Blog
September FTAC Meeting: All about ERISA!
September 29, 2023
State based universal health care, large employers and ERISA By Consuelo Echeverria September’s FTAC meeting was jam packed. We had Bill Kramer discuss large employers’ perspectives on State-based universal health care (SBUHC) and Erin Fuse Brown on ERISA considerations for the UHCC. Mr. Kramer...
Read MoreBuilding Bridges Between Oregon and Washington Healthcare Advocates
September 29, 2023
by Marcia Stedman Washington and Oregon lead the nation in developing universal state-based single-payer healthcare, and we’re collaborating! In mid-July, 23 health justice leaders representing 14 organizations across both states gathered in Seattle and virtually to discuss the current status of our single-payer efforts...
Read MoreJuly Finance Technical Advisory Committee meeting: The barrier that is ERISA
August 29, 2023
By Consuelo Echeverria The July meeting of the Financial Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC) was the second of three deep dives into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974. While there is much to digest in Harvard’s Center for Health Law and Policy...
Read MoreUniversal Health Care Commission June Meeting: The Commission is moving at a snail’s pace but help is on the way!
August 28, 2023
After the start date of Nov. 30, 2021 there is a lack of momentum and urgency in creating a universal health care system. There is still no unified vision or goal and the lack of a deadline or a clear mandate from the legislature...
Read MoreMay Finance Technical Advisory Committee meeting: it was not all flowers
May 31, 2023
By Consuelo Echeverria The take-home for this meeting is keep the public comments coming to ensure that we support the members as well as make single payer a reality in Washington State. 1. Timeline Currently ERISA is on the agenda for the next five months....
Read MoreERISA and State Single-Payer Healthcare: A Primer
May 08, 2023
By Cris M. Currie, RN (ret.) The ERISA Problem The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) was not originally intended to regulate healthcare, but it has still managed to derail state-based healthcare reforms for decades. Essentially it invalidates “any and all” state...
Read More2nd Wednesday Speaker Series Recap: The Oregon Trail to UHC
April 28, 2023
By Marcia Stedman Washington and Oregon are the front-runners among the 22 U.S. states with active state-based universal health care movements. There are similarities. Both WA and OR have a dedicated core group of volunteers, who have met with Legislators and organized evidence-based public...
Read MoreUniversal Health Care Commission April Meeting Recap
April 28, 2023
By Consuelo Echeverria Does equity matter? This is the question that shaped the UHCC April meeting as Dr. J, (AKA Dr. Karen Johnson) stepped in to shed some light. But first, a bit of vocabulary. This graphic demonstrates the difference between equity and equality....
Read MoreFTAC Meeting 2: Transitional Solutions, Medicare Questions, and Lessons from the Indian Health Care Delivery System
April 11, 2023
by Marcia Stedman If the devil is in the details when it comes to funding universal health care, members of the Finance Technical Advisory Committee showed they were ready to deal with the ogre in the room. At meeting #2, they tackled two important...
Read MoreThe End of Traditional Medicare?
February 06, 2023
By Cris M. Currie, RN (ret.) Traditional Medicare is once again under serious threat as this country continues to drift further off course with how it pays for healthcare. Since 1970, Congress has encouraged the privatization of the Medicare program under the guise of...
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