For Immediate Release                                                                                                 Contact: Jacki Schechner (HCAN) 202-454-6196

December 17, 2009                                                                                                           Tiffany Ricci (AFSCME) 202-429-1145

                                                                                                                                                  Lori Lodes (SEIU) 202-730-7680

HEALTH REFORM SUPPORTERS RALLY NATIONWIDE TO SAY FINISH THE JOB AND FINISH IT RIGHT

Nearly 50 events in 31 states remind Congress if the insurance companies win, we lose

 Washington, DC – Health care reform supporters from SEIU, AFSCME, Change that Works, AFL-CIO, and other Health Care for America Now (HCAN) partners held nearly 50 different rallies and events in more than 30 states today to tell Congress it’s time to make sure health care reform gets done and gets done right. As the holidays approach and the Senate gets closer to passing health care legislation, families and businesses across the country can no longer wait for good health care they can afford.  Pro-reform advocates and organizers are calling on their elected officials to help see the process through and make essential improvements so everyone can celebrate health care reform in the New Year.

Events varied from state to state with some supporters holding 24-hour “Round-the-Clock for Reform” rallies, some staging holiday-themed actions, and others releasing reports highlighting how insurance companies waste premiums on non health care-related expenses. For example, activists and health care leaders sang holiday carols outside Senator George Voinovich’s (R-OH) office in Columbus to draw attention to the problems in the Senate bill and to urge the public to call House Members and ask them to finish the job and pass health care reform that improves affordability, does not tax benefits, and forces insurance companies to follow the rules. In Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, health care activists staged a Finish the Job filibuster, standing outside Senator Johnny Isakson’s (R-GA) and Congressman John Barrow’s (D-GA) offices reading the names of health care victims and telling their stories.

All emphasized the need for Congress to finish the job and finish it right which means passing legislation that makes health care more affordable, does not tax benefits, holds insurance companies accountable through strong regulation and the choice of a strong public health insurance option, and requires employers to pay a fair share of good coverage for their employees.

“We have an urgent need to fix health care, but we also need to make sure we do it right,” said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager, Health Care for America Now. “We are looking to Congressional leadership and the White House to make sure health care reform delivers on the promise of making health care more affordable for our families, businesses, and nation and holding the health insurance industry accountable.”

 

“Let’s get this done in a way that works best for the American people,” said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. “That means not taxing benefits, including a public option, and requiring employers to share in the responsibility in a meaningful way.”

“We will continue to fight for everything we know is important. We will fight to make care affordable. We will fight for real health insurance reforms. We will fight for employers to provide their employees with coverage.  And, we will fight to pay for all of it responsibly without a tax on your benefits,” said SEIU President Andy Stern.