seeing in the strategy document, it looks to be mostly communications work that you'd be doing (or maybe the "leadership team", whoever that is at the moment). Are there any asks for the broader community, or are you just looking for a thumbs up as to what you'll be focusing on for the next three weeks?

Answer
It's more on driving the messaging on the media/outreach, and highlighting issues for the next three weeks.

It also provides us with the confidence of reaching out more to healthcare initiatives and organizations who are pushing for Universal Healthcare.

[jpb5013]

Dig it. I'd take it a step further and use this as an opportunity to formally define our issues we support stemming from money in politics, then we can have a cadence where we amp up priority like this.

Some issues to consider: Healthcare, net neutrality and privacy, more equitable taxation, more representative government selected by grassroots

[rapi-castillo]

Stephen

Focus on state initiatives like in CO, NY, CA, as the congress is mainly against. Stephen and Pam is working with WA right now where there's a group pushing for single payer. They have a tough road to take and they actually need some folks in technology.

These initiatives don't have the same resources that they need.

Wondering if it's not a bad idea who are working on these states, and what kind of apps that have come from progcode and give them feedback. But to make those connections to these initiatives will be

Ellen

Here we are and very happy to be part of this call. As she has been working in NY working specifically on this issue. David sabatos who have worked in CO healthcare so she has worked on something that PRogCode can do this callective call, that they are working with. And they are working with other initiatives.

Help with Stephen

[liantics]

VT has a very strong organization, which has been deeply involved with single-payer organizing since 2008: https://www.workerscenter.org/healthcare

I'm sure they have some really useful lessons learned from the effort in VT.

It's important to note one aspect of VT single payer that the media failed to mention: the Governor, who had originally been against single-payer, then "changed his mind" during the campaign when polling showed him falling behind, subsequently delayed presenting his single-payer plan until the very end of the legislative session.

It turned out that he chose the most expensive possible option with, an actuarial value of 94, rather than an 80 AV plan (which is what the legislature asked for, what all models were designed around, what everyone was expecting, and what people demanded after he came out with the 94 AV plan). This drastically increased the cost of his proposal, to the point where it was unworkable.

Also, he insisted on phasing in the plan over 3 years, which would starve it of revenues early on, requiring a much higher tax impact than anyone was willing to accept (an insane 11.2%).

By presenting it at the very end of the legislative session, there wasn't time for the legislature to implement an alternative. So, basically, he intentionally torpedoed single-payer while giving lip-service to supporting it. Meanwhile, the media has played up the fact that it "failed" in VT as a means of implying that it can't work at all.

I think we could get some valuable info from the folks who've worked in the trenches over the last 9 years on this.

[jpb5013]

Wow, that's quite a ridiculous and frustrating situation! I'd certainly love to hear from and help support the people who were burned in Vermont.

…

On Mon, Mar 27, 2017 at 4:14 PM, Liane Allen ***@***.***> wrote: VT has a very strong organization, which has been deeply involved with single-payer organizing since 2008: https://www.workerscenter.org/ healthcare I'm sure they have some really useful lessons learned from the effort in VT. It's important to note one aspect of VT single payer that the media failed to mention: the Governor, who had originally been against single-payer, then "changed his mind" during the campaign when polling showed him falling behind, subsequently delayed presenting his single-payer plan until the very end of the legislative session. It turned out that he chose the most expensive possible option with, an actuarial value of 94, rather than an 80 AV plan (which is what the legislature asked for, what *all* models were designed around, what everyone was expecting, and what people demanded after he came out with the 94 AV plan). This drastically increased the cost of his proposal, to the point where it was unworkable. Also, he insisted on phasing in the plan over 3 years, which would starve it of revenues early on, requiring a much higher tax impact than anyone was willing to accept (an insane 11.2%). By presenting it at the very end of the legislative session, there wasn't time for the legislature to implement an alternative. So, basically, he intentionally torpedoed single-payer while giving lip-service to supporting it. Meanwhile, the media has played up the fact that it "failed" in VT as a means of implying that it can't work at all. I think we could get some valuable info from the folks who've worked in the trenches over the last 9 years on this. — You are receiving this because you were assigned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#142 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ALZmq5pgMJx_WUjfk2peBOUKVffu4elfks5rqEK8gaJpZM4Mpbji> .

[stephenscapelliti]

Thank you, @liantics. This is the information we never hear. Sounds like purposeful sabotage. Insurance lobbyists would know how to do that.