Philadelphia City Council Votes to Support the Single-Payer Healthcare
Solution
January 30, 2009, Philadelphia, PA

City Council unanimously endorses the only State (HB 1660/SB 300) and
National Bills that Guarantee Comprehensive, Quality, Affordable
Healthcare for All

JANUARY 28--Earlier today, groups representing doctors, nurses, medical students, and labor unions successfully lobbied Philadelphia City
Council to pass a resolution in support of the Single Payer Healthcare
Solution. The resolution, sponsored by Councilman Greenlee and
Councilwoman Tasco, specifically embraced Rep. Kathy Manderino's HB
1660, Senator Jim Ferlo's SB 300, and Congressman John Conyers' HR 676.

The victory was the second critical breakthrough for Pennsylvania
citizens in the span of a week. The first triumph was last week's
blocked merger of Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross and
Pittsburgh-based Highmark, a monopoly merger that would have
constituted a 57%-70% market share of Pennsylvania health insurance
sales.

Dozens of citizens rallied behind and witnessed Philadelphia City
Council's bipartisan, unanimous passage of the resolution.

One coalition member, Dr. Walter Tsou, former Health Commissioner of
Philadelphia, said of the resolution, "Single payer is a win-win for Philadelphia. It not only would give 160,000 uninsured Philadelphians health insurance, but it would redirect hundreds of millions of city dollars toward other important priorities, like libraries and fire
stations."

Added Chuck Pennacchio of Healthcare for All Pennsylvania, "We are
poised for victory in 2009 if, and only if, citizens step up and lobby
their legislators at all levels of government in favor of the only
proven answer to our healthcare crisis -- and the simplest fix among
all conditions that now plague our larger economy."

Coalition members circulated a fact sheet that demonstrated how passage
of either the state or national single payer plans would save the City
of Philadelphia $539 million a year, more than enough to cover Mayor
Nutter's projected budget shortfall of $2 billion over 5 years. In
addition, the bills would guarantee access to comprehensive healthcare
at less cost than what average families currently pay, generate
thousands of new health delivery jobs, save businesses 10-15% on
healthcare, reduce property taxes, cut auto insurance rates, reduce
workers compensation costs, retain existing business and allure new
ones, and reverse the physician and hospital shortages facing the city,
state, and the nation.

Sabrina Nixon, a medical technologist at Temple University Hospital,
and a member of PASNAP, said, "As a healthcare professional of 20 years
and a parent, I see that HR 676 would not only fix the current
healthcare crisis, but eliminate every parent's worry that their child
will not have access to quality healthcare once they turn 18 or as they move between jobs."

Groups that have signed on to a letter asking the Council to sign the
resolution, many of which were present at the vote, include: Healthcare for All Pennsylvania; Healthcare for All – Philadelphia;
Healthcare--NOW; Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied
Professionals; United Steelworkers Local 10-1; International Federation
of Professional and Technical Employees Local 3; Faculty and Staff
Federation of Community College of Philadelphia, AFT 2026; Pennsylvania
Federation of the Brotherhood of Maintenance and Way Employees – IBT;
American Medical Students Association; Physicians for a National Health Program; Progressive Democrats of America; Philadelphia Chapter Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; Citizen Access; and Leadership of Neighborhood Networks.

Contact:

Chuck Pennacchio, Executive Director, Healthcare for All Pennsylvania,
215.828.5055