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Frequently Asked Questions
 
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Healthcare Survey!


ON-LINE SURVEY

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To return survey by mail: POWER, Pob 4281, Portland, ME 04101

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Please don't hesitate to contact us. We can help you document your story:

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 UNIVERSAL

 SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE
Facts & Resources


What are economic human rights?



 
jlv drawing of statue of liberty holding a caduceus instead of a torch
 

SPECIAL HIGHLIGHT

HEALTH CARE CRISIS USA:

Resources for
more information

 
 
Health Care by the Numbers
 

18,000 deaths blamed on lack of insurance
USA Today
 
 
US Health Care Expenditures
 

Medical bills trigger half of bankruptcies
MSNBC
 
 
The Case for a National Health Program
 
 
We don't need insurance: we need GUARANTEED HEALTHCARE!
 
 
TOP TEN REASONS FOR ENACTING A SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
 
Click here for:
PDF Version
 
 
Cost of Healthcare: More Americans Priced Out of Care
 
Click here for:
PDF Version
 
 
UN Human Development Report  [PDF] (see page 27!)
 
 
World Health Organization Report 2000 [PDF]
 

Facts & Sources from Michael Moore's SiCKO movie
 
 
'SiCKO' Truth Squad Sets CNN Straight!
 




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***New!!!
HEALTHCARE JUSTICE! New!!!***


~ We are organizing for healthcare justice ~   
Healthcare is a basic human right which all human beings are entitled to, regardless of income
and ability to pay. Yet here in the world's wealthiest nation, in a country which claims to be a
beacon of human rights for the rest of the world, the reality is that access to this fundamental
human right is based on our ability to pay. As a result, millions upon millions of us are denied 
our human right to healthcare when we can't afford to pay the price. This includes those who
are 'insured' and those who are not (according to American Patients for Universal Health
Care, since the beginning of the Iraq War 2003, 282,600 U.S. patients have died as a result
of insurance denials). We say ENOUGH! We are calling for Universal Single Payer Health
care - a healthcare system that includes EVERYONE, covers ALL of our healthcare needs,
& that takes both the profit and the profiteers OUT of our healthcare. For good. Because
we shouldn't have to pay a premium for justice. What do you say? Will you join us?

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~ News & Updates ~          
  • Reform Group Wants Better Healthcare Plans, WCHS, Channel 6 -- 8/7/08
    AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER) -- A national health insurance reform group is slamming Maine's biggest health insurance company, saying Anthem Blue Cross Clue Shield is making exorbitant profits at the expense of Maine people. It's part of an effort to force politicians in Washington to dramatically change the country's health insurance system. The group calls itself Health Care for America Now,and they were marching on the Augusta office of Anthem Blue Cross to publicize their claim that private, for-profit insurance companies are the real problem. READ MORE....    
     
  • Can’t get no health care satisfaction, Bangor Daily News, Op-ed by Pat Lamarche -- 7/30/08 
    A Fox News anchor said Saturday that if Mick Jagger was from the United States he’d finally qualify for Medicare. She’s kidding — right? The anchor made a pretty lame attempt at highlighting the rock star’s advancing age. She did, however, do a good job of pointing out how backward the U.S. health care system is. See, Mick Jagger’s from the United Kingdom and he’s had universal government medical benefits since he was five. That’s because 60 years ago the United Kingdom instituted their National Health Service. READ MORE....
     
    More healthcare justice news
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This just in! --6/11/08
POWER's Healthcare Truth Commission a huge success!
Tuesday June 10th, 6:00-8:30PM 
Community Public Access, 516 Congress St, Portland, ME
Co-sponsored by POWER & MSEA-SEIU Local 1989
Flyer: PDF | Word    Handout: PDF | Word 

    "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking & inhumane."
          --Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The stories we shared and witnessed at this Healthcare Truth Commission were nothing short of incredible....Thanks to those brave individuals who dared enough to stand up and speak their truth, those of us who dared enough to listen learned exactly why this injustice must end.....By the end of the evening there was not a heart among us left untouched, nor a soul left unstirred. READ MORE...
THANK YOU to everyone who made this event possible!


