It is Time To Act on Health Care Reform!

Tonight at 8 p.m. EDT, President Obama will address a joint session of Congress and the nation to discuss his vision for health care reform. This will be a critical speech that should clarify the President's position on some hot-button issues. Please watch and then let your own voice be heard! October 5^th, join your NPA colleagues, medical students from AMSA, and physicians from numerous other organizations in Washington, D.C. for a White Coat Rally and Lobby Day! Look for details coming soon.

59% of physicians support national health insurance and 55% support achieving universal coverage with more incremental reform. We, as physicians, are among the most trusted messengers. Let your patients, colleagues, and members of Congress know that doctors want a health care system that is fair, secure, and focused on the needs of our patients.

Kudos to Dr. Minesh Shah (above) for speaking at a health care rally on Thursday, September 3rd. Approximately 1200 people attended.  The rally was covered in the Atlanta Constitution:

Watch Nina Agrawal go head to head on health care reform on GritTV:

On Wednesday, September 2^nd, Dr. Manel Silva of the National Physicians Alliance addressing a crowd in Jersey City gathered at a candle light vigil in support of health care reform (and from the signs, the crowd is clearly in support of a public health insurance option):

Dr. Viraj Patel shared a patient's story at a vigil in Manhattan:

Dr. Alex Blum was quoted as saying, "We need health care reform now, now, and not just for you all, my patients, but for me as a doctor, I need health care reform now!" Blum was highlighted in the coverage of a health care vigil on Columbus Circle in New York City on Wednesday, September 2nd:

The New Republic has a piece outlining the recent health care reform events. It discusses the compromise that Max Baucus has proposed. The bill will cost $900 billion over 10 years and includes taxation of insurers but does not include a public option. All eyes are on Olympia Snowe of Maine. See the article here:

How is the Baucus proposal different from the Senate HELP bill and the House bill? Here is a short synopsis:

8 Million Folks - The ThirdWay has a new report out which states, "The vast majority of Americans are currently insured. Nevertheless, 88 million Americans between ages 18-64 and their families-or half of all working-age Americans-have experienced at least one of the following risk factors that makes their health care insecure:

With all of the recent debate, some Americans have become confused about how health care would help them. In the September 8^th issue of The Washington Post, an article outlines those who might be helped under the bill, including the uninsured, those with sharp insurance premium increases, those with high out of pocket expenses and those with preexisting conditions:

President Obama continues to voice support for the public option as the best way to increase competition and lower costs in the insurance market. Listen to President Obama's Labor Day speech in Ohio:

A CBS Poll of August 31^st found that 82% of Americans say that the U.S. health care system needs either fundamental changes (55%) or needs "to be rebuilt" (27%).

In case you were wondering, the U.S. spends more per capita on health care than any other country in the industrialized world:

Find more interesting facts on U.S. health care here:

Oh, and if you still haven't read H.R. 3200, you can just listen to it here (over a 24 hour period!):

Dr. Ari Silver-Isenstadt has taken the health care debate to his pediatrics practice, posting signs in the waiting room that let families know "Dr. Ari Supports Health Insurance Reform." He was quoted in this article in The Huffington Post:

NPAgot a mention in the following article in The Lancet Student:

NPA got a mention in an article in an AP article about health care reform:

Take a look at this video by Young Invincibles for a fun take on the health reform debate:

And even R.E.M. got in on health care reform, with a video by MoveOn.Org

Save the date for a trip to Washington - October 5^th! Look for details to come soon.

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