The Senate Health Care Committee has scheduled a hearing for SB 631, Michael Dembrow’s 2015 Health Care for All Oregon Act. The hearing will take place on Monday, May 4, 3 p.m., in Hearing Room A. Nine speakers have been designated for the hearing panel, but we also need 25 or more written testimonies addressing the crisis in health care today with personal stories or professional perspectives.
Your written testimony can be of any length; however a suggested minimum is two pages, single spaced, 12pt type, with 1-inch side and top margins. If you wish, the HCAO SB 631 committee will review and make suggestions to your written testimony and get back to you no later than Friday April 24 so you can finalize your remarks. To be in the public record (our goal) your final written testimony must be submitted to theSenate Health Care Committee administrator no later than Thursday April 30 at noon. Your written testimony should be submitted in a PDF format that identifies in the title who the submitter is (you) and with “SB 631 Hearing – Written Testimony” in the subject line of the email. Please also email a copy of your submitted testimony to Mark Kellenbeck.
Here are links to assist you in your preparation:
- Talking Points for the Health Care for All Oregon Act is a compilation of key points supporting publicly funded universal health care (single payer)
- Summary of the Health Care for All Oregon Act, SB 631, is a two-page overview of the 145-page bill
- SB 631 HCAO PowerPoint is a near-final 25-slide presentation of the problem and the solution. Your remarks/testimony should fit within the scope of this PowerPoint, which is an overview of and introduction to SB 631. The HCAO Legislative Committee’s Charlie Swanson will be presenting this PowerPoint at the hearing, following Senator Dembrow’s opening remarks.
Each of you has a unique perspective on both the problem, the need for a solution, and the solution—specifically that private health insurance or more private insurance, even federally subsidized health insurance (ACA), is not the answer. The answer is what 27 other countries provide their citizens, and what 17 other states are presently pursuing: publicly funded health care.
SB 631 is not in its final form and not ready for passage. The hearing is to inform, inspire and engage the Senate Health Care Committee in discussions leading to the ultimate passage of SB 631. Our message is that Oregon can do much better for its businesses, labor, public servants, and its citizens. Oregon’s health care system is already leading the nation, and now we need to take the next steps to truly provide affordable and comprehensive medical care for all. We believe SB 631, creating publicly funded universal health care, is the answer.
We want to impress the committee with both compelling hearing testimony and a large turnout of supporters. We would like to see at least 300 supporters, wearing red HCAO shirts (or other red attire) to fill and overflow the hearing room.
Those who can attend the hearing are encouraged to visit their legislators while at the Capitol. Materials for your visits will be provided via the HCAO website and also available at the hearing on May 3. You may arrange to meet with your legislators in advance or just to drop by their office and speak to them, if available, or to their staff. If you are unsure of who your legislators are, visit this site. And if you are unsure which district you live in, look on the lower right sidebar of this site.
HB 2828, Barbara Smith Warner’s bill to extend the deadline and publicly fund the universal health care study (previously HB 3260) is now in the Joint Ways and Means Committee. This is a “must pass” bill, with HCAO's exact strategy still under discussion. Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to a hearing, which we expect to occur in late May or early June. Attendance at this hearing will most likely be by invitation only.
Please feel free to email or to phone me with any question or concern that comes up.
Mark Kellenbeck, Chair HCAO Legislative Committee 541-499-1319.
