Health care reform panel set for Thursday night

Participants in the panel discussion include Washington, D.C. resident Donna Smith of the National Nurses Organizing Committee; Rob Stone, a Bloomington, Ind.-based emergency room physician and Indiana coordinator for Physicians for a National Health Program; and William Connolly, a professor of philosophy and religion at the University of Evansville and a member of the steering committee of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan.

SEIU may be linked to ultimatum on withholding stimulus funds

Reporting from Sacramento -- Officials in the governor's office say a politically powerful union may have had inappropriate influence over the Obama administration's decision to withhold billions of dollars in federal stimulus money from California if the state does not reverse a scheduled wage cut for the labor group's workers.

The officials say they are particularly troubled that the Service Employees International Union, which lobbied the federal government to step in, was included in a conference call in which state and federal officials reviewed the wage cut and the terms of the stimulus package.

Just received this from California Nurses:

Nurse Blog Ads Demand Congress Protect Patients with Single-Payer Reform

The National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association (NNOC/CNA), the nation's largest RN union and professional association, today announces a national online advertising campaign beginning this week that calls on key Congressional leaders to protect the public – not the profit motives of the insurance industry – through a system of guaranteed, single-payer healthcare reform. The ads are also sponsored by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. View the blog ad, the first phase of the campaign, www.CalNurses.org.

White House Summit In Denial On Regulating Health Care Costs

The California Nurses Association brought nearly one thousand nurses and activists to a rally on the street outside the forum. Their calls for a Medicare For All system weren't heard in the auditorium, but guests couldn't miss the message as we entered the auditorium. The testimonials from patients inside were heart breaking, but none of the answers from so-called stakeholders inside were compelling. None of the solutions dealt with how patients who lost coverage would be able to afford it again under an overhaul where the only cost savings come fro medical prevention.

Medicare for All (Single-Payer) Reform Would Be Major Stimulus for Economy 2.6 Million New Jobs,$317 Billion in Business Revenue, $100 Billion in Wages

2.6 Million New Jobs,$317 Billion in Business Revenue, $100 Billion in Wages

Establishing a national single-payer style healthcare reform system would provide a major stimulus for the U.S. economy by creating 2.6 million new jobs, and infusing $317 billion in new business and public revenues, with another $100 billion in wages into the U.S. economy, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study released today. It may be viewed at CalNurses.org.

Single-Payer Talking Points & Why Mandate Plans Won’t Work

California Nurses Responds to Daschle Appointment

OMG, the Orange Frat House endorses HR 676.