<html dir="ltr">
<head>
<title></title>
</head>
<body vlink="#333333" link="#333333" bgcolor="#B2E1F1" alink="#333333">
<p><style type="text/css"><!-- TemplateBeginEditable name="content" -->
<!--
a { color:#336699; color:#336699; color:#336699; }
-->
</style></p>
<center>
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" bgcolor="#a2adb1">
<table width="600" cellspacing="6" cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="bottom" height="100px" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="text-align: left;"><img width="600" height="120" src="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50611/images/HCA-CA-banner-1.jpg" alt="" /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#ffffff">
<table cellspacing="10" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="width: 600px; height: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="500" valign="top" align="left" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 18px;padding-top:6px;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 6px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:small">Volume #65  February 2015<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:x-large"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">News and Views from HCA <br />
</span></b></span></b></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small">“Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and the most inhumane.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:6px"><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">Message from the Chair, by Shannon Miller<br />
</span></b> </span></p>
<p>This month HR 676 was again introduced by Representative John Conyers and has 47 Cosponsors. Is your representative among them? Check it <a href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=VkyI1rIaYrOGujf9C3wRl9UHFLHeo9Sm">here</a>. HR 676 would provide universal single payer health care coverage for everyone in the United States with an unencumbered choice of doctor. Everyone in, nobody out.</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:6px"><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">AllCare Alliance Report, by Pat Snyder:<br />
</span></b> </span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:6px">Lobby Day 2015 will be an especially great event under the leadership of CaPHSA and in partnership with the Health4All Coalition, which is working to support Senator Lara’s bill to cover the undocumented, SB4.</p>
<p>As always we will have the big Rally at the Capitol, and this year CAPHSA will schedule visits with all the legislators.  Visit teams will include CaPHSA students and constituent members of the 240 organizations in the AllCare Alliance and the Health4All Coalition. We will gather to show the legislators our support for SB4, Senator Lara's Health for All bill, as well as our determination to win universal, single payer health care for California!</p>
<p>We will demand on-going reform that offers every Californian access to high-quality, comprehensive and affordable health care. A training session will be held in Sacramento for the visit participants in the afternoon of Sunday, April 12 so that the teams will be well organized and prepared.  </p>
<p>The state has been divided into 20 regions, and leaders are being sought in each region to recruit participants for these important legislative visit teams. If you are interested in participating or serving as a regional coordinator, see the flyer in this newsletter and learn how to how to get involved.</p>
<p>The AllCare Alliance and the Health4All Coalition will mobilize our coalition members to converge on Sacramento, reflecting diverse and broad-based support for reform beyond the ACA.  We need a huge turnout from HCA-California and all the other supporting organizations.  Please plan to attend the Rally, even if you are not participating in the legislative visits. We cannot  emphasize too strongly the excellent opportunity this event provides to  build the campaign and move our effort forward.  The relationships we will build with our partners will make us enormously stronger, and ensure that the support for our cause continues to grow. We need YOU there!   </p>
<p>Detailed information about the plans to date have been sent to the HCA Leadership list.  Please plan to get involved!  We’ll see you there!</p>
<p>….and from Georgia Brewer:<br />
<img width="400" height="258" alt="" src="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50611/images/flyer.jpg" /><br />
Dear S/Heroes of Health Care: <br />
Help us make our legislators sit up and take notice: We're BAA-CCKK! Oh, yeah, we are loud, we are proud and we support Health Care for All!<br />
On April 13, 2015, every legislator in the Golden State needs to hear from his or her district constituents!<br />
We have not given up, we are not going home and we are not going to stop fighting until every single Californian enjoys publicly funded, comprehensive, affordable, high quality health care!<br />
To make that happen, we need help in your district! Please help us recruit your friends, neighbors, and social justice allies to attend the Leadership Training and visit your legislators!<br />
Thank you for your commitment to our noble cause. Together, we can win!<br />
In solidarity,<br />
Georgia, State Coordinator, AllCare Alliance<br />
#Equality=Health Care  #AllLivesMatter</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:6px"><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">CHAPTER NEWS:</span></b></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">Health Care for All - Contra Costa County, by Marian Shostrom</span></b></span><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)"><br />
</span></b></span>The Annual Chapter Retreat was held January 11th.  Andrew McGuire, Executive Director of California OneCare and board member of the AllCare Alliance, spoke about the current state of the single payer movement, and future prospects. He emphasized the continuing need for grass roots organizing, education, and money.</p>
Chapter members looked at 2014 accomplishments, and set 2015 goals.  Chapter goals for 2015 include fundraising and sending the state HCA at least $1600.  The chapter will increase membership by 5% over 2014, and will have 15 sustaining members. The chapter will get 40 more AllCare Alliance endorsements, and will continue to show The Health Care Movie, and table at events throughout the year.
