A Four-Part Public Forum Series To Be Held At WAMC’s Linda Norris Auditorium

"Reforming Our Health Care System: The Pros and Cons of 'Medicare for All'"

Beginning on March 7, the Capital District chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program, in association with the NYS League of Women Voters, will host a series of four public forums on the state of health care in our region, state, and nation. Dr. Alan Chartock, President of WAMC- Northeast Public Radio, will moderate each forum.

The series will bring together a diverse group of leaders and experts in health care, business, and politics to discuss the challenge of providing comprehensive, high-quality health care to all our citizens. The series will explore the desirability and feasibility of instituting an expanded “Medicare for All.” The series outline is as follows:

March 7, Noon-2:00 – What is wrong with the current system? Would “Medicare for All” remedy these deficiencies?

Panelists will include:
• Oliver Fein, MD, Professor of Clinical Public Health and Associate Dean at Cornell, Chair of the NY Metro chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program
• Jeremy Lazarus, MD, Past-President of the Colorado Medical Society, current Vice Speaker of the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association
• William Cromie, MD, MBA, former Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago, current President and CEO of the Capital District Physicians Health Plan
• Glenn McGee, PhD, the John A. Balint Chair in Medical Ethics at Albany Medical College, Director of the Alden March Bioethics Institute, Editor of the American Journal of Bioethics

March 27, 1:00-3:00 – What lessons can we learn from other countries?

Panelists will include:
• P. J. Devereaux, MD, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and of Medicine, McMaster University in Canada
• Martha Livingston, Ph.D., associate professor of health and society, SUNY Old Westbury, vice-chair of NY Metro chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program
• Victor Rodwin, PhD, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, author of books on health systems around the world
• Robert A. Scher, MD, Chief of Ophthalmology at Huntington Hospital, President of the Medical Society of the State of New York


April 10, Noon-1:30 – What would an expanded “Medicare for All” look like? What difficulties would have to be overcome in implementing it and getting it to work?

• Diane Archer, Esq., founder, former president, and current special counsel of the Medicare Rights Center
• Kevin Fleming, MD, assistant professor of Medicine and Neurology, specializing in geriatrics, at the Mayo Clinic, and consultant for the Heritage Foundation
• David Himmelstein, MD, associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program
• David Pratt, JD, Professor of Law at Albany Law School, co-author of Social Security and Medicare Answer Book

April 24, Noon-2:00 - Can we institute “Medicare for All” in a single state, namely New York?

Panelists include:
• Alexander B. (“Pete”) Grannis, chair of the NY Assembly Finance Committee
• Paul Macielak, president and CEO of the New York Health Plan Association
• Deborah Richter, M.D., president of Vermont Health Care for All
• Leonard Rodberg, Ph.D., chair of the Urban Studies Department at Queen's College and treasurer of the NY Metro chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program
• Elliott Shaw, director of government affairs for the Business Council of New York State and its health-policy lobbyist
• Robert A. Scher, M.D., chief of ophthalmology at Huntington Hospital, president of the Medical Society of the State of New York

The public is welcome to all the forums free of charge. Seating is, however, limited. To confirm your attendance or for more information, please email the Capital District Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program at pnhpalbany@verizon.net or telephone at 518-391-2508. Audience members may bring their lunches.

Additional sponsors include the Capital District Alliance for Universal Healthcare, the Hunger Action Network of New York State, the Labor-Religion Coalition, Albany Medical Center, Albany Law School, the MBA Program in Healthcare Management of the Graduate College of Union University, the Medical Society of Albany County, and Rekindling Reform.

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First Labor Council In New York Endorses House Bill for National Health Insurance

Troy, NY - The Troy Area Labor Council, representing 10,000 union members in Rensselaer County, unanimously endorsed HR 676 at its January meeting. If enacted, this legislation would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident.

After the vote, council president Mike Keenan said "The Troy Area Labor Council finds it embarrassing that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world that fails to provide universal health care. This failure not only has the U.S. ranked low among nations in having a healthy population, but also a healthy economy as the recent problems in the U.S. auto industry indicate. The profits of the so-called health & insurance industries should not come before the well-being of the American people."

HR 676 now has 64 congressional co-sponsors, including Congressmen McNulty and Hinchey. It would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.

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