The fight continues in earnest for health care for all.
Activists from across the whole bleeding state of Illinois, including representatives from
PDA, CNA, Chi-SPAN, Champaign County Health Care Consumers and other members of the Illinois Single Payer Coalition gathered at Augustana Church in President Obama’s old Hyde Park neighborhood to talk about health care.
The consensus was:
We ain’t done yet!
We can do better and we can do more.
Specifically, to keep pushing hard for a single payer plan, like Medicare, improved and expanded to everyone. That’s the path to true health care parity. There is a heapin’ helping of piece of mind down that road and more and more Americans are taking up the fight to take the profit motive out of health care access.
We met a roomful of quality leaders and fighters that are more than up for the task.
Here are some snappy highlights with some big name cameo appearances, including Doc Young who recently wrote so eloquently at HuffPo—
“Single-payer Medicare for All is the reform that’s required. Just like almost all other major areas of progress in American life, fundamental health reform requires a movement based on equity, justice, prudence and
science that is free of market greed. That movement today is single payer.”
Yup.
Here is a great conversation with PDA Illinois Chair-Maestro Bill Bianchi and buddy Donna Smith that inspires great hope for the future of the single payer movement and shows the strength and insight of two friends from Chicago fighting for all of us.
Boy, did IMPs miss ya!
Now meet all the member organizations that made this meeting a success.
Rah indeed!
Downstate Democrats for Change
Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)
National Nurses Organizing Commitee(NNOC)
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
OWL-National Older Women’s League
Progressive Democrats of America Illinois Chapter(PDA)
Chicago Single Payer Action Network
AFSCME: American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
APU: American Patients United americanpatientsunited.org
CAEC: Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign chicagoantieviction.org
CCHCC: Champaign County Health Care Consumers www.healthcareconsumers.org
ChiSPAN: Chicago Single-Payer Action Network-chispan.org
DP: Democratic Party
FVCPJ: Fox Valley Citizens for Peace and Justice
HC-N: Healthcare-Now www.healthcare-now.org
IMM: Illinois Media Progressives (Hi!)
IGP: Illinois Green Party ilgp.org
ISPC: Illinois Single-Payer Coalition ilsinglepayercoalition.org
JASC: Jane Addams Senior Caucus
LC: Longhouse Coalition www.longhousecoalition.org
NAARPO: National Alliance Against Racism and Political Oppression
NNOC/CAN/NNU: National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association/National Nurses Union www.guaranteedhealthcare.org
PDA: Progressive Democrats of America
SADA: Springfield Area Disability Activists
Ain’t it grand to have so many friends!