The Portland city council invites you to testify in SUPPORT of a SINGLE PAYER Resolution at 9:30 AM on Wednesday September 30.

There are very few meaningful public opportunities to express your anger at the despised, failed, for-profit, private health insurance industry and the medical-industrial complex of which they are a part. 

There are very few meaningful public opportunities to express your anger at the Oregon legislature's and the U. S. congress' refusal to allow Oregonians the right to discuss and debate a Single Payer solution to our moral and economic health care crisis.

There are very few meaningful public opportunities to express your anger at the Oregon legislature's recent BILLION dollar, illegitimately derived health care legislation that INCREASED the cost of health insurance premiums for individuals and public entities throughout Oregon.

Regardless of where you live, at 9:30 AM on Wednesday September 30, you will have an opportunity to speak out for Single Payer at Portland's city hall. Don't Miss It!

Who's Already On Board With Single Payer?

The following groups support a Single Payer Solution to America's/Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis:

AFL-CIO

AFSCME District Council 75

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757

American Federation of Government Employees Local 2157

American Federation of Teachers Local 5017

Democratic Party of Lane County

Freedom Socialist Party

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees

Lane County Commission

Mad As Hell Doctors

Multnomah County Commission

Oregon Academy of Family Physicians

Oregon Education Association

Oregon Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals

Oregon Nurses Association

Oregon Teamsters Local 206

Pacific Green Party of Oregon

Painters Local 10

State Council of Machinists (IAM)

What Are The Meanings And Implications Of Support For Single Payer?

1. Single Payer is the preferred solution to our moral and economic health care crisis at the national and state level.

2. Acknowledgement that the Oregon legislature and the U.S. congress have denied Portlanders, Oregonians and Americans the right to discuss and debate a Single Payer solution.

3. Rejection and repeal of the Oregon legislature's recent BILLION dollar, illegitimately derived health care bill and the increases it forced on the health insurance premiums of every individual and public entity in Oregon. 

4. Support for the following:

February 8, 2009 [This message was also sent in 2007. My single payer Oregon Community Health Care Bill was written in November 2004.]

Dear House Speaker Hunt and Senate President Courtney Et. Al.:

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 2004

Sam Adams - Portland City Council 2007

Jeff Cogen - Multnomah County Commissioner 2007

Edwars "Chip" Enbody - Hubbard City Council 2007

Darrell Flood - Mayor of Lafayette 2007

Bill Hall - Lincoln County Commissioner 2007

Jim Needham - Mollala City Council 2007

Michelle Ripple - Wilsonville City Council 2007

Mary Schamehorn - Mayor of Bandon 2007

Pete Sorenson - Lane County Commissioner 2007

John Frohnmayer - Former candidate for US Senate 2008

Tim Grimes - Staton City Council 2008

David P. Trott - Mayor City of Umatilla 2008

Bill Dwyer - Lane County Commissioner 2008

Dan K. Cummings - Ontario City Council President 2008

Mark Camra - Toledo City Councilor 2009

Don Porter - Mayor of Long Creek 2009

Thomas Bradley - Long Creek City Council 2009

Fred Drake - Long Creek City Council 2009

Alvin Hunt - Long Creek City Council 2009

[Copies of this letter were sent to all members of the 2009 Oregon Legislature]

5. Support for Oregon Single Payer Sick Out Day. Nancy Pelosi has agreed to allow HR 676 (Single Payer) to be offered as an amendment to HR 3200 for a full house debate and vote. It will be a momentous occasion. The first time any member of congress has been allowed/forced to vote on a single payer solution. The event demands action from those of us, including the Portland, Multnomah and Lane county governments, who support a single payer solution to Oregon's and America's moral and economic health care crisis

Single payer supporters will gather in late September or early October in demonstrations at congressional offices throughout Oregon. The date will be determined by the scheduled vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Single Payer HR 676. Demonstrations will be most effective a week or so before the vote. There will be very little notice from the Speaker's office, a week or less, announcing the date of the debate and vote. The best way to be alerted is to sign up here: http://www.majorityleader.gov/email_and_rss/email_updates/ and click on The Weekly Leader check box.

Oregon Health Watchers will be alerted as soon as I receive any notice to set a date for an Oregon wide demonstration. In keeping with article 3 of its Single Payer resolution (see below) the Portland city council should also make a public announcement. Prepare yourself for short notice. Bring a lunch, bring a friend, bring a sign. Every Oregonian that supports a Single Payer health care solution, especially those members of the groups listed above and those members of the Portland city council - and their staffs - that vote for this resolution, is invited to take to the streets and take control of the health care debate.

6. A public assignment to Portland's lobbyists to actively and aggressively pursue immediately ALL of the above.

Every public institution in Oregon, cities, counties, school districts etc., should adopt Portland's proposed resolution supporting a Single Payer solution to Oregon's/America's moral and economic health care crisis.

It is very important that when you testify in support of the Single Payer Resolution at 9:30 AM on Wednesday September 30 that you impress upon the Portland city council that the words of this resolution without followup ACTION are an empty and self-serving gesture.

Richard Ellmyer

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RESOLUTION No. 

Urge Congress to enact the United States National Health Care Act sponsored by 

Representative John Conyers. (Resolution) 

WHEREAS, all people deserve equal access to quality health care; and 

WHEREAS, there is a growing crisis in health care in the United States of America, 

manifested in rising health care costs, increased premiums, out-of-pocket 

spending, and decreased international business competitiveness; and 

WHEREAS, approximately one third of Oregonians lacked health insurance at some time 

in 2007-2008; and 

WHEREAS, those insured now often experience burdensome medical debt; and 

WHEREAS, half of all personal bankruptcies are due to illnesses or medical bills; and 

WHEREAS, the rising costs of insuring city employees can best be met not by limiting 

their benefits or terminating their employment, but by expanding their health 

care benefits under a national, publicly-funded health care program; and 

WHEREAS, the complex bureaucracy arising from our fragmented, for-profit, multi-payer 

system of health care financing consumes approximately 30 percent of the 

United States health care spending while Medicare has a 3 percent overhead; 

and 

WHEREAS, United States Representative John Conyers introduced H.R. 676, the United 

States National Health Care Act, in the United States House of 

Representatives for the 111th Congress; and 

WHEREAS, this Act would provide a universal, comprehensive, single-payer system of 

high quality national health care;  

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Portland: 

1. Respectfully urges the United States Congress to enact the United States National 

Health Care Act sponsored by Representative John Conyers. 

2. Directs the City Attorney to transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the 

United States and to members of the Oregon congressional delegation accompanied 

by letters urging them to work to adopt and implement the United States National 

Health Care Act (Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act) as defined in H.R. 

676 to provide for comprehensive health care coverage for all United States 

residents. 

3. Affirms that the Council of the City of Portland will use the City’s website, public 

meetings, news releases, and other forms of communication to encourage Portland 

residents to participate actively in the democratic process by informing their elected 

officials of their wishes and expectations regarding H.R. 676 and other matters of 

public concern. 

 

Cosponsors:  

Mayor Sam Adams 

Commissioner Randy Leonard 

Commissioner Amanda Fritz