Physicians for a National Health Program - Washington


Coming Events:
PNHPWA Next Monthly Meeting - Wed, November 18th, 7pm
Program - Report Back from PNHP Annual Meeting in Chicago

Calendars

October
November

     



Remembering
Dr. George Martin 

George M. Martin, M.D. passed away on December 17, 2022 at the age of 95. A renowned geroscientist, George was devoted to nurturing the next generation of physicians and scientists. He was equally passionate about the need for universal health care and was an active member of the Washington Chapter of PNHP. 

The George M. Martin Student Scholarship Fund provides financial support for medical students to participate in PNHP conferences and events, in the belief and hope that the next generation of physicians will realize the vision of a national health care plan that provides health care for all.
Donate to the GM Student Scholarship Fund Here

So far, more than $20,000 has been donated

PNHP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your donation to this scholarship fund is tax-deductible; our tax ID# is 04-2937697.



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HJM is a blog that replaces Don McCanne's Quote of the Day. It arrives in your mailbox 2-3 times/week focusing on an issue or recent report of current interest, with commentary by Don and other health policy experts.
Read recent HJM's and Subscribe here
 




State Organizations
advocating for
Health Care
is a Human Right

-Health Care for All Washington
-Health Care is a Human Right - Washington
-
Vermont Workers Center
-Health Care for All Oregon
-Maine People's Alliance

-Whole Washington



Organizations advocating for
single payer, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All in Western Washington

*Health Care for All -WA
*Progressive Democrats of America
*
Health Care is a Human Right - WA  
*Socialist Alternative
*Washington Community Action Network
*Backbone Campaign
*Whole Washington



 

 









It's Time to Add Your Voice

Since 1987 Physicians for a National Health Program has advocated for reform in the U.S. health care system. A large part of our work involves mobilizing physicians, other health care workers, and the general public to actively advocate for enactment of a national, comprehensive, high quality, non-profit, publicly-funded health care system serving all residents of the United States.



Coming Events:

PNHPWA November Monthly Meeting
"Report Back from the PNHP Annual Meeting in Chicago"

Speakers - Multiple Attendees


PNHP's Annual Meeting will be held in Chicago, Nov 13-15, focusing on strategy after we see what happens in the Mid-Term Elections. Many PNHPWA and WA SNaHP members will be attending and our November 18th PNHPWA meeting will be a "report back" - Register for the Meeting Here


                                  Health Care for All WA 2026 Annual Educational Conference & Business Meeting

In Person and Zoom.

 

 

Join the movement for healthcare justice in Washington

Come spend an afternoon with the organizers, advocates, and lawmakers who are building a Washington where healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Bring your questions. Bring a friend. Bring your fight. 

 

 

Join us at noon for a light lunch before the meeting starts at 1:00 PM PST!

Keynote Speakers:
 Rep. Tarra Simmons

Washington state Representative from LD 23. She is a leader in the fight for affordability in healthcare, food assistance, housing, and education. Come hear her strong voice and her fight for everyone in the community.

Rep. Nicole Macri

Washington state Representative from LD 43. She is a true healthcare champion who has led our state on the pathway to universal healthcare including the creation of the Universal Health Care Commission. She is an advocate for affordable healthcare for the most vulnerable members of our community, reproductive health access, long-term care for our loved ones, and behavioral health and essential issues in overcoming substance use disorders. She works tirelessly to overcome homelessness and expand LGTBQ civil rights.

Featured Speaker: Sheldon Toubman, Disability Rights Connecticut

What if we could deliver better care, cover more people, and save money — all at once? Connecticut did it. Sheldon Toubman helped lead the fight to move the management of their Medicaid program from for-profit entities back to the state.

Sheldon will share how they won the fight, what it means for Washington’s Apple Health program, and why HCFA-WA is pushing for a Washington study to measure the savings we could unlock by following Connecticut’s lead. This is the evidence-based strategy that we need.

Preview our 2027 Legislative Agenda, Measure our Progress, Approve Officers and Budgets

All are welcome at this public meeting, but only members may vote. Become a member today!

Please join us to guide our work for the next year.


Past Events:


         

PNHP March 24th Webinar "Moral Injury in Medicine: The Human Costs of Practicing in a Profit-Driven System"



PNHP National hosted a Webinar on March 24th on the results of the survery of more than 1200 providers about the problem of limitations of providing their patients with the treatment they need because of constraints of for-profit insurance and their workplace that puts pressure on them to withhold the care their patients need to save costs to the busineses.
           