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~ Healthcare Justice Survey ~                                          
As part of our healthcare justice organizing efforts, POWER is documenting violations of our
human right to healthcare. If you've ever had problems accessing affordable, quality healthcare
when you needed it, please take a moment to fill out our Healthcare Justice Survey & TELL
YOUR HEALTH CARE STORY: online survey | printable survey: Wordprintable survey: PDF

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~ Recent Healthcare Events ~                 
    • Healthcare Truth Commission!
      Tuesday June 10th, 6:00-8:30 PM
      Community Public Access, 516 Congress St, Portland, ME
      We testified about & witnessed violations to our human right to healthcare.
      This was truly an incredible & inspiring event. Stay tuned for photos & video!
      more about this event  | watch POWER's new video: "Healthcare Crisis"
       
    • Public Forum for Healthcare Justice!
      Tuesday December 11th, 6:30-8:00 PM,
      At Portland's Community Public Access, 516 Congress Street, in Portland, Maine;
      What is Universal Single Payer Healthcare? Why do we need it?
      Why don't we have it? How are we going to get it?

      more about this event.... |  watch it on google video | public access tv schedule  
       
    • Demonstration for Healthcare Justice!
      Tuesday Nov. 27th, 4:00PM, Monument Sq, Portland, ME;
      What do we want? EVERYBODY IN! 
      Universal Single Payer Healthcare for ALL!
      THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO RALLIED WITH US FOR OUR HUMAN RIGHT TO HEALTHCARE: GUARANTEED, UNIVERSAL, SINGLE PAYER!
      more about this event.... | photoswatch it on google video 

      Photos courtesy of POWER member Jenn Barton. SEE MORE PHOTOS!
      POWER Demonstration for Healthcare Justice! 11/27/07POWER Demonstration for Healthcare Justice! 11/27/07POWER Demonstration for Healthcare Justice! 11/27/07POWER Demonstration for Healthcare Justice! 11/27/07POWER Demonstration for Healthcare Justice! 11/27/07POWER Demonstration for Healthcare Justice! 11/27/07
      Thanks again everyone!
       
    • World Health Day Demonstration!
      Tuesday Nov. 27th, 4:00PM, Monument Sq, Portland, ME;
      What do we want? EVERYBODY IN! 
      Universal Single Payer Healthcare for ALL!
      THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO RALLIED WITH US FOR OUR HUMAN RIGHT TO HEALTHCARE: GUARANTEED, UNIVERSAL, SINGLE PAYER!
      photos | watch it on youtube
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~ Healthcare Videos ~               

  POWER's Videos:
 
   Healthcare Crisis
   
   POWER's Healthcare Crisis video                        
   Larger screen | Watch movie on YouTube | Visit POWER's YouTube channel | ( TOP )
   Short video piece exposing the US healthcare crisis & calling for people to speak out
   and tell their stories of struggling to get the healthcare they need. Video was produced
   by POWER's Video Committee & includes the song Healthcare Justice!, written &
   performed by Colette Washington; please visit www.GuaranteedHealthcare.org.


POWER's Public Forum on Healthcare Justice
POWER Public Forum on Healthcare Justice! 12/11/07Now airing on Channels 2 & 4 in Greater Portland: schedule of
air times is available on the Community Television Network website: http://ctn4maine.org/ or by calling the station at 775-2900. Portland's Public Access Channel 4 is available to cable TV subscribers living in any of the 16 municipalities of Greater Portland (ME), while Channel 2 is available to cable TV subscribers in the city Portland, Maine.
   




POWER's Public Forum on Healthcare Justice                         ( TOP )
Watch it on Google Video!
 



        
       POWER's Demonstration for Healthcare Justice              ( TOP )
   

         
         POWER's World Health Day Protest                                 ( TOP )



GRITtv: They've Got Healthcare: Why don't we?  --5/22/08 (posted 6/21/08)
Taking a look at healthcare in Canada, Germany, & Taiwan with Mary O'Brien, MD of Physicians for a National Health Program, Katharina Janus, visiting Professor at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, Michael S. Chen, Vice President & CFO of Taiwan's Bureau of National Health Insurance, & Adrian Campbell Montgomery from the film SiCKO. Adrian's been a patient in both the U.S. & Canadian Health Systems, and she can tell you there's quite a difference. Click here to watch video!



Health Care Crisis USA
By Poor Voices United & The Media College of the University of the Poor

HEALTH CARE CRISIS USA is about Poor Voices United,
a group in Atlantic City, NJ that is fighting back and organizing
for the right to health care.

Health Care Crisis USA, PART 1, 8:26 minutes.


Health Care Crisis USA, PART 2, 9:06 minutes.


Health Care Crisis USA, PART 3, 2:26 minutes.

