Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare

Working for passage of the "United States National Health Insurance Act", also known as,

the "Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act" (H.R. 676)

	Great Picture – Good Headline National Day of Protest Against Insurance Companies June 19, 2008 Rallies were held in 19 cities throughout the country on June 19, 2008 to protest the role of insurance companies in the health care system. One such rally was held outside the offices of Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield in downtown Pittsburgh. The rally of over 100 participants was spirited and began with chants from a picket line led by Ed Grystar of the Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare, followed by Leslie Curtis of the USW and a healthcare song from Mike Stout. If you didn’t attend the rally yourself, based on local media coverage it would be difficult to get a clear picture of what it was about and the excitement in the air. On Friday morning June 20,2008, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette featured a great picture of the previous day’s rally. Pictured are Sarah Ramer, Dr. Ron Codario and Dr. Miranda Gillespie cheering a speaker and showing off signs with captions like “Patients First – Not Profit”. The headline was even representative of the spirit of the gathering: “Rally touts ‘single-payer’ health care”. Unfortunately, the photo of Ms.Ramer, Dr. Codario and Dr.Gillespie and the headline for the PG article were the highlights of local media coverage of the event. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette article by Joe Fahy was more interesting for its omissions than for its contents. There was no mention of HR 676, the Single Payer federal legislation sponsored by Rep. John Conyers and 90 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Pittsburgh’s Rep.Mike Doyle. There was no mention of Highmark’s ‘surplus’ of $3.7 billion in 2007 and its CEO’s 2006 salary of $3.2 million, nor polls that indicate that two-thirds of Americans believe the government should guarantee healthcare for all, even if it means raising taxes. There was no context for the rally, only the very lazy and non-descriptive statement, “Similar rallies were scheduled in other cities around the nation.” Fortunately, context was provided by the broad range of speakers at the rally, who included labor representatives, elected officials, members of the clergy and others-- all of whom talked about the state of the country’s health care crisis and how the rally was part of a nation-wide movement. Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shields was represented by his chief of staff, Selena S chmidt, who pointed out the irony of world class health facilities being located in Pittsburgh while 100,000 residents of Allegheny County have no health insurance and that Pittsburgh’s infant mortality rate is twice that of New York City. Other speakers included Rev. John Welc h, President of Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network; Michelle Boyle, nurse ; Ron Codario, M.D.; Jean Budowanec, speaking on behalf of her sister-in-law, who is facing medical debt from insurance company denial of her hospital bill that caused her to lose her home; Rev. Ron Wanle ss; Mike Plaskon of Branch 84 of the National Association of Letter Carriers ; medical student Sarah Ramer; Denise Edwards of Wilkinsburg City Council; Leslie Curtis of the USW Health Care Workers Council; Hal Sanders, retired hospital administrator; Ed Grystar of the Pennsylvania Nurses union (PASNAP) and the Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare; Marie Malagrec o, senior citizen; John Olesnevich, ca ndi date for State Representative; and, Mike Stout, speaking as the owner of a printing company. Nearly half of the Post Gazette article was devoted to two topics: one, the health care proposals of the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, and, two, ”conventional wisdom” on health care as interpreted by representatives of two organizations with very generic sounding names. Dr. Len Nichols of the New American Foundation talked in the Post Gazette article about the fact that the single payer proposal is not likely to succeed in Congress. What is the New American Foundation? According to its web site, it is “...a non-profit, non-partisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the new generation of critical challenges facing the United States.” Of course the New American Foundation board is comprised of very important and very smart academics and business leaders and includes such non-partisans as Francis Fukuyama, one of the leading figures of the neo-conservative movement, which has been so successful in devising public policy solutions. And how is the New American Foundation funded? In part, by its Leadership Council – these members give over $25,000 annually and include other non-partisans such as Susan Chambers, Executive Vice-President of Wal Mart and is chaired by John C. Whitehead of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. Better to give coverage to the New American Foundation than to the actual speakers at the rally!! The original on-line coverage of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review was marginally better than the Post Gazette, but by the time the story made it to the daily newspaper it was reduced to one paragraph at the back of Section B. Television and radio coverage was limited. KDKA TV (a CBS affiliate) ran a 10 – 15 second pan of the rally with voice over, deleting the interview they conducted with Ed Grystar. Radio station WKQV and Westwood One syndicated radio interviewed Ed Grystar by phone, while WDUQ (the local NPR station) ran an audio of State Sen. Jim Ferlo speaking from the Senate floor in Harrisburg about the rallies and single-payer. None of us are surprised by how the corporate media covers what is arguably the most important domestic issue facing Americans. A rational solution to the health care crisis involves confronting some of the most powerful political and financial forces in the country. Despite these odds, look at where the movement for single payer health care is today: 90 Congressional co-sponsors for HR 676; almost daily announcements of new labor unions supporting HR 676; the recent announcement by the 1,100 member U.S. League of Mayors that they have unanimously endorsed HR 676; the endorsement of the New York State Assembly of HR 676……..positive signs of support for a single payer health care plan continue to grow. We need to use traditional media where possible and other types of media as the opportunities present themselves. Above all, “Keep the Faith”. Marc Knezevich, Media Committee, W. PA Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare BACK TO HOME PAGE

Great Picture – Good Headline

National Day of Protest Against Insurance Companies
June 19, 2008

Rallies were held in 19 cities throughout the country on June 19, 2008 to protest the role of insurance companies in the health care system. One such rally was held outside the offices of Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield in downtown Pittsburgh. The rally of over 100 participants was spirited and began with chants from a picket line led by Ed Grystar of the Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare, followed by Leslie Curtis of the USW and a healthcare song from Mike Stout. If you didn’t attend the rally yourself, based on local media coverage it would be difficult to get a clear picture of what it was about and the excitement in the air.

