Category: Public Policy

 Created with flickr slideshow. Created with flickr slideshow.The 2009 Labor Day parade was all about change that would make life better for working people. And a key to that, as President Pat Eiding said in his impassioned speech is to reform health care in 2009. Thousands of working people attended the parade and representatives of almost every union that took part carried posters or wore stickers in support of health care reform. Here are pictures of some of them. Continue reading

Join Health Care For America Now and SEIU as we thank Senator Arlen Specter for his support of health care reform and the public health insurance plan and encourage him to get health care reform done as he heads back to Washington on Tuesday September 8 We will be joined by Senator Specter as he leaves for Washington on the 29th street side of 30th Street Station on Tuesday afternoon at 2:15 pm. RSVVP at http://healthcareforamericanow.org/page/event/detail/letsgetitdone/4jr7l Continue reading

For the third time in the last few months, there are rumors in Washington that President Obama is going to drop his support of the public health insurance option. This has many of you worried. I’m a little worried, too. But I don’t still don’t think there is any reason to be freaking out right now. There is reason to act. And that’s why I will be following this up with some action steps you can take on the public option. And I’m asking you to go to the list of Let’s Get it Done events and find one to go to in the next few days. And now let me say a bit about what where health care reform, and the public option, stand right now. Continue reading

Congress returns to work next week. So this is our last chance to tell them:  Let’s Get It Done! Enact Health Insurance Reform in 2009!  We’ve beaten back right wing opposition in the last few weeks and emerged with more support for real reform. Now it is time for the final push. Take part in one of the many Let’s Get It Done events all over Pennsylvania.  Tell your Representatives and Senators that it is time for action. They must go back to Washington and move health care reform forward. And tell your friends about the Health Insurance Reform campaign and these events by clicking here.  (There are 13 events in the next week in Pennsylvnia. Plesae scroll down to find your region of the state) Continue reading

Yesterday, Secretary Sebelius said that the public option is not an “essential” part of health care reform but we do need some mechanism to provide “competition” for private insurers and a “choice” for Americans. Many of us are concerned about what seems like a retreat by the Obama administration from something we’ve worked hard for, a public health insurance plan. But before we freak out, let me point out a couple of things: Continue reading

PA Health Care for America Now, SEIU and Partners Hold Huge Statewide Effort for Health Care Reform Governor Howard Dean kicks-off Aliquippa Event Health Reform Advocates Reach Out to 10,000 Pennsylvanians In Support of President Obama’s Health Care Reform Plan Jenkintown, Upper Darby, Middletown (Bucks County), Allentown, Wilkes-Barre, Pottsville, Reading, Williamsport, Aliquippa, Erie, and Sunbury, PA— The dog days of August did not keep over 400 activists from spending hours reaching out to their neighbors in support of President Obama’s health care reform plan in twelve locations in every corner of Pennsylvania. Canvassers talked to over 5,000 Pennsylvanians and left fliers at the homes of another 5,000. Continue reading

Dear friends, We in Pennsylvania have built a huge movement for health care reform, so it is not surprising that we were one of the first places to witness the right wing’s vicious campaign of lies and intimidation at the Town Hall held by Senator Specter and HHS Secretary Sebelius in Philadelphia last week. We are fighting back. And if you are willing to step up and join us I guarantee that this opposition will not stop our movement for quality, affordable health care for all. I don’t want to take up space here to explain the right wing strategy and how we will overcome it. Click here for detailed analysis of the situation. Instead let me tell you what you can do in the upcoming week to move health care reform forward. Continue reading

Dear Friends, We in Pennsylvania have built a huge movement for health care reform, so it is not surprising that we were one of the first places to witness the right wing’s vicious campaign of lies and intimidation at the Town Hall held by Senator Specter and HHS Secretary Sebelius in Philadelphia a week ago. I’ll admit that we were all surprised by anti-democratic tactics that I had not seen in over thirty years of political activism. But, if we are all willing to work hard and keep to our strategy and take immediate action when we need you to, I guarantee we are going to win health care reform this year. And the right wing craziness is going to help us. Here’s why: The right wing strategy has two parts. The first is to bring small numbers of people to events to get media attention by means of utterly… Continue reading