September 7 Chapter Meeting Minutes

PNHP-Minnesota Chapter Meeting Minutes

September 7, 2008

Strommen Building, St. Paul, MN

1. In attendance: Jim Letts, MD (family practice), Susan Hasti, MD (family practice), Jack Garland (retired, endocrinology), Kip Sullivan, JD, Donald Pine, MD (family practice), David Mair, MD (psychiatry), Julie Hottinger (pre-med student), Warren Kearney, MD (internal medicine/ER), Alison Warford, MD (family practice/adolescent medicine), Gillian Schivone, MD (medical student), Elizabeth Frost, MD (family practice), Ann Settgast, MD (internal medicine)

2. Media letter – thank you to Kip for drafting the letter and to Julie for compiling the media contact list. Those assigned have agreed to make their contacts via snail mail & email. They will then place follow-up phone calls emphasizing our role in representing the physician perspective in MN.
1. Contact volunteers are as follows:

i. Gillian – Pioneer Press & MN Daily

ii. Elizabeth (& Warren) – Star Tribune

iii. Jim – Associated Press

iv. Susan – Minnesota Public Radio

v. David – City Pages

vi. Ann – Minnesota Monitor, TC Daily Planet, Minnpost, KFAI radio

vii. Kip – Air America radio

viii. Elizabeth – Southside Pride, TPT-PBS (tv), Suburban Community Channel (tv)

ix. Unassigned (please let us know if you would be willing to be the contact!!) - Rochester Post Bulletin, St. Cloud Times, Mankato Free Press, Duluth, Fargo-Moorhead, Winona, St. Paul Legal Ledger, ECM Publishing, Sun Times, MN News Network

2. Enclosures: MN Physician ad & Contact List
3. Also, consider enclosing a press release or letter to the editor (see www.pnhp.org for the most recent press releases available) with your contact.

3. National Open Letter Campaign – last call! October issue of the New Yorker. It takes 2 minutes on the PNHP national website.

4. PNHP Annual Meeting & Leadership Training, San Diego, October 24-25

5. Announcements by members & future speaking engagements

1. Jim reported on his Grand Rounds given at HCMC psychiatry department
2. Ann reported on Grand Rounds given by Lisa Nilles to the pediatric department at the U of M.
3. Elizabeth attended a Grand Rounds given by Morry Hodges to the internal medicine department at the VA Medical Center.
4. Susan (chair of MUHCC, the MN Universal Health Care Coalition) updated us on the status of MHP (MN’s state single-payer bill). MUHCC’s singular goal is passage of the MHP. Lobbyists are hired again for this legislative session. She also introduced the idea of inviting Rocky White (Colorado) to speak to Republican legislators about his support of single-payer as a conservative. She reminded us that Senator Koering (Republican state senator) voted in favor of the MHP at the February Committee hearing.
5. Kip reported on on-going meetings between the Affordables coalition (Isaiah, SEIU, Take Action, etc) and the HCRC (single-payer caucus in the MN legislature)
6. Doug Pine presented to a group from the American Academy of Family Practice Physicians at a recent CME. The academy as a whole has not been supportive of single payer (unlike the ACP which endorses single-payer as one viable route to universal coverage). This leaves the opportunity for the family practitioners of our group work together in this arena.
7. David Mair reminded us that we can also invite national speakers (eg. Quentin Young) to events. He has experience with this from his time at the University of Iowa.
8. Warren Kearney brought up the issues of possible loss of tax-exempt status for HMOs. He also discussed some of his thoughts regarding why all physicians are not in favor of single-payer. He brought up some provocative questions, and expressed interest in reaching out to this group.
9. Alison will arrange a Grand Rounds at the University’s Family Practice program.
10. Jillian will arrange a medical student noon lecture with an invited PNHP speaker. She will obtain funds for food from the national office.
11. Morry Hodges (absent) is working on arranging Grand Rounds at U of M internal medicine.
12. Sarah Kesler (absent) will arrange Grand Rounds in medicine at HCMC.
13. Kip also mentioned the “Ethics and Health Care Reform” conference on 10/3/08 sponsored by Health Partners. Registration can be done at www.imehealthpartners.com.

6. Legislator meetings:
1. MN Representative Thissen – please visit www.healthcareformn.org and add make a comment urging Rep. Thissen to support single-payer
2. MN Senate majority leader Larry Pogemiller – Jack has met with him and will contact him re: additional meeting. We would like to clarify his stance on the Berglin-Huntley bills vs the MHP.
3. MN Senator Torres Ray – Elizabeth is meeting at 9am on 9/11/08. Kip reminded her to emphasize the need within the legislature for a united front among the HCRC (or single-payer caucus) against “business as usual”.
4. MN Representative Margaret Anderson Kelliher – Susan agreed to meet with her again.
5. MN Senator Linda Berglin – Elizabeth & Caroline met with her. Senator Berglin mentioned to Elizabeth that she voted for the MHP. Elizabeth will write a follow-up letter to clarify this information.
6. US Representative Tim Walz – Glen Peterson is working on arranging a meeting in early December. Jim Letts & Morrie Hodges would like to attend.
7. US Representative Betty McCollum – in a recent meeting with community single-payer activists, Rep. McCollum expressed concern that MN physicians did not support single-payer. This of course is not true. Jim has written her a letter requesting a meeting. Julie will also contact a staffer whom she knows.
8. US Representative Jim Oberstar – Faris Keeling in Duluth working on arranging a meeting.
9. US Representative Keith Ellison – Ann & Elizabeth are working on getting more information from him about how to get other members of MN’s delegation to sign on to HR 676.

7. Book “10 Excellent Reasons For National Health Care”
1. Please purchase on Amazon.com
2. Our chapter will receive 10 free copies – can use to distribute to legislators

8. Fundraising letter & upcoming mailing plans – the steering committee is in the final stages of revising a letter that will be sent to all PNHP members and supporters in MN to ask for funding for both our chapter and MUHCC.

9. A list of physicians identified as likely single-payer supporters was circulated. Several of these were known by our members and will be included in our mailing.
1. Alison knows physicians who she is sure would like to sign the resolution and become more involved. She will approach them.

10. Frontline PBS series (April 2008) & house parties
1. View yourself on line by going to the Frontline website
2. Alison informed us the DVD can be purchased on PBS.org
3. Request for patient stories from the series editor – let us know if you have them for the upcoming broadcast and we will put you in contact with her.
4. Couple Frontline with 2 short PNHP videos (found on PNHP website under “multimedia”: Video entries for "Where is my health card" - June 20, 2008)

11. Next chapter meeting date – Sunday, December 7, 4-6pm