On Friday morning June 20,2008, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette featured a great picture of the previous day’s rally. Pictured are Sarah Ramer, Dr. Ron Codario and Dr. Miranda Gillespie cheering a speaker and showing off signs with captions like “Patients First – Not Profit”. The headline was even representative of the spirit of the gathering: “Rally touts ‘single-payer’ health care”. Unfortunately, the photo of Ms.Ramer, Dr. Codario and Dr.Gillespie and the headline for the PG article were the highlights of local media coverage of the event.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette article by Joe Fahy was more interesting for its omissions than for its contents. There was no mention of HR 676, the Single Payer federal legislation sponsored by Rep. John Conyers and 90 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Pittsburgh’s Rep.Mike Doyle. There was no mention of Highmark’s ‘surplus’ of $3.7 billion in 2007 and its CEO’s 2006 salary of $3.2 million, nor polls that indicate that two-thirds of Americans believe the government should guarantee healthcare for all, even if it means raising taxes.

There was no context for the rally, only the very lazy and non-descriptive statement, “Similar rallies were scheduled in other cities around the nation.” Fortunately, context was provided by the broad range of speakers at the rally, who included labor representatives, elected officials, members of the clergy and others-- all of whom talked about the state of the country’s health care crisis and how the rally was part of a nation-wide movement. Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shields was represented by his chief of staff, Selena S chmidt, who pointed out the irony of world class health facilities being located in Pittsburgh while 100,000 residents of Allegheny County have no health insurance and that Pittsburgh’s infant mortality rate is twice that of New York City.

Other speakers included Rev. John Welc h, President of Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network; Michelle Boyle, nurse ; Ron Codario, M.D.; Jean Budowanec, speaking on behalf of her sister-in-law, who is facing medical debt from insurance company denial of her hospital bill that caused her to lose her home; Rev. Ron Wanle ss; Mike Plaskon of Branch 84 of the National Association of Letter Carriers ; medical student Sarah Ramer; Denise Edwards of Wilkinsburg City Council; Leslie Curtis of the USW Health Care Workers Council; Hal Sanders, retired hospital administrator; Ed Grystar of the Pennsylvania Nurses union (PASNAP) and the Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare; Marie Malagrec o, senior citizen; John Olesnevich, ca ndi date for State Representative; and, Mike Stout, speaking as the owner of a printing company.

Nearly half of the Post Gazette article was devoted to two topics: one, the health care proposals of the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, and, two, ”conventional wisdom” on health care as interpreted by representatives of two organizations with very generic sounding names.

Dr. Len Nichols of the New American Foundation talked in the Post Gazette article about the fact that the single payer proposal is not likely to succeed in Congress. What is the New American Foundation? According to its web site, it is “...a non-profit, non-partisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the new generation of critical challenges facing the United States.” Of course the New American Foundation board is comprised of very important and very smart academics and business leaders and includes such non-partisans as Francis Fukuyama, one of the leading figures of the neo-conservative movement, which has been so successful in devising public policy solutions. And how is the New American Foundation funded? In part, by its Leadership Council – these members give over $25,000 annually and include other non-partisans such as Susan Chambers, Executive Vice-President of Wal Mart and is chaired by John C. Whitehead of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. Better to give coverage to the New American Foundation than to the actual speakers at the rally!!

The original on-line coverage of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review was marginally better than the Post Gazette, but by the time the story made it to the daily newspaper it was reduced to one paragraph at the back of Section B.

Television and radio coverage was limited. KDKA TV (a CBS affiliate) ran a 10 – 15 second pan of the rally with voice over, deleting the interview they conducted with Ed Grystar. Radio station WKQV and Westwood One syndicated radio interviewed Ed Grystar by phone, while WDUQ (the local NPR station) ran an audio of State Sen. Jim Ferlo speaking from the Senate floor in Harrisburg about the rallies and single-payer.

None of us are surprised by how the corporate media covers what is arguably the most important domestic issue facing Americans. A rational solution to the health care crisis involves confronting some of the most powerful political and financial forces in the country. Despite these odds, look at where the movement for single payer health care is today: 90 Congressional co-sponsors for HR 676; almost daily announcements of new labor unions supporting HR 676; the recent announcement by the 1,100 member U.S. League of Mayors that they have unanimously endorsed HR 676; the endorsement of the New York State Assembly of HR 676……..positive signs of support for a single payer health care plan continue to grow. We need to use traditional media where possible and other types of media as the opportunities present themselves. Above all, “Keep the Faith”.

Marc Knezevich, Media Committee, W. PA Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare

BACK TO HOME PAGE