National Health Council Presidential Initiative

Columbus & Cleveland Rallys for Health Care Coverage!

2008-02-11T07:41:00.001-08:00

The National Health Council, in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association, will sponsor town hall meeting and news conferences on Wednesday, February 27 in Cleveland and Thursday, February 28, 2008 in Columbus, OH. The events start at 10:00am and end at 11:30am.

People and families affected by disease and/or disability are strongly encouraged to attend. A similar event in Columbia, SC generated significant media coverage.

A statement signed by 48 CEOs of the nation's leading patient groups will be released. The statement highlights the lack of effective coverage for millions of Americans and seeks to educate political candidates about the need for solutions. The event will also feature patients' personal stories on this important topic.

A "town hall" meeting will follow the news conference and highlight how people and families can become more involved in this effort. Presidential candidates and their staff will be invited to participate in the event.

The event in Columbus will take place in the Clinton Room of the Fawcett Center at The Ohio State University (2400 Olentangy River Rd.). For directions, please visit the Fawcett Center website at www.fawcettcenter.com or call them at 614-292-1342. Click here for a flyer with more details.

The event in Cleveland will take place in Salon F of the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center (127 Public Sq.). Parking is free (mention “National Health Council” to attendant). For directions, call 216.696.9200 or visit the hotel's website. Click here for a flyer with more details.

There is no admission cost and no tickets are required. The general public is also encouraged to attend.

For more information, please contact Joseph LaMountain at joseph.lamountain@gmail.com or 202.288.5124. We look forward to seeing you on February 28th!

Council to Sponsor 11/29 Event in Columbia, SC

2007-11-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

The National Health Council, in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association, will sponsor a town hall meeting and news conference on Thursday, November 29, 2007 in Columbia, SC. People and families affected by disease and/or disability are strongly encouraged to attend.

A statement signed by 48 CEOs of the nation's leading patient groups will be released. The statement highlights the lack of effective coverage for millions of Americans and seeks to educate political candidates about the need
for solutions. The event will also feature patients' personal stories on this important topic.

A "town hall" meeting will follow the news conference and highlight how people and families can become more involved in this effort. Presidential candidates and their staff will be invited to participate in the event.

The event will take place at the River Center at Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Bush River Rd. in Columbia (directions below). The event starts at 9:30am and ends at 11:00am.

To register, please contact Joseph LaMountain at
joseph.lamountain@gmail.com or 202.288.5124.

Directions to the River Center at Saluda Shoals Park:
From I-20: Exit at Bush River Road and turn west on Bush River. Turn left onto St. Andrews Road at the traffic light. At the third traffic light, turn left again on Bush River Road. The Park entrance will be 1.5 miles on your left. From I-26: Exit at Piney Grove and turn west. Proceed 2 miles to St. Andrews Road. Turn right onto St. Andrews, then left at the first traffic light onto Bush River Road. The Park entrance is 1.5 miles on your left. After entering the park: Follow the road across the bridge and past the building with the drive through. Proceed to the stop sign and go straight up the hill. The entrance to the River Center parking lot will be the first left. For more information, please call the Park at (803) 731-5208 or visit www.icrc.net/SaludaShoals.

Council to Jointly Sponsor Nashua, NH News Conference

2007-08-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

The National Health Council, in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association, will sponsor a news conference on September 6, 2007 in Nashua, New Hampshire.

People and families affected by disease and/or disability are strongly encouraged to attend and show their support (register here).

A statement signed by 50 CEOs of the nation's leading voluntary health associations will be released at the event. The statement highlights the lack of effective coverage for millions of Americans and seeks to educate Presidential candidates about the need for specific solutions to the problem. The event will also feature patients' personal stories about their inability to obtain effective and affordable health and long-term care coverage.

The event will take place in the Theater of the Nashua Public Library located at 2 Court Street in Nashua, New Hampshire. The starting time for the event is 9:30am. Directions to the library are also included at the end of this message.

A brief "town hall" meeting will take place at the end of the news conference at approximately 10:30am. Here, people and families affected by disease and/or disability, can learn how to become more involved in this initiative.

For additional information, please contact Joseph LaMountain at joseph.lamountain@gmail.com or 202.288.5124.

* * * DIRECTIONS TO NASHUA, NH PUBLIC LIBRARY * * *

Directions to the Main Library at 2 Court Street

From the South:
• Take Everett Turnpike (Rte. 3) north. When you see the sign for Exit 5/Route 111, get in the right lane.
• Get off at Exit 5-E, Rte. 111 East (Kinsley St.).
• Take Rte. 111 East to the fourth set of lights and turn left onto Main St..
• Follow Main St. north and at the third set of lights turn right onto Temple St.
• Take Temple St. to the second left onto Cottage Ave. and into the City's metered parking lot.

From the North:
• Take Everett Turnpike (Rte. 3) to Exit 7-E, Rte. 101-A (Amherst St.).
• Take Rte. 101-A to the major intersection and turn right onto Main St.
• Follow Main St. south and at the third set of lights turn left onto Temple St.
• Take Temple St. to the second left onto Cottage Ave. and into the City's metered parking lot.

What are the Candidates Saying About Health Care?

2007-08-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

From The New York Times 2008 Election Guide...

Presidential candidates in both parties are promising to overhaul the nation's health care system and cover more — if not all — of the nation's uninsured. In 2005, 44.8 million people — 15.3 percent of the population — were without health insurance, according to estimates released by the Census Bureau in March.

The leading Democrats are competing among themselves over who has the better plan to control costs and approach universal coverage. The Republicans, for the most part, are promising to expand coverage without increasing the role of the federal government, and reduce cost through tax incentives.

