PNHP

May 2014 meeting minutes

A draft of the current slideshow is available here. Minutes are below.

Granite State PNHP

Agenda, May 8, 2014

  1. Around the state: what is new?
  2. NH Single Payer legislation
    1. Drafting
    2. Sponsors
  3. Educational efforts
    1. Speakers Bureau
    2. Powerpoints
    3. Movie
  4. Membership
    1. List-serv
    2. Recruiting
  5. Collaboration
    1. Students
    2. Maine colleagues

Attending:

Rob Chapman 

Camilla Jones

Rob Kiefner

Don Kollisch

Ahmed Kutty

Gary Sobelson

To our dismay, the NM Medical Society was locked, so we had to convene at the nearby home of Gary Sobelson.   The meeting space was terrific, but we had to forego members and interested parties phoning in.

RE: A NH BILL

Don:  How to move a bill forward?   Our current draft (“borrowed” from Illinois) seems too distant from the NH experience.  

Gary: We DO need someone – a health lawyer? – with expertise to draft it

Ahmed: What is Deb Richter’s advice?

Don: Presented Review of our August 2013 phone call with Deb Richter (see highlights as APPENDIX 1)

Gary:  Perhaps another political coalition  should spearhead this, rather than PNHP.  Perhaps Barbara Power can advise us and steer us towards such a coaliztion, as she is far better connected with community/citizen groups than GS-PNHP is!

Gary/Rob K:  Neither the UNH or the Dartmouth Policy  groups are likely to provide much energy

Gary:  Would the Health Law division of the NH Law school  be interested?

Camilla:  I will be in touch with my legislator to see if she can help.

Don: I will be in touch with Laurie Harding to see if she can help.

Don: I will also be in touch with Barbara Power.

RE: SLIDE SHOW

Camilla:  Here is the current draft (see APPENDIX 2).  She reviewed it with the group, and will make some changes based on feedback.

MOVIES

Don:  We do have the Long and Short versions of “The Healthcare Movie” http://thehealthcaremovie.net/home/.   Ahmed took the discs home to review

RE: EDUCATION CAMPAIGN/SPEAKERS BUREAU

Don:  We are approaching the time that we will ask members to schedule Grand Rounds and meetings with Community Groups

LIST-SERV

Don: The Listserv is now functional.  The Exec Committee should begin to post interesting things.

NEXT MEETING:

Thursday, June 12, 6:30-8:30 at the NH Medical Society building.

[Don will make sure that the building is open to us this time, and will make sure that the conference call “bridge” is available to those who cannot make the trip to Concord.]

APPENDIX 1

Discussion with Deb Richter

August 13, 2013

Strategy of having a State Bill

  1. Be sure you know that a bill will fail, especially without strong MD/hospital support, and without legislative/governor support
  2. At risk of losing public morale if the bill fails
  3. Having a hearing could be a good public relations event, but ONLY if we fill the room
  4. If the legislature doesn’t hold a hearing, then an activist group can hold its OWN hearing (Vermont PNHP did that in 2005 for a hospital single-payer bill), which would be a good public relations event 

Specifics of a bill

  1. Language to use:  “Care for all residents of NH, with broad-based financing…”
  2. Keep things as general as possible
  3. Avoid putting financing details into the bill
  4. Should we include the phrase “Essential Health Benefits”?  Answer: perhaps “medically-necessary care”.
  5. Oversight of the Bill will need to be by SOMEONE; could it be by the Dept of Health or the Dept of Insurance?   Answer: only if those Depts have expertise in Health Planning, Public Health and Community Health.   Honor the talent of the people already in Government, and utilize their skills in a New Hampshire Health Trust (or other body).

Illinois

Vermont

?tie-in with HR 676

Other states

Legislative process

Gathering sponsors

  1. We may consider getting the Governor on board, regarding funding, before bringing the bill to sponsors.

Alliances – should PNHP be part of a coalition or form a new organization, e.g. NH Health Care for All

  1. Vermont Health Care for All was more effective than PNHP to serve educational functions
  2. Better off finding citizens with more time and expertise than Physicians – lawyers, professors, politically-connected folk, writers
  3. Think of NH Health Care for All – or the like – as an ORGANIZATION, not a Coalition dedicated to a single goal.  PNHP can be a cooperating organization.

Public education

Business community and community education

  1. Deb: Focus on Rotary Clubs – 20min club and 10min of questions.  “The Rotary 4-way Test” – apply single-payer to this
  2. You are addressing the fence-sitters, rather than fighting those who are opposed.
  3. Also meet with School Boards
  4. The winning argument is FINANCIAL, not moral (not “this is the right thing to do”)

Messaging

  1. “You are currently paying all of the health care costs right now.  We can cover everything without spending a dime more”
  2. “Who pays for the nurse the day before you get there?”
  3. DO NOT say that “Health Care is human right”!

ACA 

  1. The regulations (990’s) require hospitals to address community needs in order to maintain non-profit status