Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare
Working for passage of the "United States National Health Care Act", also known as,
the "Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act" (H.R. 676)

The current congressional health care “debate” has shown advocates of single-payer health care (improved and expanded, Medicare for All) that it is not enough to have the best idea (morally and fiscally responsible health care reform) or even to have the best idea backed by large public support.  Congress took single-payer “off the table” from the beginning.  It never got a fair hearing or a vote. 

The ability of the opponents of single-payer to give campaign money to incumbents (or to threaten to withhold it) was the key to having their lobbyists heard and to keeping single-payer advocates silent, except for the brave people who spoke up and were arrested. Members of Congress, knowing that their ability to gather large amounts of campaign money for themselves will defeat or scare off election day opponents, catered to health care industries and to the lobbyists who write the campaign checks. In this campaign money based culture of influence, we had very little influence. Until members of Congress and candidates for Congress have an alternative source of campaign money, we may find that single-payer will still be “off the table”, no matter how expensive and inadequate the current health care bill proves to be. 

The corrupting influence (both real and perceived) of campaign money on Congress presents a double problem for single-payer advocates.  First, privately funded election campaigns insulate Congress from the public will by making it difficult to vote out the incumbents.  But, there is also the larger question of trust in government.  Single-payer health care has faced some popular opposition fueled by the idea that the people can’t trust their government.  We ourselves have rightly pointed to payments by industry to the campaigns of elected officials as evidence that the government is corrupt.  It may be necessary to re-establish trust in our government, in our democracy, before we can secure the congressional votes and the broad popular will necessary to pass single-payer.

The good news is that there are bills in Congress providing for public funding of Congressional elections.  It is expected that these bills will be voted on in 2010.  The Fair Elections Now Act (H.R.1826 and S.752) establishes a system of public funding for congressional candidates.  Qualifying candidates are provided with public funds to match their small private contributions, as long as they agree to take no contribution larger than $100.  Passage of this bill will provide members of Congress with an alternative source of campaign money and will provide any citizen, including single-payer advocates, with enough money to mount a credible challenge to incumbents. H.R. 1826 already has over 135 co-sponsors. (MORE ABOUT FAIR ELECTIONS)

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are free to spend unlimited amounts of corporate money in support of or in opposition to candidates for office, it is absolutely necessary that every candidate for Congress have available to them an alternative source of campaign money sufficient to make themselves known to the voters, make their positions known to the voters, and to be able to respond to attacks.

How can Single-Payer supporters help pass the
Fair Elections Now Act?

1. If your member of the House of Representatives is a co-sponsor of H.R. 676 but not yet a co-sponsor of H.R. 1826 (see table below), call them and ask, "Given that we could not even get Congress to engage in a serious discussion of single-payer in 2009, how are we ever going to pass single-payer in a Congress whose members are dependent on campaign money from our opponents and who are now subject to the threat of insurance and pharmaceutical companies spending unlimited corporate funds for or against their re-election? We need you to co-sponsor the Fair Elections Now Act so that members of Congress will have an alternative source of campaign money and we can get single-payer health care for everyone."

2. If your Senators or Representative were never co-sponsors of H.R. 676, see if they are already co-sponsors of the Fair Elections Now Act (LIST OF CO-SPONSORS in the HOUSE and SENATE ). If not, why not? Ask them to become co-sponsors. Call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 (or or use a toll-free number.)

3. Contact your single-payer group. Ask them to endorse the "Fair Elections Now Act" and to encourage their members to contact their Senators and Representatives requesting that they become co-sponsors.