July 30th, 2011 – Medicare Turns 46!
Medicare is the Solution… Not the Problem!
Events listed here and updated daily!
Medicare is a the nation’s most popular social program. It has been working to provide those 65 and over, those with disabilities and certain medical conditions, with access to comprehensive healthcare without fear of bankruptcy.
Despite years of success, opponents to making healthcare a public good are seeking to privatize and cut Medicare, along with Medicaid and Social Security.
Now is the time to organize against these attacks and in support of the solution to our healthcare crisis: Medicare for all.
We need you to join us and stand up for the right to healthcare!
Here’s what you can do:
1) Organize a public event in your community in July! Check out the organizer’s tool kit (.pdf) for examples of what you can do to celebrate the anniversary of Medicare in your community. Here’s a flyer (.pdf) you can use for your event. Just plug in your event’s information.
For those who organize public events, we will send signs and booklets that explain Medicare for all. Be sure to let our organizing team know you are pulling together an event. Email francesca@healthcare-now.org.
2) Join the base building challenge! Get your community on board with supporting the solution to our healthcare crisis: Medicare for all! Download this petition and get started! Start now and collect signatures at community events, summer fairs, and festivals. Town halls will be organized in August – the perfect time to deliver them to your elected officials to demand that they support MFA as the solution to our healthcare crisis.
3) Share your testimonial! Participate in our video testimonial campaign and join with people across the country who are making statements to support Medicare for all. It’s easy! Just submit a recording of how Medicare is the solution, not the problem, to the healthcare crisis, upload it to YouTube, and email it us at info@healthcare-now.org. Check out the videos that were already submitted here.
4) Save the date! July 25th will be the national call-in day to send birthday wishes to members of Congress for Medicare, and demand improved Medicare for all. More details to come!
5) Join Healthcare-NOW! – a movement building organization to win the right to healthcare for all people. For just a few dollars a month, you can help sustain the movement to win the right to healthcare for all. Find out more here.
Some Resources
Handout on Threats to Medicare, Medicaid
“Cut Medicare? No Way! Make It ‘Medicare for All’!” by John Nichols
Medicare: A National Treasure
Love it! Improve it! Expand it! Medicare for All! Sign
Medicare is the Solution Sign
Universal Healthcare = Medicare for All Sign
Medi-Sink or Medi-Swim
Thanks to Healthcare-NOW! Georgia in Atlanta for celebrating Medicare’s anniversary by creating this video.
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PAST MEDICARE BIRTHDAY RALLIES
July 30th, 2010 – Medicare Turns 45!
Let’s Protect it, Improve it, and Expand it to All!!!
Since 1965, Medicare has become a national treasure by providing coverage to 45 million older Americans and Americans with disabilities.
For 45 years Medicare’s critics have warned of impending doom for the program but it always gets repaired. Here’s our suggested fix: eliminate the massive waste and expense caused by the private for profit insurance companies. Put the savings into Medicare–protect it, improve it, and expand it to all!”
Join Healthcare NOW! in making noise on the anniversary of Medicare, this July 30th, with single-payer Medicare for All advocates across the country.
It is unacceptable to bull doze cuts, privatization, or raising of the eligibility rate to our most critical social programs, especially when unemployment and financial insecurity are at record highs. Please join us on July 30th to tell Congress “Hands OFF Social Security and Medicare!”
We will be posting events planned around the country here. If you don’t see one near you, help organize one.
We are encouraging activists to get the message to their Member of Congress in a couple different ways:
1) Organize a rally in support of the anniversary of Medicare at their and lobby for them to sign on to this pledge. Tell them you will return on the anniversary of Social Security’s enactment, August 14th, to get their support. If you need a speaker for your rally contact PNHP at info@pnhp.org.
2) Start a post card campaign now in your Congressional District and deliver post cards on July 30th showing how many of their constituents support “No Cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security.” Download the postcard here. Let us know if you want us to send you some post cards (don’t forget to copy names and contact info from cards to continue organizing supporters in the future).
