Last week, we examined the HSA, offered comment on the Defund Police movement & paid tribute to the silent heroes who day-in-day-out do the right thing, a rare feat these days. Plus, today we offer a video on Defund Police.
Tuesday, July 7, 6:30-8 pm, Health Security Act in NM, A Dream That Could Become Reality in 2021.
Tens of thousands of New Mexicans have lost jobs and with them their health coverage. Well before COVID, escalating costs for pharmaceuticals, premiums, copays, deductibles and healthcare itself had put 80% of Americans one health crisis away from bankruptcy. And yet, well researched solutions have been proven in dozens of countries not named the United States. That could change in January if we pass the Health Security Act. Let’s find out what it is, why we need it, and how we can make sure it passes in 2021.
If we pass the HSA in 2021, we become the national leader in providing universal healthcare. Wouldn’t it feel good to be # 1 at something good?
Our July 7 Zoominar will include leadership from the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign. We will be joined by Dr. Mary Feldblum, the Executive Director of Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign, an organization she formed in 1992. Joining her on the panel will be Tyler Taylor, a Los Alamos physician and member of the Campaign’s Executive Committee. Also on the panel will be Shelley Mann-Lev, a Board Member for the NM Public Health Association and chair of its policy committee. The panel will outline what the HSA is, how it would benefit New Mexicans, how it would be implemented, governed and operate. Finally, the panel will describe the botched report produced by HGN Health Consulting that was supposed to describe how the HSA would benefit New Mexico.
Click here to pre-register. You must register to attend Retake Zoominars.
Also don’t miss our Retake Conversation with Mary Feldblum that aired on KSFR on Saturday. You can prepare for the Zoominar by listening to this interesting show. It is remarkable how effortlessly Dr. Feldblum is able to take a complex initiative and make it crystal clear. Click here for video of my conversation with Mary Feldblum.
Weds., July 8, 6:00-7:30 pm, via Zoom, Join Progressive Democrats of America, Central New Mexico Chapter to tell Rep. Deb Haaland what you want on the Democratic National Platform!
PDACNM is proud to learn that CD1 Rep. Deb Haaland has been appointed to the 15-person Democratic National Committee Platform Drafting Committee by DNC Chairman Tom Perez. This 15-person Platform Drafting Committee is responsible for developing and managing the process through which the Democratic Party’s National Platform is established. According to DNC rules, members of the drafting committee are appointed by the DNC Chair.
In the ABQ Journal on June 24, Rep. Haaland said she was “looking forward to bringing my progressive values and crafting our party’s platform, and paying attention to urgent issues like climate change, health care and criminal justice reform that we’ve seen protested about across our country the past couple of weeks.“
PDACNM’s Response: Let’s tell Rep. Haaland what progressive issues we want her to take to Washington and champion for the National Platform. With your input, we’ll do that on Weds., July 8. Join in and help get your most critical issues to D.C. for the DNC!
- SPECIAL GUEST: Bringing Broadband to the Native Nations – Maggie George, PhD
- PDA Planning Committee Speakers will provide brief updates and talking points about 5 key progressive issues including:
- Movement for Black Lives – Karen Bentrup
- Immigrant Rights – Kathleen O’Malley
- Medicare 4 All – Amy Antle or Herb Hoffman
- Climate Crisis – Ted Cloak
- Voting – Paul Stokes
With this information and your own short list of most important issues to get in the DNC Platform, each Zoom participant is invited to write on paper their key issues. Then you will have 15 seconds to hold up your paper and say your ask to Rep. Haaland as we record this action. Then the video link will be sent directly to Rep. Haaland so she can see our faces, read our words, and hear our voices passionately advocating for our key progressive issues.
Click here to Join Zoom Meeting: Meeting ID: 815 3144 5377 Password: 522251
Last Week in Review
We focused mostly on the Health Security Act last week as we prepared for our Zoominar with leaders from the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign. If you have time to review only one of the two posts covering the HSA, I’d choose the one immediately below, as it lays out what the HSA is and how it would benefit NM. I’d also recommend the post from July 4, as it pays tribute to the silent heroes that heal us, serve us, or simply do the right thing.
Why We Need the Health Security Act In NM Yesterday!
Tuesday, June 30, 2020. We focused on the Health Security Act, laying out the flaws with the current healthcare system & how the HSA would address them. There are two game-changing pieces of legislation that will find their way to the Roundhouse in 2021; one will be to develop a NM State Public Bank and the other will be to implement the Health Security Act. For four years, we have worked to ensure that during the 2021 legislative session there would be a much different political calculus involved: a Democratic Governor and not just Democratic legislature, but one comprised of a solid majority of reliably Democratic legislators. Mission accomplished. Now we need to push to finally pass the HSA in 2021.
Click here to read the full post.
COVID Exposes NM Need for Health Security,
Teach-In On “Defund Police”
Thursday, July 2, 2020. Confused by what “Defund the Police” means or what the Health Security Act is? We provide analysis of the flawed KNG study of the HSA and links to pieces & video describing what Defund Police could mean, plus link to a Tuesday Zoominar on “What is Defund Police?” COVID has exposed the US healthcare system as deeply flawed, as millions of Americans lose their employer-based health insurance and existing plans fail to cover exorbitant costs for COVID care and coverage. It doesn’t have to be this way. For almost two decades, NM healthcare activists have advocated for Health Security in NM. It’s a complex topic, but two prior studies have shown the Health Security Act (HSA) to be financially feasible, and that was before NM vastly increased its Medicaid program and before passage of the Affordable Care Act, both of which significantly improve the financial viability of the HSA.
Click here to read the full post.
July 4:
In Honor Of the Quiet Good People Who Do the Right Thing
Saturday, July 4, 2020. The Fourth of July post was a personal reflection that began with a discussion of my brother Erik Gibson, who was killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver on July 3, 1970 when he was but 17. As the post describes, he was universally loved by his high school classmates, as attested to on my personal FB feed by scores of comments from his classmates on the 50th anniversary of his death. Erik was just a good person, simple as that. July 3 is always a tough day for me, but this year it caused me ask, how would Erik have responded to our current times had he magically been brought back to life. That rumination caused me to think of all the good people who are right now serving us, protecting us, supporting us, healing us, while putting themselves at risk… for us. And so the July 4 post was dedicated to these good folks who do what they do mostly without acclaim, just because it is the right thing to do.
Click here to read the full post.
What is Defund the Police All About
In solidarity,
Paul & Roxanne
Categories: Uncategorized
That is a really good video. I’m glad you posted it.