‘Tis the Season
By Marcia Stedman, President

As the season of Thanksgiving approaches, I’d like to share with you what I am grateful for in health care reform this year.

1. The Universal Health Care Work Group is up and running! With the steadfast support of its Prime Sponsor Sen. Emily Randall, the many co-sponsors, and the dedicated actions of HCFA-WA members and supporters, the Senate passed SB 5822, the Pathway to Universal Health Care bill.

The House of Representatives, with the active support of Rep. Nicole Macri, enabled funding for the economic studies that will inform the work of the Universal Health Care Work Group. We are pleased that many of the members of the Work Group, including five members of HCFA-WA, are supportive of a publicly administered and publicly financed health care system. The Work Group meetings are open to the public, with time for public comments at each meeting, and there is a process for individuals to comment online. Read more about it here.

2. The National Single-payer Strategy Conference comes to Portland, OR, this year, and eight HCFA-WA members - a record! - will be attending the event from Oct. 18-20. Again this year, the One Payer States group will hold a 2-hour training session, focusing this year on values-based messaging and sharing updates from states that are developing policy measures to address the high cost of pharmaceuticals. This Conference is an excellent place for networking with other single-payer activists and sharing organizing and policy tips and insights. Look for reports in our blog and e-bulletins as they become available.

3. The Health Care is a Human Right-WA Campaign, one of our organizational allies, is newly re-energized and involving more organizations than ever in its ongoing campaign to create a universal health care system in Washington State. HCFA-WA is an active member, with Pres. Marcia Stedman and V.P. Kelly Powers participating actively on the Steering and Communications Committees, and our lobbyist Cindi Laws on the Policy Committee. Their next General Meeting will be held soon. More information here.

4. HCFA-WA’s 2019 Annual Membership Meeting will be held on Sat., Nov. 16th, from 1-4 p.m. at Horizon House in Seattle, and you are cordially invited to attend. This year we are excited to present a panel discussion entitled “From Study to Reality: Getting a Single-Payer System in Washington State.” Built around the two Washington State Institute of Public Policy reports on "Single-Payer and Universal Health Care Systems," panel members will discuss overcoming the hurdles raised in the Reports and fill in some information that wasn't presented. This is vital knowledge for understanding the deliberations of the Universal Health Care Work Group, and you won’t want to miss it! Read the recap here.

5. And, in the “best for last” category: You, gentle reader, who, together with HCFA-WA’s talented and dedicated Board of Directors and Consultants, have made possible all that we have accomplished in 2019.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!