Other ways to watch Health Care Crisis USA
Part 1  [8:26 mins] - on YouTube
Part 2  [9:06 mins] - on YouTube
Part 3  [2:26 mins] - on YouTube
 

Poor        
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~ Petitions ~
                                                                                                            

1)   Health Coverage for Maine Petition
Individuals and organizations are invited to sign on to the
Health Coverage for Maine Petition & help send a strong
message to lawmakers & the big national beverage companies
that taking away health coverage from Maine's children &
hard-working adults is not what Maine is all about.
  • Oppose the Beverage Petition that puts 18,000 Maine children, families,
    and small businesses at risk of losing their health coverage while another
    40,000 could see their premiums become unaffordable;
  • Support reasonable solutions to the health care crisis, like a few extra
    pennies on beer, wine, and soda;
  • Object to the big national beverage companies spending hundreds of
    thousands of dollars hiring an out-of-state signature-gathering firm while
    putting health insurance for Maine kids and hard-working adults in
    extreme jeopardy;
  • Believe health coverage is essential because when kids get preventative care
    to make them healthier, and when businesses can count on healthy employees,
    Maine's economy will be in a position to thrive;
  • Know that the best way to reduce health costs and make sure the health
    system works for everyone is to get all Maine children and adults covered
    by health insurance;
  • Want Maine to build on its success in reducing the number of uninsured
    citizens and continue to find creative ways to get more people covered by
    health insurance;
  • Join together to say, "no thanks" to the veto of health coverage for Maine.
    Click here
    to sign the Health Coverage for Maine Petition now!
    Learn more: www.healthcoverageformaine.org

 
2) Petition for HR 676 -- Healthcare for All Americans!
       www.healthcare-now.org/petition.php 
  • Whereas: We spend over $2 trillion for healthcare in the US, yet millions are
    still not covered or receiving the care they need;
  • Whereas: Whereas the healthcare coverage in the United States is ranked #37
    in the world by the World Health Organization and yet we spend almost twice
    as much as any other country, enough to cover everybody with excellent
    comprehensive healthcare;
  • Whereas: A bill has been proposed in Congress, HR-676, non-profit Medicare
    for All, that outlines a national health care program that will provide guaranteed
    affordable health care and prescription drugs to everyone in the country;
  • Whereas: Over 12,000 doctors have signed on in favor of this plan, including
    two former U.S. Surgeons General;
  • Whereas: Under this proposed plan, we can pay for a comprehensive national
    health care program with the same money we are now spending and cover every
    single person in the United States;
  • And Whereas: The bill provides money for retraining those whose jobs as
    administrators in the insurance industry would be lost as a result of this shift;
  • Be it Resolved That: We call on our members of Congress to pass HR 676,
    non-profit Medicare for All, so our people and our nation can have the excellent
    health care system we deserve. Health care is a human right, and we call on our
    members of Congress to recognize that right.

    SIGN THE PETITION!!!
    | For more info please visit: www.healthcare-now.org

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~ Articles ~ Updated as of:  8/11/08                                           
  • Reform Group Wants Better Healthcare Plans, WCHS, Channel 6 -- 8/7/08
    AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER) -- A national health insurance reform group is slamming Maine's biggest health insurance company, saying Anthem Blue Cross Clue Shield is making exorbitant profits at the expense of Maine people. It's part of an effort to force politicians in Washington to dramatically change the country's health insurance system. The group calls itself Health Care for America Now,and they were marching on the Augusta office of Anthem Blue Cross to publicize their claim that private, for-profit insurance companies are the real problem. READ MORE....    
  • Can’t get no health care satisfaction, Bangor Daily News, Op-ed by Pat Lamarche -- 7/30/08 
    A Fox News anchor said Saturday that if Mick Jagger was from the United States he’d finally qualify for Medicare. She’s kidding — right? The anchor made a pretty lame attempt at highlighting the rock star’s advancing age. She did, however, do a good job of pointing out how backward the U.S. health care system is. See, Mick Jagger’s from the United Kingdom and he’s had universal government medical benefits since he was five. That’s because 60 years ago the United Kingdom instituted their National Health Service. READ MORE....
  • Groups join in campaign for affordable health care, Portland Press Herald --7/9/08
    Advocates line the steps of the State House to call on politicians to pass health-care legislation.
    By MATTHEW STONE, Blethen Maine News Service July 9, 2008
    AUGUSTA—Calling it the first order of business for a new president and Congress, speakers from a collective of advocacy groups launched a campaign on the State House steps Tuesday morning urging politicians in Augusta and Washington to take action on health care. READ MORE....
  • Activists Prepare for Affordable Healthcare Campaign, Maine Public Broadcasting --7/9/08
    A coalition of healthcare activists brought the so-called "Health Care for America Now" campaign to the State House today. It was an effort to make affordable healthcare for all a major issue in this year's congressional elections. The campaign is encouraging lawmakers to come up with some new options for consumers. They include private coverage, government-administered health insurance or some different approach for guaranteeing access to health care for all Americans. READ MORE....
  • U.S. Conference of Mayors Backs Single-Payer National Health Insurance --6/23/08
    From Physicians for a National Health Program, For immediate release -- June 23, 2008
    The U.S. Conference of Mayors, meeting in Miami, adopted a resolution this morning in support of single-payer national health insurance. The assembly, in unanimous vote, backed a resolution calling for the enactment of the “United States National Health Insurance Act,” H.R. 676. READ MORE....
  • Cities for Single Payer - What US Mayors Already Know, Healthcare Now! --6/23/08
    Posted by Nancy Lewis FNP on June 24, 2008 - 10:10am
    The U.S. Conference of Mayors has just endorsed HR 676, "Medicare For All" as the best antidote to the  health care crisis facing U.S. cities across the country. At their annual meeting, 8 mayors,  started the ball rolling toward a full endorsement and have now joined San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom, with their support for truly universal health care. READ MORE....
  • Paying More But Getting Less:
    Myths and the Global Case for US Health Reform 
    Published by Center for American Progress, November 2005

