LWVK’s next public meeting will focus on health care,
specifically on the whether single payer health care could work in
our state.
Here are the details:
When: Wednesday, March 28, 2-4 p.m.
Where: Poulsbo City Hall Council Chambers
Speaker: Martha Koester, board member of Health Care for All-WA
Come get your questions answered: and bring a friend.
Some of the topics to be discussed:
What is the Washington State Health Security Trust?
Can Washington create its own universal health care system?
What are the problems with the health care reform act?
What are the differences between publicly funded
and for-profit
health care?
What are the options for paying for a better health care
system?
Videotaped and broadcast courtesy of BKAT (Bremerton/Kitsap Access
TV)
Presented through a community partnership with the Kitsap Sun
For more information call Pam Hamon at 360-598-3508 or e-mail
pchamon@msn.com
Tag Archives: health care
Health Care Funding Faces a Crisis
Our next public meeting, on April 27, will focus on the crisis in health care funding. Hope to see everyone there. Below are the details.
Public Meeting
Severe Budget Cuts in Health Care Funding
What do they mean for Kitsap County?
Wednesday, April 27
9:30 a.m.-noon
Hostmark Apartments Community Center
6th Street, Poulsbo
(Note: Please park on 6th Street)
Speakers: Dr. Scott Linquist, Director, Kitsap County Health
District
Barbara Malich, CEO, Peninsula Community Health Services
They will discuss budget cuts at both the federal and state level and how they will affect our community.
Information: Pam Hamon, (360) 598-3509 or pchamon@msn.com
Well-Timed Luncheon
The date for the League of Women Voters health care luncheon at
Silverdale Beach Hotel was set a couple of months ago.
At the time we had no idea whether President Obama’s health care
reform bill would be passed, would be dead or would still be under
debate. As it turned out, our discussion on health care came on
Tuesday, March 23, the same day that Obama signed the historic
legislation into law.
LWV has long supported health care reform and encouraged its
members to express their support for the bill to their Congress
members.
Presenting their views of health care reform at the luncheon were
Scott Bosch, CEO of Harrison Medical Center, and Barb Malich, CEO
of Peninsula Community Health Services.
Bosch said he was glad the health care reform bill passed but said
he saw many problems remaining.
“It’s all about the money,” he said. The Medicare Trust Fund is on
the decline at the same time as 350 people become eligible for
Medicare every hour.
With so many new people coming into the health care system, he also
wondered how the medical field would gear up to serve them.
He said the average age of nurses at Harrison is 50, and that
medical and nursing schools are not training enough new
providers.
Malich said she had been celebrating the passage of the bill and
was filled with both “euphoria and uncertainty.”
Her clientele at the community services clinic in Bremerton
consists mostly of people who do not now have insurance. Nearly
21,000 people were served last year.
She agreed with Bosch that access to health insurance does not
always equate to access to health care, but said the new law will
provide scholarships to those who want to pursue a career in
medicine and will also help with repayment of student loans for
health care professionals.
She deplored the “loss of civility” during the health care debate
and urged the League to continue its work of brining people
together for informed discussions.
“Don’t be afraid to engage because it’s gotten ugly out there,” she
said. “We need your engagement. We need your commitment.”
Next month the League shifts its focus to education, specifically
the underfunding of schools in our state. A public meeting is
planned for 7-9 p.m. April 20 at Central Kitsap High School.
Speakers will be Isabel Munoz-Colon, OSPI budget analyst, and Tom
Ahearne, lawyer for the education funding lawsuit.
We Did It
Washington, D.C. – Statement from Mary G. Wilson, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States:
“Today’s votes by the U.S. House of Representatives mark an historic milestone in American political history. The path that began with Social Security and continued with Medicare is reaching fruition with this health care legislation. Comprehensive health care reform will begin to undo decades of neglect and inaction that has left millions of Americans uninsured and at risk.
“This legislation is a monumental step in the fight for social justice.
“Too many citizens lack adequate health insurance coverage and rising costs threaten everyone. Passage of comprehensive health care legislation greatly expands coverage to include millions more Americans; protects the coverage that currently delivers care to most; reduces costs over the long term; and accomplishes these goals at a reasonable cost.
“It would be difficult to overstate the importance of today’s actions, and we commend our elected representatives for standing up for Americans and having the courage to do what needs to be done to confront the health care crisis in our country. The League congratulates the House leadership on a closely-fought victory.
“We can expect transformational reform from these bills. Access to health care will be extended to all Americans. Mechanisms to control rising costs will be put in place. And the marketplace will be expanded and safeguards put in place to protect consumers.
“Truly, this legislation is monumental, historic and transforming.
“Today we took the critical step in dealing with the current health care crisis. Tomorrow, many Americans will wake up to a new week and a new future that looks a great deal more promising.”
