09/07/2010
I. Present: Jim Scott, Kris Alman, Steve Weiss, Paul Gorman, Peter Mahr, Sam Metz
II. Work Session
1.PNHP Portland Leadership Changes:
Peter will be away for 6 months volunteering at a small hospital in rural Sierra Leone. In the meantime Sam Metz, Kris Alman and Paul Gorman will prepare and run the PNHP Portland Meetings. This will start with Sam Metz chairing the 11/10 meeting which will likely be changed to the second Tuesday of the month so that we can debrief the PNHP national Meeting which is being held the first weekend of November.
2. PNHP Portland Focus: We agreed to focus on 3 things for the next 6 months. First continue our work helping write and introduce a single payer bill for OR. Second participate in and help prepare for a statewide single payer conference which will be held in early 2011. Third, continue outreach and presentations to interested groups when available.
3.Chapter growth and recruitment: we lament that there is such a small group of us for such an important issue. We will not focus on recruiting more members. We will continue to ask for support and volunteer help from our members especially in the core activities mentioned above.
4.Budget: We have $1200 to spend. We are using $600 to help fund a feasibility study of the single payer bill. We will help support the single payer conference. We decided to award a scholarship to an OHSU medical student PNHP member to attend the national meeting in November. Paul Gorman will coordinate this.
III. PNHP Portland Updates.
1. State of Oregon Single Payer Bill: Kris Alman reported that she continues to work with a group from Jobs with Justice, Health Care for all Oregonians, PNHP Corvallis Chapter and others to write a single payer bill for the State of OR. The timeline is to finish writing the bill by October and have it introduced by its sponsor, Michael Dembrow, later this year.. The group has hired an economist to do a feasibility study of the bill as well. An important victory for true single payer advocates is that there is no Taft Hartley exemption written into the bill at this point and Kris feels that this will stand. The funding mechanism is yet to be determined. We anticipate that we will need help in educating and advocating for this bill both publically and directly to our legislators. There are also likely to be hearings on the bill in which we will need PNHP volunteers to testify and attend. Please let Kris Alman know if you want to get involved.
2. The Oregon Single Payer Conference: Sam Metz is on the committee to plan and prepare for a grand state-wide event: a single payer conference for all Oregonians. The national Presbyterian Church awarded Jobs with Justice and PNHP a $2000 grant to pull this off. The committee will be meeting the first Tuesday of every month. Their first meeting was 9/7/10. They anticipate a full day event on a Saturday inn January with 3-4 speakers, 3-4 panels and featuring the single payer bill prominently. They really want to involve people and groups from Eastern and Southern Oregonians well as student groups at PSU and OHSU. We need volunteers for this event. Please help. Contact Sam Metz to get involved.
3. OHSU PNHP chapter: the students are active. Paul Gorman reports that they have finished their VACUUM project which a web site is featuring the stories of those who are uninsured or underinsured. Check out more information at this site: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-medicine/about/voicesofuninsured33010.cfm
They are also working of student surveys demonstrating student support for access to health care services for all. Paul is running another health reform class this semester.
IV Upcoming Events
1. The Oregon Health Policy Board is holding 6 hearing around Oregon to take public comment on the implementation of PPACA in OR especially focusing on the exchange. We strongly ask for PNHP members to come to the Portland hearing on Monday 9/13/10 at 6-8 PM University Place, Columbia Falls Room, 310 SW Lincoln St.
More info at:
http://www.oregon.gov/OHA/features/community-meetings.shtml
Please come ready to ask a version of the following pointed questions:
-How is an exchange better than single payer?
-How does an exchange prevent medical bankruptcy or underinsurance?
-How does an exchange prevent unaffordable co pays, deductibles and coinsurance given that 25% of all businesses are offering health plans with $1000 deductibles and the cost to employees of employer-based insurance rose 14% last year and is now $4000 a year for simply the premium?
How will an exchange protect someone from losing access to health insurance upon losing a job?
– How many of you in this room would prefer a single payer health program to an exchange featuring private insurance?
2. PNHP National Meeting:
November 5th and 6th, Denver. More info at: http://www.pnhp.org/about/annual-meeting-leadership-training
3. Mad As Hell Doctors CA Tour: 9/23 to 10/10. Please donate money for this tour to support single payer in CA. Also please inform your friends and colleagues in CA about these events. Go to http://madashelldoctors.com/ for more info and a map detailing the tour dates and stops.
V. Next Meeting: 10/5/10 8 PM.