Universal Health Care 2000 (U2K) Campaign

In June 2000, Mark Hannay spoke to the Connecticut Call To Action about the new Universal Health Care 2000 Campaign.  Mr. Hannay is the Director of NY Metro Health, a member of the U2K Steering Committee as well as the NY organizer for U2K. His remarks were summarized by Naomi E. Shaiken, Chair of CT Call to Action:

The parameters of the U2K project are as follows:

It is essential that a nationwide grassroots movement be developed demanding Universal Health Care For All. It must be a movement with ideas from the bottom up, meaning all grassroots people must get involved.

The five principles of such a groups are:

1. Universal coverage.  No one is left uninsured or underinsured. This would spread the risk, so that everyone, healthy and those in need of health care are in the pool [This concept was the origin of the BLUES.] With the cost of care spread out over the entire population, health care delivery would be affordable for every individual.

2. Comprehensive and meaningful coverage, providing a full range of benefits to treat illness AND wellness [preventive care] and mental health.

3. Affordable so that out-of-pocket expenditures do not create financial barriers to care.

4. Quality care which would put decision making back in the hands of health care providers.

5. Public accountability, with appropriate oversight, to be certain public funding is used as intended.

This grassroots movement can be achieved through education and activism in the following way: through labor organizations, religious institutions, professional medical staff, political and community organizations. [In our State the CTCTA is part of the National movement and Steering Committee of U2K and has begun to organize these groups.]

IN CONGRESS, a caucus on providing universal health care has already been established by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan.

From CTCTA: Presently, our health care delivery system is a patchwork of HMO's, Managed Care Groups, employers and insurance companies, with some federal insurance programs. Many of these groups have left over 45 million people uninsured and underinsured. At any given time, there are over 100 million people in this country without health insurance.

The CT CALL TO ACTION encourages all of you to join with us over the coming years to help initiate the U2K program.

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. 

Thank you.

Naomi E. Shaiken, Chair of CTCTA