3) Write a letter to the editor using these guidelines for pressuring your Congress person (sample here).
4) Get media to come out to your event and be sure to write a press release (sample coming soon!)
5) Use these talking points about Social Security and Medicare to talk to your Member of Congress and the Media.
Read these important articles on the Deficit Commission and why we must fight:
America Speaks Back: The Effort to Gut Social Security and Medicare Takes a Hit
Facts on Medicare, Social Security, and the Deficit Commission
AmericaSpeaks–What is not on the program
Whacking the Old Folks
Has Obama created a Social Security ‘death panel’?
Don’t Confuse Pete Peterson’s Desire to Slash Medicare with the Goals of HealthCare Reform –Part 1
Wall Street Propaganda: Blame Social Security
For help and support, please contact HCN staff at 800-453-1305 or info@healthcare-now.org.
Medicare: Made in America – DC Lobby Day and Rally
July, 30th, 2009, Washington, DC
Download the NEW flyer!
Download Transportation Guide
Find a bus going to DC near you! Updated daily.
Places to stay in DC (hotels, hostels, etc.)
Download the lobby materials for July 30
Other Events Around the Country for Medicare’s 44th Birthday
Schedule
Rally starts at 1 pm – 2 pm in the Upper Senate Park – Map Below
9am – 11:30 am Volunteers needed for morning drop to all Members of Congress.
New location to meet! WE WILL NO LONGER MEETING AT THE RAYBURN BUILDING IN THE MORNING. Volunteers for cupcake drop WILL BE MEETING AT:
The United Methodist Office at 100 Maryland Ave N (at the corner of 1st St NE and Maryland Ave NE next to the Supreme Court).
Cupcakes and lobby packets will be available for pick up starting at 9am. See you then!
Email info@healthcare-now.org if you plan to help with the morning lobby visits.
2pm onward – Activists will take to the hill for meetings with Members of Congress. If you need help in setting up a meeting with your Member, please email info@healthcare-now.org. Lobby materials will be available in the Judiciary Committee Room for pick up on the day of the meetings. They will be posted here shortly to download in advance.
3pm – 4pm – Briefing: State Based Single Payer Healthcare Reform and the Kucinich Amendment
We’ll explore the passage on Friday, July 17th, by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-OH, in the House Education and Labor Committee, of the amendment that would allow the necessary federal ERISA waivers for states that pass and implement single payer healthcare plans for their citizens. The amendment will be considered as part of the Tri-Committee health reform bill as marked-up by two of the three committees of jurisdiction in the House. We will hear from Congressman Kucinich about the prospects for retaining the amendment in the final House bill.
2203 Rayburn House Office Building.
Map
Rally – Upper Senate Park – Constitution Ave NW between Delaware Ave NE and New Jersey Ave NW.
Meeting Place to Deliver Cupcakes – The United Methodist Office at 100 Maryland Ave N (at the corner of 1st St NE and Maryland Ave NE next to the Supreme Court).
View Medicare’s 44th Birthday Rally Locations in a larger map
Confirmed Speakers at Rally
Jos Williams – President , AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council
Dr. David Scheiner – President Obama’s personal physician of 22 years
Sidney M. Wolfe, MD – Acting President of Public Citizen
Dr Margaret Flowers – Physicians for a National Health Program
Terry O’Neill – President, National Organization for Women
State Senator Ferlo – Pennsylvania State Senator
Sameer Dossani – Demand Dignity Campaign Director, Amnesty International
Barbara Ehrenreich – Feminist, sociologist, and political activist, and author of nearly 20 books including Nickled and Dimed
Congressman John Conyers
Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Congressman Eric Massa
Congressman Anthony Weiner
Senator Bernie Sanders
Jonathan Tasini – Candidate for US Senate Seat New York State
Medea Benjamin – Cofounder of Code Pink and Global Exchange
Tim Carpenter – Progressive Democrats of America, Executive Director
Donna Smith – Community Activist and Legislative Advocate, California Nurses Association, whose story of financial bankruptcy was featured in Michael Moore’s film, “SiCKO.”
