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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact: Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167

Pelosi Ditches Single-Payer Provision

WASHINGTON

CLARK NEWHALL
Executive director of Health Justice,
Newhall is a doctor and a lawyer. He said today: "Thursday the House
Democrats released their version of healthcare reform. While we have
been pushing for a debate on the House floor for single payer, and been
calling for the representatives to keep the Kucinich [Amendment]. ...
It seems House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lied. ... [The Kucinich Amendment]
allowing states to create state-level single-payer healthcare has been
stripped out of the House healthcare bill, after having passed in
committee back in July by a vote of 27 to 19."
Health Justice has produced a series of ads on healthcare.

DEBORAH BURGER, CHARLES IDELSON
Burger is a co-president of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.
Idelson is a spokesperson for the group. Idelson said: "In July, the
House Labor and Education Committee approved an amendment introduced by
Rep. Dennis Kucinich that would exempt states that enact Medicare for
all / single-payer bills from the onerous limitations contained in the
federal ERISA law governing employer sponsored health plans.
"Since
then a rogues' gallery of Fortune 500 corporate interests and insurance
lobbyists have put a lot of pressure on the House leadership to strip
the Kucinich Amendment from the final bill going to the House floor."
Single payer legislation, which would replace private health insurance
with one plan that covers everyone, like an expanded and enhanced
Medicare, has in recent years twice passed the California legislature
but been vetoed by the governor.

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