From: ellmyer@macsolve.com
Subject: Our Public Employees Discuss What They Deserve
Date: January 14, 2006 3:34:29 PM PST
To: laurelb@ci.portland.or.us, samadams@ci.portland.or.us, rleonard@ci.portland.or.us, tpotter@ci.portland.or.us, dsaltzman@ci.portland.or.us, erik@ci.portland.or.us, annagriffin@news.oregonian.com
Cc: VoteAmanda06@aol.com, brucebro@spiritone.com, gburdick@gardandgerber.com, petesorenson2006@yahoo.com, jeff.cogen@gmail.com, jimrobison@aol.com, localmedia@macsolve.com, info@osalt.org

Rising medical costs bring City Council, unions to same table
Health care - Portland officials and labor leaders huddle in search of a long-term solution
Friday, January 13, 2006
ANNA GRIFFIN
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1137120909131940.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

"the City Council invited representatives from the city's 12 labor groups to sit down to try to craft a long-term solution"

That long term solution is already here. It's called the Oregon Community Health Care Bill. The city of Portland can't participate yet because the bill hasn't been introduced in the legislature. That will come in 2007. So for now, the city council and the bargaining units will have to find a temporary solution. 

"They also agreed that real solutions must come from Washington, D.C."

"They", a term that does not include Sam Adams, might just as well have said that, "real solutions must come from Disneyland." The federal government and the private health insurance industry have failed to provide affordable health care to Oregonians. There is absolutely no reason, only self-delusional fantasy spawned of self-interest, to believe that either of these failed institutions will, in the lifetime of any sitting city commissioner, solve the following moral and economic problems problems in our state:
1. Huge numbers of Oregonians have no health insurance.
2. Huge numbers of Oregonians pay for such costly health insurance that they can afford little or no actual health care.
3. All of Oregon's public institutions are facing skyrocketing and unstoppable increases in health care costs which significantly diminish the quality and quantity of services that need to be provided to the public.
 
The next time, "they" talk about health care solutions coming from the federal government will someone, anyone, Sam?, please ask "them" to outline the scenario "they" envision for success and the players who will bring about that success and when. George W. Bush? Bill Frist? Gordon Smith? Ron Wyden? Earl Blumenauer? John Kitzhaber? Hillary Clinton? John Kerry? Dennis Hastert? 2006? 2007? 2010? 2050? The list goes on and on and on.

"Everybody in the room seemed to think there are ways the city can cut costs ... through programs that encourage workers to eat better, exercise and see their physicians regularly"

Only a group of well fed, well paid, job secure, generously health care covered public employees could possibly expect the voters and taxpayers to believe that the city of Portland is going to save $25,000,000 in INCREASED health care costs during mayor Potter's term in office by asking Tom et al. to take more walkabouts and go on a diet. Talk about George W. Bush living in a bubble. More statements like this and there will be calls for mandatory drug testing of all participants before each health care negotiation.

The city of Portland, like every other public jurisdiction in our state, is facing double digit increases in health insurance costs for as far as the eye can see. Portland is not unique. The solution to this crisis, and it is a crisis, must be found in our state government. The Oregon Community Health Care Bill offers the best hope for a long term solution. The Oregon Community Health Care Bill needs to be part of our city's health care negotiation conversation. To that end I am asking Laurel Butman to send me a list of bargaining unit leaders and their email addresses so that I can put to them the same questions I have and I will ask of every member of Portland's city council and every candidate for Portland's city council. Voters and citizens need to know where all the players stand on the issue of public health care policy. I intend to tell them.

Good health to you and Oregon.


Richard Ellmyer
Oregon Community Health Care Bill author and project champion
President, MacSolutions Inc. - A Macintosh computer consulting business providing web hosting for artists and very small businesses.
Writer/Publisher - Oregon Health Watcher commentary - Published on the Internet and distributed to 6000 readers interested in public health care policy in Oregon.
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/health.html
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