Make Your Voices Heard!

Physician energy behind health reform is at an unprecedented high and the media is finally taking notice, getting past its sensational coverage of disrupted town halls and digging into the issues.   Bottom line: American families want the security of affordable, guaranteed health care and so do doctors. 

Thanks to everyone for working hard to make physician voices heard! Enjoy the wonderful pictures and media coverage below. It is very important that the public keep hearing our support for health care reform, including support of the public option. Keep up the strong work! 

On August 29, the New York Local Action Network of the National Physicians Alliance and over 80 local and national grassroots organizations, including Organizing America and NYC for Change, rocked Times Square with their UNITY RALLY FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM. Despite inclement weather, over 2,000 New Yorkers from across the city and suburbs jammed both sides of 7th Avenue to call on Congress to finish the job and to do the right thing on health care, and to remember the health care justice legacy of the late Senator Edward Kennedy who was buried that day in Arlington National Cemetery.  It was truly a historic moment for the universal health care movement in New York City and America.

Dr. Jonathan Arend, Legislative Director of the New York NPA group, spoke on behalf of the physician groups represented. Dr. Nina Agrawal, founder of NYC for Change, one of the key organizers of the event, and NPA member, delivered the closing remarks. Comments from several other New York NPA members were aired on local television news shows. 

Other speakers included Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, and several other local community leaders.

The event was covered extensively by the media, including ABC, New York One, the New York Times, and The LA Times. Many NPA members were featured in the media coverage, including David Herszenson, Aaron Fox and others.  Watch news coverage of the rally here:

H.R. 3200 has generated much discussion recently, from vocal town hall meetings to discussions of whether this health care bill is sufficient for health care reform. Noise from recent town halls aside, several discussions are currently addressing the need for real reform in health care. The tide appears to have turned as many health care reform supporters rallied with the passing of the Lion of the Senate, Edward Kennedy. Although we have lost a true supporter of health care reform, we may now have a way to unite toward comprehensive health care reform.

Many Americans are concerned about changing a system with which they are familiar, even though it may not be in their best interest. This may explain the recent vitriol witnessed many health care town halls over this Congressional recess. Nevertheless, maintaining the status quo will be extremely expensive for Americans. A report just released by the Brookings Institution addresses the need to address the severe problems with the growth of health care spending. In addition to the need to reform the current system of health insurance, it addresses the need to need to invest in better information and tools and the need to reward physicians and hospitals for providing lower-cost, high quality care. You can read the full report here:

Bill Journal Moyer's recently addressed the current flaws inherent in our health care system. The story focused on Money Driven Medicine, a film based on a book by Maggie Mahar. You may watch the episode here:

Others are addressing the hold that the insurance industry has on health care reform. An article by David Leonhardt in the August 25^th New York Times addresses this issue and the fact that many health care costs are hidden from us:

Of course, costs of health care reform continue to be a major focus of the discussion. Numbers have been thrown around by many in this discussion. However, maintaining the status quo will be the biggest problem. Simon Johnson and James Kwak discuss why we can afford health care reform in The Washington Post:

The discussion of how to ensure we pass health care reform has also been at the forefront. See a New York Times editorial here about the process of budget reconciliation:

And some are discussing the means by which health care reform is occurring. Senator Bob Dole wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post proposing that President Obama regroup with respect to health care:

Join the discussion by watching Vice President Joseph Biden's efforts to debunk the myth that the status quo is acceptable. Then create your own response and upload your own video!

On August 20, Dr. Manisha Sharma spoke at a health care rally in NYC:

Read Dr. Aaron Fox's blog about H.R. 3200 and the need to help our patients with health care reform:

Take this quiz to see how health care reform will affect you and your family:

Have 30 minutes? Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper by going to the following site: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1021/t/1926/letter/?letter_KEY=1145

Look for a NPA Communications Workshop event near you! NPA is holding workshop events around the country. These sessions give you the tools to discuss health care reform with your colleagues, patients, policy makers and the media.  Boston, Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles are in the planning stages. If you can help plan a session in your city please e-mail npa@npalliance.org

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