Rally For Health Care

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Release On: Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Contact:  Don Bechler

415-810-5826 or dbechler@value.net

San Francisco “Medicare for All–End Private Insurance” Rally Thursday, June 16 at AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans) Convention

WHAT: A broad coalition of Bay Area and state-wide political single payer advocates will hold a two hour rally in favor of “Medicare-for-all” (i.e. single payer health care) and in opposition to the health insurance industry.

WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2011, 9:00 am to 11:00 am

WHERE: Just outside Moscone Center West, 800 Howard Street, at the corner of 4th Street, San Francisco, California

Speakers:

  • Tim Paulson, Executive Director of the San Francisco Labor Council
  • Kim Alvarenga, District Director for Tom Ammiano (D-SF), District 13 member of the California Assembly
  • Dr. Hank Abrons, President of PNHP, Physicians for a National Health Plan-California
  • Karen Smulevitz, representing CARA-California Association of Retired Americans
  • Don Bechler, Chair, Single Payer Now
  • Reverend Israel Alvaran, community organizer, UNITE/HERE Local 2
  • Raging Grannies & Code Pink Billionaires for Wealthcare
  • Faith Petric, San Francisco folk singer

WHY: From June 15 to 17, the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will be meeting at SF’s Moscone Convention Center.

  • Speakers at AHIP’s convention want to privatize Medicare.
  • The rally will explain why a single payer health care system will meet the medical needs of all Americans.     *The rally participants are calling for the end of private health insurance.  These insurance companies spend 30 cents of each health care dollar on profits and administrative costs while insuring the healthy and avoiding the sick.
  • The USA rank 37th in the world on health outcomes, according to WHO (the World Health Organization)  If we removed the health insurance industry from our health care system, we could spend the same amount of money we do now, but provide everyone in the country with complete access to healthcare with complete freedom to choose any and all current and future providers.

MEDIA VISUALS: A crowd of rally participants outside on the sidewalk near the AHIP convention holding banners and signs that say:  “Medicare for All–End Private Insurance” and many smaller signs that say: “Medicare for All-yes;  Health Insurance Companies-no” and a variety of other signs critical of the health insurance industry and supportive of “Medicare for all”.  There will also be 12 ft tall puppets who will give a Punch-and-Judy interpretation of the fight between insurance companies and we who need healthcare.

For more information, please contact Don Bechler, chair of Single  Payer Now at 415-810-5826 or visit:  http://www.singlepayernow.net/events/rally-for-healthcare/

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Don’t Buy the Snake Oil of Private Insurance!

Download PDF leaflet here.

The Following Organizations will be attending and mobilizing activists from all over the state to participate:

California Alliance for Retired Americans -100

Califonia Nurses Association -50

Healthcare for All – Contra Costa -10

Gray Panthers-SF -10

Green Party of Alameda County -12

Wellstone Democratic Club -20

San Francisco Chinese Progressive Association- 20

Santa Clara County Single Payer Healthcare Coalition -5

Single Payer Now -200

Rally endorsed by:

Healthcare for All-CA, Physicians for a National Health Program, Older Women’s League (OWL)- S.F., Labor United for Universal Healthcare, ANSWER Coalition, California Health Professional Student Alliance, Democracy for America, OPEIU Local 3, San Francisco Labor Council, Unitarian Universalists for Peace-SF.