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This wonderful bookmark is from www.healthcare-now.org.
bookmark with facts about universal single payer healthcare, from http://www.healthcare-now.org

NEW! Healthcare-NOW! bookmark available!
This a simple handout packed with information about the US Health Care Crisis and the Single Payer Solution. For a limited time, you can receive 10 /*free*/ bookmarks by request. Additional bookmarks can be purchased at $0.15/each. Order from Healthcare-NOW! at 800-453-1305
Please visit www.healthcare-now.org for other great resources & information.




SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 
  • Q: Do I have to answer all the questions in order to take the healthcare survey? --No. Answer as many or as few questions as you like. Of course, the more you answer, the more helpful it is for us. 
  • Q: Can I take the healthcare survey anonymously? --Yes. Giving contact info is entirely optional,  and any contact information you do provide will be kept confidential. . 
  • Q: Are there other ways to take the healthcare survey? --Yes. A print version of the survey is available: You can either download it from our website as a Word document, or you can contact POWER with your mailing address and we'll send you a copy of the survey by mail. An email-able version of the survey is also available by contacting POWER
  • Q: Do I have to be poor or low-income in order to take the healthcare survey? --No. Anyone may take the survey regardless of their economic situation. 
  • Q: Where can I find out more about Universal Single Payer Healthcare? --For starters,
    please visit the website of Physicans for a National Health Program: www.pnhp.orgwww.guaranteedhealthcare.org, or www.healthcare-now.org. Additional resources can be found listed in the left-hand column above
  • Q: What are economic human rights? --Economic human rights include our rights to food, housing, healthcare, living wage jobs, education, and income for those who need it. These rights are outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: for more info click here or visit our human rights page
  • Q: What are some examples of economic human rights violations? --For example: problems getting healthcare when you needed it; struggling to pay your rent or mortgage; working jobs that don't pay enough to make ends meet; skipping prescriptions because they were too expensive; taking on student loans you later can't afford to pay... These are just some of the many examples of economic human rights violations that millions of us are experiencing all across the nation. 
  • Q: How can I help distribute this information to other people?--One way you can help is by printing out the healthcare survey out & making copies to distribute. To download the printable version of the survey: Healthcare_Survey --Word format | Healthcare_Survey --PDF format
    Or contact POWER with your address & we'll send or deliver copies of the healthcare survey, plus any other materials you'd like to distribute.
    THANK YOU!

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MORE ABOUT ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS

Conditions of poverty represent violations of our economic human rights. As part of the struggle to end poverty, we're working to document these violations wherever they occur.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a landmark international treaty signed by the United States in 1948. It clearly states that economic human rights are guaranteed to all human beings.

Economic Human Rights are specified in Articles 23, 25, & 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as outlined below. Or read the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. More info is also available on our human rights page

Article 23:
The right to LIVING WAGE JOBS, to safe working conditions, and to form and join unions.

    1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
    2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
    3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for him/herself and his/her family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
    4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his/her interests.
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Article 25:
The right to well-being of a person and their family, including: HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, & FOOD, CHILDCARE, & SECURITY for all those who are unemployed, unable to work, or working at home raising children, or caring for other family members.  

  1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of him/herself and of his or her family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his or her control.
  2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
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Article 26:
The right to EDUCATION, including higher education & training. 

    1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
    2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
    3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
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For the full text of the
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS CLICK HERE!



mothers of the disappeard marching past the portland city hall , very large crowd. Photo by J Flynn.

POWER's Demonstration for Healthcare Justice.
Portland, Maine, November 27, 2007.


When we unite to claim our rights together we have POWER!



Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights = POWER!
Contact POWER


Winning our economic rights;
Putting poverty on trial;
Building a Maine that truly is the way life should be - for ALL of us!!!





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