On Tuesday September 22, HCAN, in over a hundred events around the country, thousands of people took time off to say Big Insurance: Sick of It. They say that they are angry insurance companies for denying people care and coverage, for paying their employees more to deny care, and for using our premiums to lobby Congress in opposition to health care reform and a public health insurance option.
In Pennsylvania, we had well attended events in Philadelphia, Williamsport, Erie, and Pittsburgh.
Over 750 people from Philadelphia and its suburbs rallied, chanted and marched in support of health care reform. They came together to demand that CIGNA and other health insurance companies stop denying care and coverage to Americans and end their opposition to real reform that includes a public health insurance option.
Speakers included: form CIGNA executive Wendell Potter; Arlene Holt Baker, Executive Vice-president AFL-CIO; Pat Eiding, President Philadelphia AFL-CIO, Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, President-elect, National Physicians Alliance; Wayne Macmaniman, District Supervisor of SEIU 32j, Wendell Young IV, President UFCW Local 1776, and Stacie Ritter, a Manheim, PA, mother of twins afflicted with leukemia whose care was denied by CIGNA Insurance and Marc Stier, PA State Director of HCAN.
Before the rally began, a delegation of leaders from the event’s coalition of union labor and progressive groups, including Jeff Blum, national co-chair of HCAN, Marc Stier, Antoinette Kraus of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, and Amy Ringenbach of MoveOn presented CIGNA CEO H. Edward Hanway with this list of demands:
“We are here to demand that CIGNA CEO H. Edward Hanway, who made $ 22,716,454 in 2007 to deny care to CIGNA customers, agrees to the following, effective immediately:
1. CIGNA will not stand between a doctor and a patient when it comes to deciding what care that patient needs. If a qualified physician recommends care, no one at CIGNA will substitute his or her judgment for the judgment of the patient’s physician in deciding if care is medically necessary.
2. CIGNA will not deny or drop coverage for a pre-existing medical condition.
3. CIGNA will terminate any policy or incentive that rewards employees financially or otherwise for denying care and rejecting claims.
4. CIGNA will not use any resources—including funds, employees, and facilities—to oppose any aspect of the health reform proposals supported by President Obama and being considered by members of the United States Congress. “
Wendell Potter, the CIGNA whistle-blower and Philadelphia resident, was met with a roar of cheers from the crowd. He thanked the assembled for their health care reform efforts, and he briefly recounted his own bold decision to speak out against CIGNA’s ‘money-first, people-last’ policies.
Arlene Holt Baker, Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO, forcefully delivered her message for a strong commitment to health care reform for all of America’s citizens.
Stacie Ritter shared story gut-wrenching report about how CIGNA would not pay for medical care for her daughter who were diagnosed and treated for cancer at the age of 4. That treatment destroyed their pituitary glands. To grow normally need human growth hormone treatment, which CIGNA has refused to pay for.
After the rally, everyone marched a few blocks to CIGNA’s headquarters at Two Liberty Place, chanting along the way and picking up additional supporters including many in cars who honked their support.
This event was jointly hosted by a members of the Health Care For America Now coalition including ACORN, the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, MoveOn, Organizing for America, PennAction, the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, UFCW and others
Daily News Report http://www.philly.com/philly/news/60553002.html
Philadelphia Inquirer http://www.philly.com/philly/business/60551357.html (A picture that appeared in the Inquirer is in the photo slideshow.
Fox 29 Coverage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1YtvklK5Z0
Fox 29 and NBC 10 sky cam: coming soon.
Clip #2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOe19PlUq4U Philadelphia AFL-CIO President Pat Eiding
Clip #3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkeCu3L6L20 AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker
Clip #4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKBtUzj_gkU Introduction of Wendell Potter
Clip #5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDzgBhy4pXk Wendell Potter, former CIGNA executive
Clip #6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83umh23yg7M Chanting
Clip #7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noYEe0ZUTAo Stacie Ritter
Clip #8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgWjvLcjS9E Dr. Valerie Arkoosh
Clip #9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD1DTcWTeQo Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, continued
Clip #10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_NAW2zt5Yw Wayne Macmaniman of SEIU 32bj
Clip #11 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12y8jamD3VY March to CIGNA
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh held a 105 person Sick of it Rally in the rain, with Fred Redmond, International Vice President for the United Steelworkers as the keynote Speaker, Activist and Singer Anne Feeney performed several selections about health care including my favorite, “We’re Nursing as Fast as We Can,” followed by Hospital Nurse Michelle Boyle, Georgeanne Koehler, whose brother died of a heart attack because he had no health care coverage, and several other people who stepped up to the mike to tell folks their health insurance horror stories.
People attended from USW, NEA, AFSCME, SOAR, AARP, PHAN, ACORN, SEIU, Mon Valley Unemployed Committee.
Wilkinsburg Borough Councilperson Denise Williams and Allegheny County Council President John DeFazio also joined us.
The rally lasted an hour, then those attending it broke up into three groups The first group 1 delivered the demands to CIGNA, the second group visited Senator Casey to thank him for his strong support of the public plan and the third group #3, who visited Senator Specter’s office to thank him for his support of health care reform and the public option.
Williamsport
Forty people came out to the offices of Highmark insurance to present their demands. The rally at noon with some chants, had some speakers, got lots of honks and thumbs up from passing cars and trucks, and generally had a good time. Participants included veterans, retired union members, nurses, students and college professors —a small but strong group from small-town/rural north-central PA.
Speakers included, Charles Mercer, a Baptist minister; Barbara Hemmendinger and Karen Kirk, medical office staff; Catherine Rossiter, the wife of a surgeon, who once had a job selling corporate jets to insurance company execs; and Tom Reeder, an Episcopal priest.
See the coverage in the Williamsport (PA) Sun Gazette, http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/532818.html?nav=5011#.
Erie
Forty three people attended a rally at that Big Insurance – Sick of It Rally at the Highmark Blue Cross Blue
Shield office in Erie.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBJeVrrmT_o&feature=channel)