Most of the candidates have not presented a detailed outline of their health care plans, but here is what they have said so far.

Gov. Mitt Romney on MA Health Reform Law

2007-08-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

From the Wednesday, August 15 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes...

BOB BECKEL (Guest Co-host): Governor, I wanted — followed your work as governor of Massachusetts on health insurance in the state of Massachusetts where you worked with the Democrats and I thought did a phenomenal job getting a plan through that called for everyone to buy health insurance and for those who could not afford it, the state would pay for it.

That was one of the most forward thinking plans I've seen, and yet for some reason, you don't seem to talk about this in front of conservative Republican groups. Is there a reason why you don't take credit for it?

ROMNEY: You must not be going to my meetings, because every single speech I give that I can think of, every one of my — we call them "Ask Mitt Anything" town halls, I talk about my health care plan, which is a way to get people in this country insured without expanding government programs, without expanding Medicaid, but instead helping people get private market-based insurance.

So it's one of the things I'm most proud of. And I hope I get a chance to debate Hillary Clinton on the very topic because when I'm asked what the biggest difference is between my plan and her plan, I'll say that mine got passed.

BECKEL: Well governor, as I matter I do follow you closely, as a matter of fact. I always like to know what the other side is going to be up to, particularly someone who might be the nominee.

HANNITY: That's what he means by the other side now.

BECKEL: You know exactly what I mean by that, Sean. But the one thing you do leave out of your insurance proposals though is the part that I thought was courageous, which was that if you couldn't afford it, the state would pay for it. But you don't make that part of your plan now.

ROMNEY: Well actually, the plan I put forward said no one got free insurance. Everybody could play what they could afford. And so we had a sliding scale and still do, based on your income. And the state will help pay the portion of your premium you can't afford for the poor.

The good news is it costs us less to help people buy their own private insurance than it was costing us giving out free care at hospitals. So I do talk about that. And I'll be giving a speech to the Florida Medical Association describing to them our plan in some detail.

But I insisted that everyone pays something. I didn't want to have anything free. Our legislature overrode that idea and so the people at the very low got it free. I think that's a mistake. I think everyone should pay something.

Click here for a complete transcript of the interview...

World's Best Medical Care?

2007-08-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

The following is an editorial that was published in the August 12, 2007 edition of The New York Times...

Many Americans are under the delusion that we have “the best health care system in the world,” as President Bush sees it, or provide the “best medical care in the world,” as Rudolph Giuliani declared last week. That may be true at many top medical centers. But the disturbing truth is that this country lags well behind other advanced nations in delivering timely and effective care.

Continued here...

GOP Candidates Discuss Health Care at Iowa State Fair

2007-08-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

From the August 13 edition of the Des Moines Register...

Emphasizing health care aimed at preventing illness was a common theme sounded by a group of Republican presidential candidates who addressed health care concerns at the Iowa State Fair on Friday.

"Health care is a national security issue. A country that is not healthy is not secure," said former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who spoke first at the event attended by about 250 people. "Health care costs are rising at a runaway rate that we can't sustain."

Continued....

Dr. Mike Magee on the Massachusetts Universal Coverage Experiment

2007-07-31T07:48:00.001-07:00

To launch, click image twice.

Universal Coverage: Is it Worth the Wait?

2007-07-31T06:11:00.000-07:00

The following article, by Henry L. Davis, was published in the July 29 edition of the Buffalo News:

After battling brain cancer, Lindsay McCreith (right) is ready for his next fight: He’s taking on the Canadian health care system.

His case has potential repercussions on both sides of the border as pressure grows for health reform.

It started when McCreith, a resident of Newmarket, north of Toronto, suffered a seizure last year. He was told in Canada he would have to wait more than four months for an MRI to rule out a malignant tumor.

Rather than wait, McCreith, 66, quickly arranged a trip to Buffalo for a scan. The MRI confirmed his worst fears — a cancerous growth that a Buffalo neurosurgeon removed a few weeks later.

“If I had been patient, I’d probably be disabled or dead today,” McCreith said.

Now, McCreith is suing the Ontario government in a closely watched constitutional challenge that could reshape universal health coverage in the province by striking down the prohibition against patients buying private insurance.

Click here for the rest of the article.

A Breast Cancer Patient Asks Candidates A Question

2007-07-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Rudy Giuliani on Health Care

2007-07-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama on Health Care (05.29.07)

2007-07-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Council Launches Presidential Campaign Initiative

2007-07-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

With no sitting President or Vice President vying for the nomination for the first time since 1928, the 2008 Presidential election campaign promises to be unlike many others. Both party nominations are wide open and candidates have started building their campaigns earlier than ever before.

This situation presents health care advocates with an excellent opportunity to reach out to and secure their support. Seizing this opportunity, the National Health Council has launched an initiative designed to focus candidates on a top health care issue - the lack of effective health coverage.

The initiative seeks to persuade Presidential candidates to address this important health care problem. Over the coming weeks and months, the Council plans a variety of activities aimed at securing candidates support. These include, but are not limited to:

Issuing a statement signed by all VHA member CEOs
Encouraging candidates to issue policy statements.
Generating local media coverage in key states/districts.
Collecting signatures on a petition in support of our effort.
Organizing a “Call the Candidates” day in key states.
Convincing candidates to return a questionnaire on health.

The campaign relies heavily on the organization, mobilization and activation of patients. “If patients get involved in this effort,” said Council Executive Vice President Marc Boutin, “we can make a difference. That’s why we plan to work closely with our members over the coming months.”

For more information, please contact National Health Council Strategic Consultant Joseph LaMountian at joseph.lamountain@gmail.com or 202.288.5124.