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| DC Statehood Green Party Endorses National Health Insurance Now Conference, Planned for Washington, D.C., April 16-17. |
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THE D.C. STATEHOOD GREEN PARTY Contact: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The D.C. Statehood Green Party has endorsed the "Build a National Health Insurance Movement For All Now!" conference, planned for Washington, D.C., Friday and Saturday, April 16-17. Participants will discuss strategies for advancing single-payer national health care. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who is currently sponsoring House Bill 676 for a national health insurance program, will be honorary co-host. "National health insurance is the only plan that would guarantee that every American has quality health care," said Michele Tingling-Clemmons, who is helping to organize the conference, sits on the steering committee of the D.C. Statehood Green Party and is co-chair of the Green Party's national Black Caucus. Tingling-Clemmons is running for the Ward 7 seat on D.C. City Council. "We would all be covered, regardless of ability to pay, employment, residence, age, or prior medical condition, and we'd get to choose which physician or hospital treats us." "Except for the Green Party and some courageous Democrats like Rep. Conyers who support national health insurance, most politicians have caved in to powerful and wealthy HMO and insurance company lobbies," Tingling-Clemmons added. "But private coverage has failed miserably -- 43 million plus Americans have no coverage and millions more lack adequate coverage. Single-payer national health insurance is the only remedy." Statehood Greens note that every democratic nation in the world, except for the U.S., guarantees health care for all of its citizens. National health insurance would be payed for with a progressive tax that would cost most Americans a lot less than they now pay for private coverage. "Washington, D.C. is an appropriate place for a health care conference like this one," said Arturo Griffiths, Statehood Green candidate for the at-large seat on D.C. Council. "We have the poorest health care of anywhere in the western hemisphere, except for Haiti, with a high infant mortality rate and low life expectancy for African American males. Furthermore, public health care has been under vicious attack by Mayor Anthony Williams, who privatized and destroyed D.C. General, the District's only full-service public hospital. He did this in cooperation with Republicans in Congress and corporate cronies, especially Doctors Community Health Care." The conference has also been endorsed by Dr. Quentin Young, national coordinator of Physicians for a National Health Program; the American Medical Students Association; the D.C. Health Care Coalition; Gray Panthers; and numerous other local and national organizations. It will take place at Howard University Hospital & Towers Auditorium, 2041 Georgia Avenue, NW in Washington, D.C. MORE INFORMATION The D.C. Statehood Green Party http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org House Bill 676: The "United States National
Health Insurance Act" ("Expanded & Improved Medicare For
All Bill") Summary: http://www.house.gov/conyers/Health_Insurance_Bill_Summary.htm Press release: "Conyers and Physicians Propose Solution to Rising Health Care Costs and Uninsured" (February 4, 2003) http://www.house.gov/conyers/pr_030204_health_insurnace.htm Physicians for a National Health Program http://www.pnhp.org
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