Sanders Single-Payer Healthcare Amendment to be Considered in Senate

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Donna Smith

Donna Smith, American SiCKO, is a national single-payer healthcare advocate and community organizer with the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

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December 14th, 2009 9:08 PM

Sanders Single-Payer Healthcare Amendment to be Considered in Senate

By Donna Smith

This is it, Medicare for All, single-payer advocates. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Announced tonight that tomorrow the Senate will hear several more amendments to the health reform bill – and one of those amendments is Sen. Bernie Sanders’ single-payer amendment No. 2837. The amendment also has two other original co-sponsors, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois.

We never knew if we’d get to this point. And it is your work and your passion that got the single-payer effort this far. Let’s send this message as loudly and clearly as we can.

So, in a historic turn of events, single-payer healthcare will finally be heard by this Congress. Single-payer is a wonderful idea from the left – public financing – combined with a terrific idea from the right – private delivery, and put together in one common sense plan for all. One single standard of high quality healthcare – everybody in, nobody out.

The Democratic Senators will also take a break tomorrow to go to the White House, along with Independent Senators Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman. So debate of several amendments may be too ambitious to complete in one day with the recess for a White House jaunt. But, Senate Amendment 2837 is in the queue, so it will be heard.

Our effort is needed one more time – we need to let Senator Reid know we are pleased the Senate will hear the amendment, but we must also ask our Senators to vote in favor of it. The numbers for phoning are:

Make the calls to Sen. Harry Reid and your U.S. Senators TONIGHT:

• Washington, D.C., office: (202) 224-3542
• Las Vegas, NV, office: (702) 388-5020
• U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Peace – onward. We shall overcome. Healthcare is a basic human right.

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