There is an active and ongoing signature campaign to get single payer universal healthcare on the ballot in Washington. www.wholewashington.org I-1600 was filed in January and needs 300,000 signatures by July to be on the ballot in November.

One can only speculate as to this quite obvious omission by the author. Shoddy journalism at best, active bias at worst.

Hello! I am the Campaign Director for I-1600 and would love to talk to you about our efforts as well. As you may know, our ballot measure is based on the WHST bill.

Yay is right! I'm glad to see more from District 8 like Jason Rittereiser coming to their senses.
Rich, I understand that (source through Froma Harrop, Op. Ed. guest columnist with The Seattle Times, in a recent issue over the past few weeks) that the current Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo is seeking the Democratic presidential bid for 2020. I agree with Froma Harrop--Cuomo is a savvy New York native, advocate for human rights, and could easily take Trumpzilla down. May the RepubliKKKan Evil Empire truly and irrevocably go down in flames, and that those in the richest 1% (i.e., Koch brothers, ad nauseum) feel it the hardest.
@2 cd2bernie: Thank you for the reminder on I-1600 for Single Payer on the ballot this November.

Oops--I meant thank you @1 and @2 for the reminder on I-1600.
@2: You beat me to it Georgia, as I was still posting. Thank you for being the Campaign Director for I-1600.

I hope any readers interested in this topic stop by www.yeson1600.org to learn about what we are trying to do right here and now in Washington state. The Canadian system started in one province and it looks like we will need to do that here as well, at least given the current federal Congress. Waiting for legislative action is too risky - we need a grassroots movement to make this happen.

Hey Rich, what about people's initiative 1600 that is now petitioning to get on the 2018 ballot here in Washington State? It's a universal health care plan based on the Health Care for All-WA bill (HB 1025) that you link-to/cite in this article. Why no mention of I-1600, whose volunteer force, spearheaded by the grassroots nonprofit Whole Washington, is out pounding the pavement for signatures as I write this comment?

These are just some of I-1600 endorsements thus far:

U.S. Congressman Adam Smith, 9th CD
Senator Maralyn Chase, 32nd LD

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 46
Seattle Education Association

Washington State Democrats
Thurston County Democrats
Our Revolution - NATIONAL

Physicians for a National Health Program, Western Washington
League of Women Voters of Washington
Veteran's for Peace - Seattle Chapter 92
Washington NOW - National Organization for Women
Retired Public Employees Council of Washington - Tacoma Chapter

https://wholewashington.nationbuilder.com/i_1600_endorsements

Washington state could really make the transition to Universal Healthcare work, and because there are no big money donations or PACs backing it no one is paying attention to just how viable this I-1600 thing is. We are one of only 11 states to create our own full fledged ACA plan, and less than half of states in the country even have the ability to bring a non-partisan initiative to the people. We have a roadmap. What is the deal? is it just to much problem solving by regular people for politicians to handle? We can save the state money, safeguard infrastructure, and save lives. It's a no brainer. - Alice BGreen RN

It's nice to talk about but, none of this is actually happening.

It’s the Secretary of HHS and the director of CMS that approve waivers, so it does matter who the president is in that it matters what Presidential administration is is negotiating waivers with the state. However, our state doesn’t need waivers to be granted to provide universal health to WA or to begin unifying the Administration of most federally funded healthcare programs. Washington can create a publicly funded trust to contract to administrate the federally funded benefits (just like other insurers do now) and use state level revenues to supplement those benefits as needed to gauruntee a single set of expanded benefits to all residents. Waivers would make the program more efficient and effective, but the only thing needed is enough state level funding and a universal healthcare trust for administrating healthcare financing. We don’t have to wait for a new presidential administration or new federal waivers to make a huge difference or to protect/improve our state residents healthcare.

Help Washington lead the way to making healthcare a right instead of a privilege. Support I-1600 if you’re interested in seeing universal healthcare on the Washington ballot in November 2018. yeson1600.org

Arguing for what you’ll settle for, as opposed to what you Want, is what wrong with Dems – they’re already negotiating -- BEFORE they get to the table. No wonder Repubs run roughshod over them.

This Jason Rittereiser’s got MY vote. Someone with balls. Bravo.

And Wow. SIXTY Percent Approval.
My oh my! Who could have guessed?!

Rossi's gonna come out with ten million reasons why the Citizens of the richest country on the Planet (US) can not have Healthcare for all. He's on Trumpf's side. The shitty Billionaires' side. Not OURS.

But (and it's a pretty big one) -- he COULD be.
Get on Board, Dino!
You can be a Maverick.

Let's get the "Health" Insurance Corps the hell off the backs of Business.
Let them tend to their actual Business, NOT their employee's healthcare.
And let everyone Win.
Single Payer.
Now.