It reported what physicians shared, key themes, and what the data reveals about the financialization of healthcare; and provided concrete ways you can engage with our report — from using the findings in local advocacy and publications to organizing with colleagues to build collective power. This isn’t just a presentation of findings. It’s a launch point for action! You can read the full report here
View a Video of the Webinar Here




Ask to be placed on Congresswoman Pramila's Jayapal's email list here
 

Pramila knew we need a way to tu
rn our anger, fear, and frustration into action and progress. That’s exactly why she launched The Resistance Lab, an in-depth organizing training to build our movement and give you the tools you need in this moment. The Resistance Lab is a series of trainings that are developed specifically for this moment. We look at how non-violent movements around the world have responded to leaders who seize power in authoritarian ways and the most effective tools and tactics to utilize in these moments. We offer frameworks to understand this moment at home, and incorporate interactive conversation with others to help create community and build our resistance movement. The scary truth is that democracies fall in a matter of months. So this is an immediate, urgent matter – and we need to quickly build our capacity to resist. Register link & info here



Things You Can Do Now

 T
here are potentially disastrous things going on in Washington DC that may well diminish the access to health care that we do have. Click on this toolkit several of our allies put together for contacting our representatives to ask them to help stop attacks on Medicaid.
Here is a Medicaid defense resource list. You can find a Congressional directory at this link: House Telephone Directory


PNHP Releases Research Report titled “Taking Advantage: How Corporate Health Insurers Harm America’s Seniors.” You can download the an interactive PDF version of the report. Lots of important info here to help us in our work. Spread the word & PDF link.



"Taking Advantage: How Corporate Health Insurers HARM America's Seniors"

Delays. Denials. Unexpected out-of-pocket costs. Everywhere people with so-called “Medicare Advantage” plans turn, they encounter barriers to the care they need—and the care their physicians have prescribed.  Join us to learn about the many ways that corporate health insurers harm seniors and people with disabilities—and how YOU can fight back. 

Our program included:

* Sen. Elizabeth Warren urging advocates (and her fellow legislators) to stand up and reclaim Medicare as a public program
* Dr. Ed Weisbart presenting a new report on the harm caused by Medicare Advantage corporations, researched by Physicians for a National Health Program
* Personal stories of patients and physicians who have been harmed by Medicare Advantage corporations

We also had suggestions on how YOU can take action to end the abuses of corporate health insurance, dramatically improve the traditional Medicare program, and put the U.S. on a path to a Medicare-for-All system that brings everybody in and leaves nobody out. You can watch the video of the Webinar here



New - PNHP National Calendar - click here to see what other PNHP chapters are offering online in terms of webinars.

 


PNHP Celebrates 35 Years of Activism

Since 1988, PNHP has been organizing so that everyone in the US has the health care they need. Watch this 5 minute video reflecting that 37 years of activism


 


PNHP Landmark Study!

PNHP has published a groundbreaking report—developed by our policy committee and reviewed by independent health policy experts—that quantifies the extent of Medicare Advantage overpayments.   Our research and this report estimate that Medicare Advantage plans overcharge taxpayers by a minimum of 22% (or $88 billion) per year, and potentially by up to 35% (or $140 billion) per year. Read the study here.



 

Med Advantage Fact Sheet one pager to accompany surveys and petition
1.Medicare Beneficiary short Survey - online and  print versions
2. Physicians short Survey - online and print versions
3. Medicare Advantage Petition for everyone to sign - to demand Congress and President Biden protect Medicare beneficiaries by cracking down on insurance company abuses and by significantly improving the traditional, public Medicare program 


 


Join Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action. PSARA has been doing amazing andeffective organising work around all the social justice issues in our area for many years. It is leading the charge against Medicare in the Pacific Northwest, and indeed, buttressing efforts of other progressive health reform organisations across the country. Please take a look at the PSARA website and its monthly newsletter, The Retiree Advocate, and consider joining to help support its groundbreaking work



Chris Currie's updated eBook "A Medicare for All Q&A"- Click here

The George Martin Student Scholarship Fund now has more than $24,000 in contributions providing support for the 5 SNaHP Chapters in our region






PNHPWA Web Site - pnhpwashington.org
PNHPWA Email - pnhp.washington@gmail.com
PNHPWA YouTube Channel
 

Coalition Partner Websites
Health Care for All Washington
Health Care is a Human Right Washington
Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action
Whole Washington






Watch most PNHPWA Previous Monthly Meetings


PNHPWA YouTube Channel



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