The cowardly Democratic "leadership" in the Oregon Senate got in bed with Republican Social Darwinists in the Oregon House sending the Oregon Democratic Party into dissension and disarray over health care reform at the recent close of the special legislative session. Flipping a very big bird to Representative Mitch Greenlick the Democrats in control of the Oregon Senate said, "no way" are we going to allow Oregon voters to have a say on a fundamental public policy issue, namely: Should Oregonians have a constitutional right to health care?

If the Democrats controlling the Oregon Senate are afraid the public will oppose a constitutional right to health care  then how in the world do they expect to sell a BILLION dollar tax increase to pay for SB329 during the 2009 legislative session?

Keeping the question of health care as a right of citizenship off the public agenda also helps keep the other fundamental health care question away from public debate, namely, should the failed private health insurance industry continue to be the model for health care reform in Oregon and America? Despite the Democrat's self-defeating maneuvers to keep the public and the press from discussing various health care reform plans to resolve Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis (remember Merkley, Greenlick et. al. kept competitive ideas away from their private process - see letter below) there are at least four races that will put this issue on the table.

The US Senate race among John Frohnmayer, Jeff Merkley and Gordon Smith brings three competing views of health care reform in Oregon and the United States to the public arena. Only Frohnmayer supports the Oregon Community Health Care Bill and a single payer solution at the federal level. Both of these plans reject the failed private health insurance industry model. Three of the six candidates for Portland city council Position #1, Mike Fahey - John Branam - Jeff Bissonnette, support the Oregon Community Health Care Bill. Sam Adams, Portland mayoral candidate, supports the Oregon Community Health Care Bill. Pete Sorenson, former gubernatorial candidate and candidate for reelection to the Lane County Commission supports the Oregon Community Health Care Bill. Voters seriously interested in health care reform will have a clear choice in these races and perhaps some others.

Dislodging the failed private health insurance industry from its unalterable profit oriented control of the health care delivery system in Oregon and America will require the same level of effort involved in achieving a woman's right to vote, civil rights for all citizens and an end to slavery in America. This is the level of conflict we are facing.

We must ask and then demand answers from every candidate for public office in our state of Oregon:

1. Do you accept the public policy that every Oregonian has a right to health care?

2. Do you agree that health care reform plans for Oregon should NOT be based on the failed private health insurance industry model?

Then, armed with this information, we Oregon voters will decide, like those Oregonians who came before us, what rights we are entitled to and how we can successfully achieve and guarantee those rights.


Richard Ellmyer

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March 12, 2007

Dear House Speaker Merkley and Senate President Courtney:

The current legislative debate over health care reform in our state does not include our view that the profit oriented private health insurance industry must not be the model upon which a solution to Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis should be based and that Oregon elected officials - public employees - voters and taxpayers must have equal access to the same level of health care not a perpetuation of our current multitiered health insurance class system.

We request that you find a place holder bill in each chamber which would substitute in its entirety the language of the Oregon Community Health Care Bill (see attached) so that an alternative choice may be discussed and debated this session. The Oregon Community Health Care Bill is the only current fully formed piece of proposed legislation which supports our vision of health care reform. We would welcome others that also meet our requirements.

Thank you for your attention.


Sincerely,

Richard Ellmyer - Oregon Community Health Care Bill author 

Sam Adams - Portland City Council

Jeff Cogen - Multnomah County Commissioner

Edwars "Chip" Enbody - Hubbard City Council

Darrell Flood - Mayor of Lafayette

Bill Hall - Lincoln County Commissioner

Jim Needham - Mollala City Council

Michelle Ripple - Wilsonville City Council

Mary Schamehorn - Mayor of Bandon

Pete Sorenson - Lane County Commissioner