We Can Do Better (formerly known as the Archimedes Movement) (founded 2006) is a grassroots movement based in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, which aims to bring citizens and stakeholders together to design a health care system that "works better for everyone." It was founded by former

governor

John Kitzhaber John Albert Kitzhaber (born March 5, 1947) is an American former politician who served as the 35th governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003, and as the 37th governor of Oregon from 2011 until his resignation in 2015. A member of the Democratic Party ...

, M.D. in January 2006. Kitzhaber's goal was to find a way to put money used for health care, which as of 2006 amounted to about $6.3 billion in Oregon, to better use. That year, it was one of three organizations that drew substantially increased funding levels from the Northwest Health Foundation; its grant funds totaled $82,000. In 2007, members of the organization initially "crowded the steps" of the

Oregon Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capitol, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 ...

in support of a bill before the 2007 legislature to establish the Oregon Health Trust, but Kitzhaber later reversed his position, pulling his support from the bill and advising members of the organization that the then-current version of the bill did "not reflect the work…done by you through the Archimedes Movement." The organization's goal was to create a national grass-roots effort to reform health care, starting in Oregon. It was founded on the belief that incremental change to existing health programs like Medicare and

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

will not be sufficient to solve their long-term problems, and that communities and coalitions outside the political world would need to form consensus around goals and values, and pressure lawmakers to make more fundamental changes. The organization's executive director, Liz Baxter, has advocated for health policy reform to members of the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

. She also chairs the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange Board, established in 2011. The Archimedes Movement is a member of the Oregon Health Reform Collaborative.oregonhealthreform.org Oregon Health Reform Collaborative
web site (as archived January 20, 2009) The organization's original name was based on the ancient Greek mathematician

Archimedes Archimedes of Syracuse (;; ) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor from the ancient city of Syracuse in Sicily. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists ...

, who is quoted as saying "Give me a lever and a place to stand, and I can move the Earth."

Notes and references

External links

We Can Do Better
official web site

Notes and references

External links

Further reading