Medicare: Made in America – DC Lobby Day and Rally
July, 30th, 2009, Washington, DC
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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