Nadina LaSpina – Disabled in Action
Dr Ogan Gurel – Walked 700 miles from Chicago to DC for healthcare reform gathering stories along the way.
More Information
Celebrate Medicare’s 44th Birthday by showing Congress and President Obama the people, unions, doctors, nurses, seniors, faith groups, and Americans of every stripe support a single-payer system.
As President Obama says, “We must build on what works and leave out what doesn’t.” Medicare has
successfully provided care to seniors and people with disabilities for almost half a century. Medicare is a truly American-made system that other health care systems around the world have since been modeled after. With little over 3% administrative overhead, we must look to this American solution to our health care crisis.
The best way to save this system is to expand it and make it a truly single-payer system by removing the for-profit interests.
Polls consistently show that the public supports a Medicare for All system, and 59% of physicians support it. In the face of inadequate reform to our health care system, we want Congress to make sure our voice is heard.
The Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care is launching a rally and lobby day on Thursday, July 30th in Washington DC with concurrent actions around the country to bring this message to Washington DC and the Congress.
The Rally and Lobby Day in DC are currently being planned and logistics will be announced soon.
We urge you and your organization to help support this important action in any of the following ways:
1) Cosponsor the event in DC by providing a donation to the effort or providing buses and/or accommodations for your members or supporters to join us for the day. Please complete the cosponsorship form below.
2) Provide a speaker for the rally planned in Washington DC.
3) Personally deliver a message to your Members of Congress on July 30th in DC and/or in the home district of your Representatives that you support expanding and improving Medicare for All.
4) Join the planning committee of this event to add support to the many things that must be done in preparation.
5) Donate to help fund the rally. Send checks to California Nurses Association National Nurses Organizing Committee, National Nurses Organizing Committee 888 16th St NW Suite 640 Washington, DC 20006, memo: July 30th
We look forward to hearing from you soon about how you would like to get involved!
Cosponsorship Form
cforms contact form by delicious:days
Send checks to California Nurses Association National Nurses Organizing Committee, National Nurses Organizing Committee 888 16th St NW Suite 640 Washington, DC 20006 memo: July 30th
Cosponsors
Public Citizen
Physicians for a National Health Program
Women’s Liberation Task Force for National Health Care
Gray Panthers – DC
California Nurses Association
Western PA Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare
Cortland Ciizens for Progressive Reform
Progressive Democrats of America
Hunger Action Network of NYS
General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church
Orange County Health Care for All
American Medical Student Association
Amnesty International
Barbara Ehrenreich
Jonathan Tasini
Network of Spiritual Progressives
Single Payer NOW
Healthcare-NOW!
Utah Jobs with Justice
Progressive Democrats of America – Virginia
Gray Panthers
Gray Panthers – MI
Virginia for Guaranteed Health Care
Health Care for All Philadelphia
Single Payer New York
National Economic and Social Rights Initiative
PDA – Ohio
PDA – Washington
Action Center for Action
Hoosiers for a Common Sense Health Plan
NJ One Plan One Nation
Eastern Panhandle Single-Payer Action Network
Upper Potomac Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program
Politics for a Human Community
Generations for Peace and Democracy
Iowans for Healthcare for All
Des Moines Catholic Worker
Back Home Again
Kentuckians for Single-Payer
Private Health Insurance Must Go!
Artists for Guaranteed Health Care
Labor Campaign for Single Payer
Western Mass Single Payer Coalition
Healthcare-NOW! North NJ
ACT UP New York
Mass-Care
DC Metro Council AFL-CIO
National Women’s Liberation
Disabled in Action NY
All Unions Committee for Single Payer Health Care–HR 676
Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals
Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community
