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Green Party Members Rally for Single-Payer Health Care

Attention: News Editor
For Immediate Release

Contact:
Carl Romanelli, 570-574-0829
Hillary Kane, 267-971-3559


Members from Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre attend rally in State Capitol

Group urges passage of SB 400 and HB 1660 for a state-wide health care system

GREEN PARTY OF PENNSYLVANIA
http://www.gpofpa.org


HARRISBURG, PA -- Several members of the Green Party of Pennsylvania headed to Harrisburg today to participate in a rally for universal, single-payer health care. Organized by the group, HealthCare4All, the rally supported a proposal to have Pennsylvania run its own state-wide, universal, single-payer health care system.

"Single-payer health care has been getting attention lately – or not getting attention – depending on how you look at it," said GPPA Chair Hillary Kane. At the national level, single-payer advocates have been banned from Senate hearings on health care. Some, including Green Party candidate Kevin Zeese, have even been arrested. (http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/05/12/1929527.aspx)

"The plans offered by President Obama and Governor Rendell are awful," said Carl Romanelli, co-chair of the Luzerne County Green Party. "They continue to subsidize health insurance companies, while failing to provide full and civilized healthcare for all. Both of their plans degrade the state offered insurance by reducing it to the level of a lousy HMO. Single payer is the only viable option." Romanelli is also the Northeastern PA Coordinator for Healthcare 4 All PA.

Just last week, a study was released showing that 60% of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. are a result of insufficient health care coverage. (http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5530Y020090604) The authors of the report believe that most of so-called health care reform is on the wrong track. They believe that only "single-payer" solutions offer enough protection to American families.

"The private sector and market based solutions, such as ‘managed care' and HMOs, have not just failed to alleviate the healthcare crisis, they've actually worsened it," said Ed Cloonan, member of the Green Party of Allegheny County and the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare. "We have the worst access of any industrialized country at twice the cost. A single payer system is the only answer."

The Pennsylvania bill in particular, would be a boon to small-businesses, who often struggle to pay for employees' rising health care costs. In fact, the bill is entitled the "Family and Business Healthcare Security Act." The Act would also help municipal governments, who are themselves employers, many of which are struggling in the current economy. According to HealthCare4AllPA, counties would save money by not having to cover their employees directly. Municipalities and school districts in Erie County, for example, would save an estimated $45 million in health care costs with the passage of these bills. (http://www.healthcare4allpa.org/counties.htm) "Given that Philadelphia Mayor Nutter is talking about cutting essential services like fire fighting due to a city budget crisis, single-payer health care can actually be the answer for many of our problems – not just health care," said Kane.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania, (http://www.gpofpa.org), is an independent political party founded on the four pillars of grassroots democracy, social justice, ecological wisdom and nonviolence.

HealthCare4All website: http://healthcare4allpa.org

Green Party of the United States' recent press releases on health care: Green Party leaders challenge Sen. Baucus and defenders of private insurance to debate Single-Payer advocates
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=221

Greens prepare for the national Day of Action promoting Single-Payer national health care on May 30
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=218

America needs Single-Payer, not the public health care option, say Greens
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=216

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