<p></p>
Chapter members Jonee Grassi, Susan Hedgpeth, and Marian Shostrom tabled for HCA at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration January 19th in Walnut Creek. Members attended other social justice events (Mourning in America Rally to protest Citizens United; Anti-Fracking rally) wearing HCA T-shirts to publicize Single Payer Health Care.
<p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:6px"><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">Health Care for All - Marin County, by Ellen Karel<br />
</span></b></span></p>
<p>The Marin chapter continues to focus on expanding and organizing its volunteer team and connecting in meaningful ways to more groups in the community. We're intent on creating a stronger infrastructure that will support a higher level of activism.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">Health Care for All - Orange County, by Don McCanne</span></b></span><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)"><br />
</span></b></span></p>
<p>Why do Canadians so strongly support their single payer system?     By Don McCanne</p>
<p>This week the Forum Club of Sun City Palm Desert (a California retirement community) held a forum on single payer health care. Forum Club Secretary Mike Wedekind, a Canadian, spoke on Canada’s single payer system, and I spoke on the problems with the U.S. system that would be amenable to enactment of a single payer system.</p>
<p>Since it was an after-dinner meeting, I expected the usual laid-back audience with a few partaking of postprandial snoozes. On the contrary, we received great feedback from the attendees. Many attending were snowbirds - relatively affluent and generally politically conservative Canadians who maintain a winter residence in this desert community.</p>
<p>After we each spoke for twenty minutes, the attendees met at round tables to discuss various aspects of U.S. and Canadian health policies. Then a moderator from each table presented their quite astute observations.</p>
<p>I spoke individually with several of the attendees. Even though the Forum Club is explicitly non-partisan, I received no negative comments about a single payer system for the United States. In fact, the reason that I decided to write this commentary was the response of the Canadians. Though most seemed to be politically conservative, there was absolutely no indication that they thought that somehow their single payer system was deficient, especially compared to ours, except for a problem with queues for some elective services such as joint replacement. There was no mention of the need to privatize health care since they already have a private health care delivery system. They certainly see no need for intrusive, wasteful private insurers, other than to provide supplementary benefits outside of their Medicare.</p>
<p>It made me wish that it was as easy to converse on this topic with conservatives here in the United States. A poll last month revealed that 23 percent of Republicans already support “an expanded, universal form of Medicare” (as do 79 percent of Democrats and 45 percent of Independents).</p>
<p>Everyone should give some thought as to what the message might be that resonates with the Independents and Republicans who are supportive, but, above all, what is it that causes Canadians across the political spectrum to be so supportive of their Medicare? We have to deliver that message here in the United States.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">Health Care for All - Los Angeles by Maureen Cruis</span></b></span><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">e</span></b></span><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)"><br />
</span></b></span></p>
<p>January 8: Robin Ellis, Nurse Practitioner for LA County Dept. of Health Services and co- founder of  C+CHE (county & community health empowerment) presented a powerpoint and discussion of a  strategic plan in progress to preserve, Transform and Expand LA County's Publically Funded Healthcare System.  This is a promising and innovative proposal being developed by a group of LA County Dept. of Health Services Community members and staff to improve, transform and expand LA County's Health department to become a health care insurer/provider option.   <br />
January 19: HCA-LA joined dozens of partner  groups and 76 endorsing organizations to march in the Los Angeles "KINGDOM DAY" Parade with the Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition  http://mlkcoalitionforjobsjusticeandpeace.org  HCA & 'Medicare for All'  Banners were held by Georgia Brewer, Terrie Brady, Luis South, Lupe Lujan, Robert Lujan, Perius Pillay , Maureen Cruise. Thanks to Dennis Aoki for driving shuttle and to Bill Eisen for photography. Paul Kreihbal wrote about the event and posted our photo in the Local Progressive newspaper CHANGE LINKS.<br />
<img width="400" height="249" alt="" src="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50611/images/maureen2.jpg" /><br />
February 3: Inspired by the HCA board meeting report on charity giving strategies, HCA-LA Sent a VALENTINE to our listserv hoping to solicit membership, renewals and donations.<br />
ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE ... <br />
HEALTH CARE-FOR-ALL LOVES IT'S MEMBERS, IS THAT YOU?<br />
POPPIES ARE PINK, LILIES ARE WHITE...<br />
HEALTH CARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT!!  <br />
Won't you help spread the light?<br />
VIBRANT GROWTH NEEDS SOME GREEN to reach our single payer dream. If HEALTH CARE justice matters to you, Won't you please join us or renew?<br />
OUR HEALTH CARE GARDEN blossoms brightly with every hue.<br />
MANY THANKS to all of YOU! <br />
Wishing you the very BEST in 2015,<br />