Single payer would be a huge win for businesses small and large, who could stop having to worry about covering their employees. Not sure why more Republicans aren't into it.

@inquiastador

What do you mean, "none of this is actually happening?"
Care to elucidate this a bit better?

Roy Eidelson
@royeidelson
If these polls results are reasonably accurate, it's noteworthy that 34%—including 48% of independent voters—say it doesn't matter which party controls Congress. DEMOCRATS have failed to demonstrate that support for the 1% isn't a BI-PARTISAN priority.

CNN poll: Democrats' 2018 advantage is nearly gone
cnn.com
Https://mobile.twitter.com/royeidelson/status/995035598627987457

While it's encouraging to see some politicians stick their neck out and back single payer, we could still end up with a big bag of campaign promises. I-1600 bypasses all that. We can universal healthcare. Every resident could have vision and dental, and still save 9 billion collectively. This is something tangible and truly transformational. We don't have to be trapped by a completely unsustainable insurance system any longer. But first, we need the signatures. Lots and lots of signatures. And this piece is critical. If we don't get it on the ballot, legislators will have no motivation to push for it.

The other candidates are out of the game if they don't support single payer Medicare for All. If he's the real deal, and isn't taking insurance and pharma monies, I'd go with this candidate if I were in Washington 5.

In the meantime, people need to sign this petition 1600 for state universal health care. Word out is that this petition is based on the Frockt bill. Bernie's people are endorsing it, plus Keith Ellison, I thiink. Ain't sb 562, and I wish Washington Staters had a more fighting attitude about this like California, and had taken Maralyn Chase's bill instead, but it's still a lot better than what's going on now. You can only gain by supporting it.

I think it’s most Excellent, you who are working so hard to establish Single Payer here in Washington. My hat’s off to you, and my ink will be on your Petitions. Thank you.

People claim they hate Socialism, but then, when they actually get some, they tend to LOVE it. (Which is why FDR was re-elected THREE times.)

Our current “HealthCare” system sucks – unless you happen to enjoy Insurance Corps taking 20 or 30 percent off your healthcare. ("Well, we can fix 7, or maybe 8 or your fingers. Which ones shall we try and keep?") (Hey, we got boat payments to make here)

We need democratic socialism in this country. We need to fucking Vote on this shit. (“Our” legislators have been completely bought off, by wealthy people and corporations. There’s no looking to them for justice) Winner-take-all, unbridled and unfettered Capitalism has given us media monopolies that give us a strictly Corporate point of view that we must agree to live by, never question who makes the Rules, or why certain people always seem to ignore the rules, and they get always get a pass.

People on this slog say, Bernie Sanders doesn’t do Anything. But, I beg to differ. Just because wholly-corporate-owned mass media doesn’t TELL us what he’s doing (they’d much rather, he weren’t. “Look, over there—squirrel!”). Here’s Bernie on the second part of actual Healthcare, Prescription Drug prices; "Sign my petition -- tell Congress you support my legislation that would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate with drugmakers for lower prices and would allow for the importation of less expensive but safe and affordable drugs from other countries.” –Bernie Sanders

We outnumber them, what, 30, 40-1? We forget that and we die because we cannot afford NOT to die. Or, maybe we get lucky and just go fucking bankrupt. (What’s a few thousands more Homeless, for now, wandering the streets of Seattle, or Anytown USA. As long as our Billionaires can continue to sleep on thousand foot tall, cash-stuffed mattresses (they keep it under their beds, right?), that’s all we, the people want, isn’t it? Haven’t they at least earned that much?
(Gosh, I wonder if those cash-stuffed mattresses were only 500 feet tall -- would they still sleep as soundly?) (Would it be risking too much to find out?)

They used to say, hoarding was a disease. But with this particular disease, it’s we, the people who do the suffering. With every injustice, our numbers rise.

(The compleat lack of far-alt-righties here on this slog article, decrying Socialism as "Death to Democracy!" is a mystery to me. Where'd they all go?!)

Wait, universal healthcare in WA state??!!

@17

In socialist systems a few productive percent- those who create and build businesses and have ideas, who fail and accept the costs but aren't entitled in your view to the profits of their success- are slowly robbed for the benefit of the majority. Whole schools of economics and philosophy spring up to justify this state sanctioned robbery on the flimsiest possible grounds to make the robbers feel okay about their theft. And in the end a of us create complicated rationales to support whatever we do anyway.

Is it surprising that the majority who benefit from armed robvery of their fellow citizens without having to do the actual mugging support such systems?

It would take an intellectual honesty and an integrity the left by definition doesn't possess not to support them, really.

Break it to down to this:
I have two cars and 'need' one. At least, I can drive only one at a time. My neighbor needs a car. Does the state have the right to steal one of mine for his benefit? Because that is the basic profoundly immoral idea behind socialism.

