Health Care Is A Right NOT A Privilege

Health Insurance is NOT Health Care

Every Oregonian Deserves Equal Access To The Same Level Of Health Care

2006

Wyden Versus Westlund / Federal Versus Oregon / Private Versus Public - The Fundamental Health Care Battles 12/18/06

There is a significantly and arguably greater chance of solving Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis which is to bring affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions by:
A. The Oregon legislature in Salem
B. The national congress in Washington D.C.

Universal Health Care Plan - DOA 12/9/06

There is ONLY one way to make health care affordable (not "lower cost" whatever that is) to Oregonians AND Oregon's public institutions and that is to remove the private health insurance industry as a model and player from the solution. This proposal does not do that. It must fail.

Send Richard Ellmyer To Salem 11/27/06

It doesn't matter that the Democrats will control our state government. They are just as beholden to their special economic interest groups, visionless and afraid to tackle the failed private health insurance industry as Republican legislators. Democrat and Republican legislators are personally unmotivated because all of them are protected by the best health insurance coverage that Oregon taxpayers can provide. Not a single Democrat in the 2007 legislature nor Ted Kulongoski, the Democratic governor, has a health care plan which is competitive with the Oregon Community Health Care Bill. The highly probable FAILURE to bring affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions during the 2007 legislative session will now be the UNEQUIVOCAL, INDISPUTABLE and UNDENIABLE responsibility of the DEMOCRATS.

Health Care Cost Reduction Missing From Portland's Wish List 11/17/06

The city of Portland has delivered $12,000,000 LESS in public services since Tom Potter took office. By the time his term is up that figure will have risen to $25,000,000 in undelivered public services. And yet, with the exception of commissioner Sam Adams, neither Potter nor any other member of Portland's city council has either a plan or even the slightest interest in reducing the skyrocketing and unstoppable annual rise in our city's health care costs.

Fewer Statistics More Relevant Questions Moves The Health Care Debate 8/30/06

It is irrelevant that the percentage of those without health insurance in Oregon remained constant. So what? The more important fact/statistic is that the 2007 Oregon legislature will fail to bring affordable health care to Oregonians and OREGON'S PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS (which will spend roughly $625,000,000 in INCREASED health care costs during the next governor's term) because better than 99% of the CANDIDATES for our legislature and neither of the candidates for governor have a viable public health care solution to Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis.

2007 Legislature Destined For Health Care Failure 8/1/06

There is no need to wait until August 2007 to find out if our next legislative assembly will bring affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions. The results are already in. The 2007 legislative assembly will fail.

A Healthy Oregon. Are We All In This Together? 7/10/06

There are a number of reasons why the federal government, the private health insurance industry and the Oregon legislature have been unable to provide affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions. At the top of the list is the prevailing, currently acceptable rejection of the "Common Good."

On May 16th Send Your Message For Affordable Health Care 4/28/06

Write in HEALTH CARE next to every candidate that is running unopposed and for every position that you would otherwise leave blan

Pete Sorenson - Best Choice For Affordable Health Care 4/24/06

The gubernatorial health care debates are over and there is a clear winner - Pete Sorenson.

Better Late Than Never - Candidates For Governor Finally Debate Health Care 4/19/06

The generously health care covered members of Portland's City Club were so disinterested in the moral and economic health care crisis facing our state that despite being told by political professionals in their own forum that health care would be the leading issue in the governor's race, not a single question on health care was asked to any of the three Republican candidates for governor that recently debated before them. Shameful.

Hill Joins Kulongoski - Same Old Same Old - Boring & Bankrupt 4/4/06

Jim Hill's fantasy solutions to Oregon's health care crisis: try to persuade the legislature to increase funding to the Oregon Health Plan and pray with John Kitzhaber that the federal government - currently defined as George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Dennis Hastert and Dr. Bill "Terry Shivo is Not in a vegetative state, the video told me so" Frist - will bring affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions before hell freezes over.

Portland City Council Establishes Faith Based Negotiating On Health Care 4/3/06

The elected leaders of Oregon's largest city have broken new ground in public administration by officially adopting the faith based technique called management-by-hope. A distinction without a difference from management-by-prayer. President Bush, those who derisively refer to the "peoples republic of Portland," teachers and students of political science around our state please take note. Portland City Commissioners joined their elected colleagues at the Portland School Board who also believe that their job is primarily to make sure that those bargaining units that helped them get elected get the best health care coverage taxpayer's money can buy. Portland's city council and its school board are not moved by the fact that together they will face $50,000,000 in INCREASED health care costs during mayor Potter's term in office. Portland's city council and its school board do not discuss their responsibility nor the details of $50,000,000 in lost services.

Tom Potter And Ron Saxton - Two Sides Of The Same Coin 3/27/06

If you thought that facing $25,000,000 in INCREASED health care costs for Portland during his term as mayor or sitting in the Oregon governor's chair for the next four years while watching public jurisdictions throughout our state spend $625,000,000 in INCREASED health care costs would prompt a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican to propose action to deal with these crises, you would be wrong.

The Tip Of The Iceberg 3/6/06

The latest evidence that our public treasuries are bleeding to death, to the point that a "patient" may die, was revealed in a recent story in the Oregonian reported by Shelby Oppel Wood.

Ater Wynne Legal Beagles Follow Alpha Male Saxton Down Archaic Charity Health Care Path 2/27/06

President George W. Bush would be impressed with the lockstep loyalty commanded by law firm Ater Wynne for its public leader and gubernatorial candidate, Ron Saxton. This blind obeisance begs the question: Are Ater Wynne's clients also required to swear allegiance to the archaic health care policy advocated by Ron Saxton that is obediently embraced by Saxton's lawyer colleagues at Ater Wynne?

Kulongoski - Wrong Goal Wrong Plan 2/10/06

"Effective, affordable health care should not be a 'perk' that's available only to the very rich," Kulongoski said.

What our governor should have said was, "Effective, affordable health care should not be a 'perk' that's available only to PUBLIC EMPLOYEES like Kulongoski, every Oregon Legislator and the very rich."

The GOAL is to solve these moral and economic problems which have been caused by a failure of the federal government and the private insurance industry ASAP.

Let The Games Begin 2/8/06

Health care benefit negotiations are no longer a private matter between a few civil servants discussing how much of the public treasury should be spent on those sitting at the table. Every health care benefit package negotiated by every public jurisdiction affects every Oregonian's ability to find affordable health care. Candidates for public office that believe health care should be a matter of charity not government, elected officials that believe the federal government will solve Oregon's health care crisis and bargaining units that believe that they deserve better health care protection than the taxpayers who pay for that health care must all be exposed and held to account in the court of public opinion. You, my dear readers, are that court.

Oregon Businesses Satisfied With Health Care Status Quo 2/2/06

The overall cost of health care has doubled in the last 12 years and still is rising at four times the rate of inflation. Today there is no graver threat to American business competitiveness than the exploding cost of health care."

And yet, in Oregon, all the evidence from the business community points to maintaining the status quo. Why is that?

Richard Ellmyer On Oregon's Public Health Care Policy