“Protect our Health, Not Their Wealth” Rally in Albany
Wednesday, March 20 – 60 people rallied in front of Albany Medical Center under the banner, “Protect OUR Health, Not THEIR Wealth.” Speakers and protesters called for “No Grand Bargain” – Hands off Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid,” “Scrap the Cap on Social Security,” “Oppose Privatization of our Public Hospitals and Nursing Homes,” and “Single Payer, Improved Medicare for All.”
A broad coalition representing nurses, physicians, medical students, labor unions, senior citizens, faith groups, grassroots organizations, and Occupy Albany – the driving force behind the event, joined the rally.
Sponsoring organizations:
New York State Nurses Association
Public Employees Federation
Physicians for a National Health Program – Student Chapter
Single Payer NY
Capital District .Area Labor Federation
Albany Central Federation of Labor
The Labor Religion Coalition
Capital District Alliance for Universal Healthcare
Statewide Senior Action
Citizen Action
MoveOn
Occupy Albany
Additional participating unions: AFGE, SEIU, NALC
Single Payer would be true Healthcare, not “disease control” and only take approximately 5% in administrative costs instead of the 27% the current system is wasting. All the other industrialized nations have a form of Single Payer or Universal care. Winston Churchill summed it up well when he said; “America always does the right thing, after they’ve tried everything else”.
Another thing S/P will stop is people looking to marry just to obtain medical benefits; http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/enews/cv/enews-20130215.html “The medical benefits he could provide were far too tempting for her to resist. She simply lied to Brandon and went through with the wedding knowing she was laying the burden of supporting her lover’s child on Brandon.”