Subscribe to Dollars & Sense magazine. Recent articles related to the financial crisis. More Sit-Ins for Single-Payer, Thurs. Dec. 10thThe Mobilization for Health Care for All, about which we have blogged several times, is having another Day of Action for single-payer this Thursday, December 10th, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day. I hope some regular D&S blog visitors can participate in these sit-ins! Here is the Mobilization's press release:We are making the point that health care is a human right—that means everyone should have access to health care. This is not just a nebulous right, but a life and death issue. We all know that 45,000 people die in the United States because of lack of access to health care. And, we know that more than a million have gone bankrupt due to health care problems. If we met the human rights standard of providing health care to all then these problems would diminish greatly. These Mobilization actions will urge support for Sen. Bernie Sanders' single-payer amendment. And, we are also telling the senate to allow states to put in place a state-level single payer system. We know improved Medicare for All is the solution to the health crisis in America and we will continue to advocate for it. Please support our efforts. We are not going to give up and accept the inadequate bills being considered in Congress. The problems in American health care will continue even if the best of these bills pass. We know that in order to get real health care reform ongoing organizing will be essential. To find an action in your state click here. Labels: civil disobedience, direct action, health care reform, Mobilization for Health Care for All, single-payer Please consider donating to Dollars & Sense and/or subscribing to the magazine (both print and e-subscriptions now available!). Sit-in for Single-Payer in Pelosi's OfficeBreaking news from the folks at the Mobilization for Health Care for All:CALL PELOSI NOW! (415) 556-4862 and (202) 225-0100 There are 8 people sitting in RIGHT NOW in Nancy Pelosi's Office in San Francisco! They are not leaving until they get an answer to their demands! Their demands are that the Kucinich amendment MUST be in the health care bill that the House votes on, and that the House MUST vote on the Weiner amendment. Pelosi PROMISED the American people that she would ensure BOTH of the above would happen, and she has betrayed us by reneging on those promises! YOU can HELP! Call her office in SF at (415) 556-4862 and Washington, DC (202) 225-0100; demand that she talk with the people sitting in. Demand that she keep her promises and put Kucinich Amendment in bill and allow Floor vote on the Weiner Amendment! Burn up her phone lines people! This is NOT business as usual! This is FOR REAL - we can make a difference in the future of health care in this country! Labels: health care, health care reform, Mobilization for Health Care for All, Nancy Pelosi, sit-in Please consider donating to Dollars & Sense and/or subscribing to the magazine (both print and e-subscriptions now available!). Next Wave of Health-Care Sit-InsThe Mobilization for Health Care for All had its latest big wave of sit-ins for single-payer on Wednesday (and this wave is ongoing). Here's their report:Yesterday [Oct. 28th], the next wave of the Mobilization for Health Care for All began with great success. See below for a list of media coverage of the actions. In 11 cities across the country, hundreds of everyday Americans who want Medicare for All confronted the insurance companies and demanded that they redirect the money they're spending to control our democracy to pay for the care they deny to their members. Almost every company refused to even talk to us, and 37 people were arrested including doctor Matt Hendrickson at a Cigna office in Glendale, California. Dozens more - like the 30 people who blockaded the Blue Cross office in San Francisco for hours - sat in but weren't arrested. In Rhode Island, however, the protestors who joined cancer patient Robert Darling in occupying the UnitedHealthcare office won the first concessions of our campaign - a company representative agreed to give an answer to Robert about paying for his previous bone marrow transplant within 24 hours and to arrange a meeting for the group with the UnitedHealthcare CEO within a week! After 115 arrests in 18 cities, these companies are starting to feel the heat of our movement. And with more than 900 people now signed up to sit-in, this battle is just beginning. Today, the Mobilization continued in Louisville, Kentucky and Baltimore, Maryland. The brave folks in Louisville are in the 9th hour of their sit-in inside the Humana headquarters as we send out this email. Humana is trying to wait them out, but may are prepared to stay overnight if they have to. In Baltimore, four people were arrested at a CareFirst (Blue Cross) office including two doctors. One of those doctors, Margaret Flowers of the "Baucus 8," has withheld her name and is planning to stay in jail until the CEO of CareFirst, Chet Burrell, agrees to a public meeting with her. Please call Mr. Burrell immediately and regularly at 410-528-2222 to demand that he agree to meet publicly with Margaret. You can also email CareFirst by going to http://www.carefirst.com/email/html/ContactMediaRelations.html. Send the following message in your email: I am writing to urge CEO Chet Burrell to agree to a public meeting with Dr. Margaret Flowers who was arrested at the CareFirst office in Baltimore while demanding to meet with Mr. Burrell about CareFirst business practices. She is going to stay in jail until Mr. Burrell agrees to a public meeting with her. CareFirst must publicly account for the serious concerns that citizens have about your company's practices. Also, please donate generously today so we can be prepared to pay any bail that is set for Margaret's release. She decided to risk arrest and stay in jail despite a possible 6 month jail sentence for violating probation from her previous arrest in the fight for real health care reform - let's show her that we've got her back. Please donate today to support Margaret and post messages of support for her at our Facebook page (we'll read all messages to her over the phone when she calls from jail). The Mobilization continues in Philadelphia tomorrow, and in more cities across the country next week. Click here for updated lists of all the upcoming actions and info about how you can plug in and participate. The insurance companies, the politicians in their pockets, and even some of the corporate media apparently want our movement to go away. But it's just getting started and spreading across America. Let's show them we're not going anywhere and we won't stop until health care is a right for everyone in America. Thanks for everything you do. —Katie, Kevin, Kai, Julia, Lacy, and the Mobilization team Press Coverage from 10/28: San Francisco Chronicle South Florida Sun-Sentinel NJ.com (Star-Ledger / Trenton Times / Jersey Journal blog) projo.com (Providence Journal blog) Glendale News-Press National Public Radio, Topics Democracy Now Free Speech Radio News Huffington Post Institute for Public Accuracy Atlas Press Photo La Jornada (Mexico) OpEdNews (featured story about doctors, by Kevin Gosztola): OpEdNews (about Philadelphia rally) Bay Area Indymedia (quality article, good for reference): Press Coverage from 10/29: Southern Maryland Online Wave3.com WFPL News Labels: health care reform, Mobilization for Health Care for All, single-payer, sit-in Please consider donating to Dollars & Sense and/or subscribing to the magazine (both print and e-subscriptions now available!). |
