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Margie's Unsinsured Blog

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    Single-Payer Margie's Uninsured Blog

Modified: May 12, 2008

 

Important Websites

Our Partners in Advocacy:

Gray Panther Sacto. Monthly Meetings: 2nd Tuesday ever y month, Hart Senior Center

Steering Committee Meetings:
4th Tuesday of every month, Hart
Senior Center

Officers
Joan B. Lee, Chairperson
(916) 332-5980
Pat Naylor, Secretary/Programs
Lola Young, Treasurer
Dr. Karl Stoffers, Environment
Terry Terry, Disabled issues
Marge Cumming, Historian
Joyce Westergaard, Hospitality
Linda Roberts and Karen Raasch (CIDs), Housing issues
Nell Ranta, Labor/wage issues
Joan B. Lee, Newsletter Editor
John Bernier, Newsletter Asst. Editor
Peter D'Anna, SS/Medicare Advisor
Richard Seyman, Dale Kooyman, Doris Sanford, Transportation advisors
Edie Poole, Pat Naylor, and Jean Mellberg, Members at Large
Beverly Crosby, Computer assistant
Margie Metzler, Program Coordinator and Webmaster, www.gpcal.org



Gray Panthers California

Healthcare Reform Project

Note: this is our new page, devoted to single-payer healthcare issues!

Margie's Uninsured Blog (New!)

Our grant with the Wellness Foundation, Califonira, has been extended for three years! As part of this grant, we have expanded our focus to all Healthcare Issues, including the Uninsured and Underinsured in America, discussions of the plans proposed in California for healthcare and other prescription drug and healthcare-related issues.

Here are our presentations as they have been given in the past months. Our presentations can be tailored to your needs.

Want us to provide a presentation for your group? Call us,
(916) 921 -5008, or e-mail margiemetz@hotmail.com

Kuehl's is only real universal bill (letter to the editor, Sacbee, published Jan. 7 2008)

Re "Assembly bill would help cover state's uninsured," Jan. 2: Republicans and health insurers aren't the only ones opposing Assembly Bill X1 1. Gray Panthers are proud to stand with doctors, advocates and patients, California nurses and the League of Women Voters. We all oppose a solution that continues to place the fiscal health of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries above the physical health of Californians.

Forcing everyone to buy health insurance for whatever premium companies decide to charge – for whatever benefits they choose to offer – does not make sense. Quality standards are absolutely vital for any fair plan.

The bill as it stands hints at penalties for those not purchasing insurance, but gives no real details. Would wages be garnished by the state? States that passed some similar employer mandate have not reached anything like universal coverage: Massachusetts' widely touted plan has seen uninsured numbers go up by roughly 150,000, while Oregon's uninsured numbers stagnate.

Don't call something "universal" unless it truly covers everyone. Like state Sen. Sheila Kuehl's Senate Bill 840! Californians need to understand their options. We may be voting life or death.

Joan Lee, Sacramento
Convenor, Gray Panthers California
Margie Metzler, Sacramento
Program Coordinator, Gray Panthers California

http://www.sacbee.com/326/story/611004.html


Articles and Books

Insurance Companies

Single-Payer/Healthcare General

SB 840: General Healthcare Issues

Get Help!

Organizations

Healthcare for All http://www.healthcareforall.org/

General Information

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Our Grant!

In 2005, Gray Panthers of California won a grant from the California Wellness Foundation for advocating and various training and development activities regarding the mess known as Medicare Part D. Activities included the following:
• Attend CMS, HICAP and State of California official meetings
• Provide outreach and training to organizations whose members are affected by Part D
• Create and develop educational and advocacy materials
• Get stories from people adversely affected by Part D
• Keep a project database
• Attend meetings, hearings, advocacy sessions etc.
• Encourage others to become activists and advocates!

In July of 2007, our Grant was extended for three years, and expanded to include other importatnt helathcare issues.

Let me know if you'd like to join us! (or call 916-921-5008).

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What are we doing about this mess?

Educate

    • Website
    • Create informational materials
    • Meet with anyone who will listen

Roar! (Advocate)

    • Form coalitions with other senior groups: other Gray Panther groups, OWL
    (Older Women's League)
    , CARA (California Alliance for Retired Americans),
    Health-Access
    , CCS (Congress of Califonria Seniors), NCPSSM (National
    Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare)
    , etc.
    • Form Coalitions with other activist groups
    • Form Coalitions with Pharmacist groups (Pharmacists Planning Services,
    Inc., PPSI
    )
    • Attend meetings of all sorts
    • Write, call, talk, e-mail, etc.
    • Donut Postcards
    • Collect horror stories

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How Can You Help?

    • Write, call, talk, e-mail, etc.
    • Send postcards, letters, etc.
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Letters to Legislators (Federal and State)
    • Tell us your horror stories
    • Testify in Congress, in writing, in the Capitol
    • Give us more ideas!

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Upcoming Gray Panthers Meetings

Gray Panthers General Meeting: Tuesday Sept. 11, 1:00 pm, Hart Senior Center, 27th and J St.
For more information, call 916-332-5980.

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Joan Lee came up with the doughnut/hole concept as seen below. PhRMA Got the Donut, We got the Hole! Download a copy of this for yourself, on our Documents page! Or, contact us for postcards.Info for sending postcards (what you can say, where you can send it...)
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Healthcare Cartoon

More Healthcare Cartoons....

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Contact Information

Gray Panthers of Sacramento
P.O. Box 19438, Sacramento, CA 95819
For more information contact
Joan B. Lee, President, at (916) 332-5980
Email:
joanblee@sbcglobal.net
Website: http://www.gpcal.org/
Meetings: Steering Committee, 4th Tuesday of the month, 1-3
Monthly Meetings: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 1-3
Both, Hart Senior Center, 915 27th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816

Healthcare Reform in California Program:
1121 Wayland Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825
Contact Margie Metzler, (916) 921-5008 or margiemetz@hotmail.com

This program and this website operate under a grant from the California Wellness Foundation (http://www.tcwf.org/)

 
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