HEALTH DEMOCRACY

 Health Democracy is the movement to establish a co-op sector for health coverage in the United States which contributes, by local example, to the campaign for universal health coverage. Health Democracy benefits the insured as well as the uninsured. It's also the title of the book by Paul Glover (click yellow cover below), which explains how and why to start a health co-operative. Español

Health co-ops accredited by the U.S. Health Alliance must meet the highest standards of integrity.

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ITHACA HEALTH ALLIANCE, founded by Glover, now covers members for everyday emergencies for just $100/YEAR/adult and $50/YEAR/child. Members also receive discounts with area healers, priority access to forthcoming free clinic, and other benefits. As more people join, the menu of payments expands. All New York state residents may join. Here are testimonials and news stories


JOIN Philadelphia's health co-op. Here's how we expand protection as membership increases, and here are bylaws. Español

capecare.info
community-based health plans for Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Ugandan Health Co-op NPR

RELATED LINKS

  • Campaign for a
    National Health Program NOW

  • Physicians for a
    National Health Program

  • GeneralInsurace - best health insurance quotes

  • Philadelphia Area Committee to
    Defend Health Care

  • Cover the Uninsured Week

  • "National Health Plan Could
    Save Billions in Paperwork: Study"
    --Consumer Affairs January 14, 2004

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    Here's why we need co-op health coverage

    America's health insurance crisis has become so bad that even the Middle Class is hurting. Those in most urgent need include the 47 million uninsured plus millions more who are soon to be ininsured, the tens of millions struggling to pay increasing insurance premiums, millions who risk medical bankruptcy, and millions more who hate their jobs but hang on to keep insurance.

    Since neither government nor industry have closed this wound, co-op health plans are returning control of insurance to citizens.

    We're creating our own clinics and payment plan. The Ithaca Health Alliance seeks to set a model of Health Democracy for communities nationwide, linking with thousands of health alliances which will follow.

    It's already the best deal in the land, for the low-income un-insured. Membership costs $100/year for adults, or $50/year per child, who are covered for everyday emergencies like broken bones, ambulance rides, emergency stitches, burns, certain minor surgeries, and a little bit of dental. They've built enough equity to begin opening clinics. While the emphasis, for developing clinics and interest-free health loans is within Ithaca, they have members throughout New York state, because we make payments to any healer anywhere, within the categories above.

    Yet our agenda is broader than clinics, pills, and surgeries, however. We will also address the public foundations of personal health-- clean food, clean water, clean air. And our intent is to more effectively pressure the federal government, by example, to fund a national health system which meets organizational and therapeutic standards set by the Health Democracy movement-- much as grassroots pressure set the standards for organic foods.

    Health Democracy will emphasize standards for preventive treatment of communities and the citizens within them. We'll prescribe and fund clinics with personnel who treat the whole person-- the living conditions and emotional bases of ailments. We'll sooner prescribe warm hands to cold machines, and rely on them both. We'll prefer to prescribe natural rather than chemical remedies. We'll prescribe and finance new systems for feeding, fueling, housing and moving America's cities, investment in which will be healthier and more profitable than war.

    Co-op health plans contribute toward universal coverage, moreover, because even were universal coverage enacted there would be need for genuinely nonprofit care, to keep costs down. Members of the U.S. Health Alliance will also be ready to defend the national plan from inevitable attacks.

    Health Democracy, whose citizens are both owners and voters, begins with everyone who sees the need for immediate remedies for the un-insured.

    Here's How Health Democracy can be Structured

    PURCHASE "HEALTH DEMOCRACY"
    $25.00 to:
    Paul Glover
    431 W. Walnut Lane
    Philadelphia, PA 19144

    Glover teaches at Temple University and is available to consult with communities seeking to establish co-operative health care.
    He is also founder of Ithaca HOURS local currency, Citizen Planners of Los Angeles and other programs.

    [email protected] (215) 805-8330