*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – THURSDAY APRIL 08 2010***
Contact: James Haslam, (802) 272 0882, james@workerscenter.org
Important Victory! Vermont Senate Passed S.88!
Montpelier – On Wednesday, April 7, the Vermont Senate passed S.88 by an overwhelming majority of 28-2. Passage of this bill by the Senate is a major step toward recognizing the human right to healthcare in Vermont and is an important victory for the “Healthcare Is A Human Right” Campaign. The bill calls for the hiring of consultants to design three health care models, one of which must be a single payer system that is administered by government, publicly financed and decoupled from employment. All three of the models must meet the Healthcare is a Human Right principles of universal access and coverage, be comprehensive and affordable, be transparent in design and must ensure public participation in the design, implementation, evaluation, and accountability. The designs also have to include implementation timelines beginning no later than July, 2012.
“This vote in the Senate is a huge victory for us. When we started this campaign, across the board Statehouse insiders this couldn’t be done. But as a result of this campaign and the voices of thousands of Vermonters telling them that Vermont should lead the nation in making healthcare a public good for all, we are changing what is possible,” said Walter Carpenter, who lives in Montpelier and volunteered with the campaign after struggles with the healthcare system that brought him near death as result of insurance companies denied coverage for care. ”
The Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign started building a grassroots network to change what was “politically possible” in healthcare reform in 2008. THis past Fall they held eleven People’s Forums on Healthcare with almost eighty state legislators and over eight hundred total participants testifying to the healthcare crisis in communities acoss the state and laying out principles that comprise the right to healthcare. The improved S.88 “Healthy Vermont” Bill adopted languages and frameworks that include these principles.
“We thank our Senators for their votes, and now look to their fellow legislators in the House to do the right thing” says Peg Franzen, Policy Committee Chair for the Campaign. The Campaign is currently gearing up for a huge May 1st Rally at the Statehouse, which has been billed as the largest rally of its kind in Vermont’s history. The main purpose of the rally is to celebrate the Campaign’s achievements so far, to keep building the momentum for universal single-payer healthcare, and to keep the pressure on the House of Representatives.
For a full analysis of the just-passed S88 and more information on the campaign, please visit the Campaign’s website at www.workerscenter.org/healthcare. The “Healthcare Is A Human Right” Campaign also has local leaders and organizers spread throughout the state in every community and they are available for interviews by any news organization.
MORE INFO:
- Seven Days coverage of “We-Ain’t-No-Fools-Day” http://7d.blogs.com/blurt/2010/04/health-care-reform-in-vermont-on-life-support.html
Also see. www.nofools.org
- New short 9 minute film released on the Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign, “If Vermont Leads, The Rest of the Nation Will Follow”. www.workerscenter.org/movie
- Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign website: including frequently asked questions, analysis of federal and state health bills and much more. www.workerscenter.org/healthcare
- “Sen. Racine unveils health bill; Goal is universal coverage in Vermont” Times Argus/Rutland Herald. http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100310/NEWS02/310…
- “VT. health reform tops January Agenda” VT Press Bureau http://www.timesargus.com/article/RH/20091214/NEWS03/912140360
- “To Your Health” 12/22/09 Seven Days column by Shay Totten http://www.7dvt.com/2009your-health
- Dec 10: Human Rights Day Report with Nurses & Sen. Racine: http://www.workerscenter.org/node/190
- Sen. Racine Announces Hearings on S.88/H.100: http://www.workerscenter.org/node/185
- Rutland Herald Editorial endorses HCHR Campaign: http://www.workerscenter.org/node/138
- Musicians launch benefit CD for HCHR Campaign: http://vermontcareforall.org/
- VPR’s All Things Considered with Scott Ainslie, musician and HCHR leader. Link to listen http://www.vpr.net/flash/audio_player/audio_player.php?id=29863
- Dec 5: The Vermont NEA, the State’s Largest Union Gets Behind HCHR Campaign http://www.workerscenter.org/node/189
- Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign: www.workerscenter.org/healthcare
- Summary of bills S.88/H.100: http://www.workerscenter.org/node/168
- Burlington Free Press My Turn “Vermont Must Lead The Way” http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20091202/OPINION02/912020315/…
- Vermont Public Radio Report on HCHR: http://www.workerscenter.org/node/134
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We still have a long, long ways to go. The journey is far from over. We have to now get S.88 through the house. That could take some doing. But I was at the senate when the senators passed S.88 by 28-2. I was rather choked up. As I heard the yes’s go down the rows of chairs I thought back to that time when I was at the mercy of the insurance companies and fighting their denials in addition to the liver disease that was killing me. They say that America is a land of freedom. After that hard struggle with the corporate health care, backed up as it was by a government run by Wall Street, when the Vermont senators heard us I came to believe that perhaps we can have freedom and unity in at least one state in the nation.