Are You, Or Is Someone You Know, Uninsured?
In Texas, 1 in 4 people is uninsured 1. Only 35% of small businesses in Texas offer health insurance, and only 43% of their full time employees are enrolled. Fewer than half of all Texans get their health insurance through an employer 2.
The Problem
We spend twice as much on health care per person compared to all other developed countries 3. Yet, our life expectancy is lower, our infant mortality higher, and our overall health poorer 4. More than 18,000 Americans die each year because they lack health insurance 5. Illness and unpaid medical bills account for half of all bankruptcies 6. Insurance companies act as costly middlemen and unlicensed providers, adding little value to the system but profiting from it immensely 7.
What We Want
Pursuit of corporate profit and personal fortune in health care is immoral. Instead, the system should be affordable, accountable, accessible, comprehensive and just. It is evident that competition-based or piecemeal reforms will not fix the problem. The only way to achieve universal health care without increasing overall health care costs or compromising our rights is through single payer.
What is Single Payer?
Single payer, universal health care is “Expanded and Improved Medicare for All.” It is publicly funded and privately delivered health care. Just like Medicare, everyone pays according to income. Everyone is free to choose a private or public health care practitioner, hospital or clinic. In single payer, there is no place for the for-profit insurance industry.
A Real Solution
Health Care for All Texas supports single payer universal health care. This can best be accomplished by:
1) state implementation of TIP: The Texas Health Insurance Plan , or
2) national passage of U.S. H.R. 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act - Use Search Bill Text by typing in Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act in the search box, leave Word/Phrase checked and then select Search).
How Can I Help?
Become a member of Health Care for All Texas, donate and/or go to our Action Page.
HCFAT ANNUAL MEETING
AUSTIN, TEXAS
2009 GOALS
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Videos from the Austin Healthcare For All Texas Rally on May 30th, 2009
“Sick Around The World”
PBS Frontline program examination of health care systems of five capitalist countries around the world. This extraordinary program shows us how these countries provide medical care for their populations and depicts what the U.S. can learn about running a health care system from their experiences. Watch it here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/
In addition, watch the video Forum Preview to Sick Around the World, an excellent discussion by 3 experts on health care systems. http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=2576
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