Your HCA-Los Angeles Chapter Friends<br />
           www.healthcareforall.org to donate, join or renew.<br />
We appreciate your support.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">H</span></b></span><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">ealth Care for All - San Gabriel Valley by Terry DeWolfe<br />
</span></b></span></p>
<p>Terry DeWolfe’s published letter to the editor, LA Times:</p>
<p>To the editor: The new Republican House of Representatives has picked up where the last left off by passing a bill to repeal Obamacare. ("House passes new Obamacare repeal, directing creation of replacement law," Feb. 3) Unlike past repeal votes, though, this legislation includes an attempt to provide an Obamacare alternative. The bill "directs House committees to develop replacement legislation that meets 12 criteria."</p>
<p>The committees need look no further than legislation introduced in the last Congress. There, they will find HR 676, which has been around since 2003 and appears to meet all the Republican criteria except one, plus it provides universal health care. It is known as "Medicare for All." One catch: The one criterion it violates is that it includes a tax instead of premiums. Though it has only three letters, "tax" is a four-letter word to Republicans, while "premium" sounds so much more friendly.<br />
Terry De Wolfe, Monterey Park</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:6px"><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(62,87,158)">Health Care for All - Humboldt<br />
</span></b></span></p>
<p>Single payer activist Susan Brinton dies. Susan's  activities as a HCA-Humboldt member were many. This from her daughter: <br />
<br />
Susan Brinton passed away at 12:13 am today after a year-long struggle with brain cancer. She died at home surrounded by me, Kaitlin, her favorite caregiver Sarah, her friend Linda, and Annie Dog. Thank you to all of the friends and community members who have been so supportive. My mother greatly appreciated it. Kaitlin and I do too. I will be writing an obituary in the days to come. In the meantime, please remember all the amazing things she did as a nurse, a long-term care advocate, an activist for single-payer health care and environmental protection, a master canner, a bread baking enthusiast, an animal lover, and a trouble maker generally.</p>
</td>
<td width="180" valign="top" bgcolor="#eff5f7" align="left" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 18px;padding-left:4px;padding-top:6px">
<p style="color: rgb(39, 60, 84); font-size: 18px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><a target="_blank" href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=a%2Bwx0wO42st%2BVTCFD0Jzq9UHFLHeo9Sm"><img width="35" height="35" src="http://healthcareforall.org/images/facebook.png" alt="Facebook" title="facebook" /></a>    <a target="_blank" href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=6DgrDmtOydAAxt8Upj9Z%2BxChEVZGRvxZ"><img width="35" height="35" src="http://healthcareforall.org/images/twitter.png" alt="Twitter" title="twitter" /></a></p>
<p style="color: rgb(62,87,158); font-size: 18px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;margin-bottom:6px">Take action!</p>
<ul style="margin-top:4px">
<li><a href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8YPZrjOzNAewu%2BBvGOgcuBChEVZGRvxZ">Visit the HCA website</a></li>
<li><a href="mailto:Enter e-mail address here?Subject=Worth a close look&Body=I thought you might be interested in this message http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50611//t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1310804">Forward to a Friend</a></li>
<li><a href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DfrsABpv2t6EwTCGIc9YsdUHFLHeo9Sm" target="_blank">Join our mailing list</a></li>
<li><a href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=A4Jkdn%2FzBTxG3T3bbRveWtUHFLHeo9Sm" target="_blank">Follow us on Facebook</a></li>
<li><a target="_blank" href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tTwi8PQypoiU1HdhYCRV9tUHFLHeo9Sm">Find your local chapter</a></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-bottom:4px"><span style="color: rgb(62,87,158); font-size: 18px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">More about HCA</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:4px">
<li><a target="_blank" href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=SlBJPZxnvJZh%2FSxL25t6e9UHFLHeo9Sm">Who We Are</a></li>
<li><a target="_blank" href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Lapzjex8cneb4e1CVnOwfhChEVZGRvxZ">Our Mission</a></li>
<li><a target="_blank" href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=JyLQg1Jupyk%2BKzQJdSvoUtUHFLHeo9Sm">What We Believe</a></li>
<li><a target="_blank" href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Pun4B7PTYzF8bN77X4g6FtUHFLHeo9Sm">What We Do</a></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-top:0px"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#ffffff" style="text-align: center; font-size: x-small; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
You are subscribed to Health Care for All - California as agnes@mcn.org.<br />
<a href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ksw1cJ0ZzGBQZWJnL8ELL9UHFLHeo9Sm">Click here to unsubscribe</a><br />
 </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center> <!-- TemplateEndEditable -->
<div style='text-align:center;'><a href='http://www.salsalabs.com/?email'><img alt='empowered by Salsa' src='https://hq.salsalabs.com/salsa/images/SALSA_empowered_180x50_2.png' border='0'/></a></div></body>
</html><img width=1 height=1 src="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/TrackImage?key=2684443637"><diaEmailID='2684443637' thread=1499 />