Hey Centit -- Corps used to pay 40% of all US taxes. Now, around 12% -- IF they pay anything at all. Taxes under Raygun were not onerous. But when he claimed they were, he found a very sympathetic audience. And we've gone downhill as a country ever since. Now, your Billionaires' Hero, Secret Agent Kadet Bone Spurs Orange and "we" just gave Trillions to the Wealthy -- to invest in what, their getting an ever stronger grip on America's Treasury? And on our sorry asses?

"State-sanctioned robbery."
Go live in a fucking tax-free society
if you truly hate paying for this incredible Country, Centit.

@20

When you're driving either one of those cars down the street do you ever stop and think that the roads you are driving on are paid with taxpayer dollars?
Public roads are a great example of socialism.

So if you don't like socialism or taxes, stop using the roads.

Since we're talking about roads....
If you think taxes are theft, what do you think of right-of-way easements?

@22

Fair enough misunderstanding. I wasn't precise enough in language.

We don't have a socialist or capitalist system. It's a blend leaning more toward capitalist ideas. There are Constitutionally mandated duties government has for which we must pay taxes. This is not theft. It is socializing public costs It's the price of citizenship and the benefits of it. True both st the federal and state constitutional levels to be clear.

However, to take my money to provide a purely personal benefit for another citizen who made poor career or family choices is what I object to. That person didn't consult me on career. I didn't impregnate his wife or girlfriend. I certainly didn't offer him any of my hard earned money. Money taken from me by force without my consent to benefit another is, by definition, theft. Armed robbery really.

@22

Easements and eminent domain are becessary evils. Though citizen diligence to ensure fair and even application of them is also becessary duties.

@23

Just to be clear, if you make a bad investment and lose all your money then we as a society should be okay with you starving to death or freezing on the street.
Is that what you're saying?

@25 When Wall Street stole Trillion$ from our Economy, did we tell those who actually caused the meltdown, the Banksters, to fuck off? How about those who were suddenly, magically able to move into a home of their own, possibly for the first time? Did they get bailed out?

Socialism, according to those like the Centit, is exclusively for The Rich.
The rest of US get bootstrapping sermons, tough love and early graves.
Funnily enough, we OUTFUCKING NUMBER them, by 30 or so to one.
One day, perhaps, we'll realize -- there is tremendous Strength in our Numbers.

@23: Adam Kadmon: Punkin doesn't know what he's saying. He just thinks his ignorance is supposed to be cute.
@26 kristofarian: May the revolutionary robbing of the insanely wealthy and corrupt be as bloody and nasty to the RepubliKKKan Party of None as possible. The Party of None brought it on themselves.

I dunno, Auntie Griz -- like War, I believe violence oughtta be our Very Last Resort. Start out with that shit, and end up with that shit. We could shut this place down in two days. By not participating. But it's gonna take Millions and Millions. Of very committed people.

The Problem will be those who wish to derail the process (for whatever reasons) with violence.

Remember what Lennon said?
“When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.”

Besides, the Billionaires and Multi-Millionaires can keep most of what they have.
They'll still be, by far, the richest peeps on the Planet.
There'll just be so many fewer really, really poor people.

The Problem will be those who wish to derail the process (for whatever reasons) with violence.

@25. Straw man much?

Isn’t there a social safety net in this country? You know, Medicaid, welfare, food stamps, housing assistance? Like center is right said, we are a balanace between socialism and capitalism leaning more towards capitalism.

The people who do well and make good investments and life decisions end up paying the overwhelming majority of taxes. Their gripe is that if you want a better quality of life, you should do what they did, earn it yourself. If you won’t, or can’t, then take what’s being given and that’s about all you are entitled to.

Should we give a little more? To certain people, yes. Mothers, mentally ill, children...To those who use the net as a hammock, less should be given IMO.

@27

You are going to injure yourself with that boiling vat of rage you've made of your mind. All these cries for murdering those who don't share your ideology are harmless, as far as anything you personally will do, though it's incredible that the Stranger permits your overt threats. But your health, physical and mental, is being placed at severe risk by your obsessive irrational rage.

Get help. I'm not kidding. I'm not being sarcastic or trying to be funny. Get help and live your life rather than existing in that dark fog of violent unreason you've chosen, and can choose to exit.

@29 "To those who use the net as a hammock, less should be given..."

Getting their asses into becoming productive, contributing members of society -- excellent idea. If we can help out with childcare, and extended education (and maybe find out what's holding them back), they'll have a lot more freedom to develop and utilize skills to meet that goal. I agree. I think most people like/enjoy being productive (soulless, punishing, demeaning jobs excepted). Eliminating excuses is a good way to start.