This morning the New York Times is reporting in an article entitled Insurers Push Plans Limiting Patient Choice of Doctors, that insurers are going to offer cheaper plans which will dramatically reduce our ability to see the doctor or use the hospital of our choosing.
Most of us who are privileged to still be insured already cope with restricted choice from being enrolled in a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), with huge deductibles and out-of-pocket costs if we go outside the network of physicians and hospitals. I gather from reading the Times, that in an effort to control costs, we are facing even more punishing restrictions.
So, how much worse is your insurance going to get? Apparently a lot worse.
This is not what Obama promised or campaigned on. Remember, "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor"? Well what he didn't say, sure you can keep your doctor, if you can pay for your doctor.
Now even public sector employees are seeing deterioration in their health insurance coverage.
As a citizen of the richest country on the planet, healthcare for all Americans must be a right not a privilege. The Patient protection and Affordable Care Act, is a tiny, tiny first step. It is woefully inadequate, but its passage is indeed better than nothing. We should be thankful that we have one toe in the door, change is not easy, the fight goes on.
To make this statement should not tar someone as a traitor, a bad or evil person, a disloyal Democrat or a thorn in the side of our president. This is an opinion shared by millions of Americans who voted for and dreamed of real reform.
I can only speak for my own history, but I have no doubt that millions of Americans though wearied by rhetoric taking a back seat to reality, will hit the trail just as I have, and fight for good Democrats come November. Take a look at LaFeminista's terrific diary.
What follows is a brief summary of the fights in which I have participated. They include some of the most memorable moments of my life working side by side with great healthcare heroes fighting the civil rights battle of our generation, fighting for single payer healthcare and fighting for the election of Barack Obama.
Most of us (and I include myself), will continue to energetically fight to re-elect Barack Obama in 2012.
But we also need to be mindful that the fight to make healthcare a right in the United States has barely begun. And we will never stop speaking out.
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Lots and lots and lots of photos and videos.
A walk, if you will, down memory lane.
JUNE 2008 SAN FRANCISCO - FIGHTING AHIP AT THEIR ANNUAL MEETING
On June 19th, 2008 tens of thousands rallied outside the Moscone Center in San Franciso as AHIP held its annual meeting. At about 29 seconds (if you care), that's me with Hilda Sarkisyan who lost her beloved daughter Nataline when Cigna denied her a liver transplant.
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KOSSACKS FIGHT THE FOR-PROFIT INSURANCE INDUSTRY
DECEMBER 2007 - NATALINE SARKISYAN TRAGEDY - KOSSACKS TAKE OVER, AND WE WIN
MARCH 2008 - NICK COLOMBO, ANOTHER CANCER PATIENT - DENIED TREATMENT BY PACIFICARE
Some of you newer Kossacks may not know that in December of 2007, due to the efforts of the Armenian community and a huge outpouring of support from Daily Kos, we were able to get CIGNA to reverse its decision, but by then it was too late and Nataline died.
Kossacks, God bless every one of you, stood up a second time in March of 2008 for Nick Colombo, another cancer patient being denied a life saving treatment, this time by Pacificare. Due to to Kossacks mobilizing, Pacificare caved.
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SEPTEMBER 2008 - SAN FRANCISCO - FIGHTING FOR SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE - SUPPORTING THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET
In September 2008, I was back in San Francisco with the California Nurses, as they moved into high gear for the election of Obama and to continue the fight for single payer healthcare.
This time we marched across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The last night of the three day event concluded with these delicious Obama cakes! Union people were, and I believe continue to be, Obama supporters. Though of course I don't speak for them, they will not be silent, nor should they, about the myriad shortcomings of the administration.
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OCTOBER 2008 - VOTER EDUCATION IN CRITICAL NORTHEAST SWING STATES
In late October 2008, a couple of weeks before the election, I hit the road again with the California Nurses. This time on a healthcare voter education campaign to several critical Northeast swing states--Ohio, Pennsylvania and somewhere else but it escapes me for the moment.
I met up with the CNA group in Cleveland Ohio. Here we are before dawn on our first day fired up, ready to go, with such a spring in our walk getting instructions.
CLEVELAND
You should all note that right from the get go, Obama was only getting a grade of "B" or at best "B+" on his healthcare plan. But in those days, candidate Obama was campaigning on a public option, which everyone agreed was a minimum essential ingredient for any serious overhaul of our collapsed healthcare system. Without a public option there would be little or no cost control and no competition for the private insurance industry.
KENT, OHIO
We headed to Kent Ohio and a rally for healthcare that was attended by Congressman John Conyers. Conyers was at the local Democratic Party headquarters helping stoke up the troops for the 10-day push to election day 2008. The nurses were making their way from Cleveland to Youngstown to educate citizens about the Obama and McCain healthcare report card,. Mccain received straight F's, Obama got B's.
Here I am saying hello to a great hero of mine, John Conyers.
AKRON OHIO
On October 24th 2008 we headed to a rally and voter education event on healthcare in Akron. The day ended at a rally at Buchtel High School a largely African American high school.
We pulled up in our voter education bus and we all grabbed a bunch of healthcare report cards and made our way inside. That's our bus off on the right.
Michelle was a last minute stand in, you may remember right at the tail end of the campaign, Obama's grandmother became very ill and he left the campaign trail to visit her in Hawaii
I was in tears watching the awestruck students. The excitement as I stood in the sweltering gym with young African Americans watching dazzled at the woman who days later would become our first African American first lady.
This photo I took of the band in their full dress regalia was among the most memorable of the days I spent on the 2008 campaign trail.
And here they are proudly displaying our healthcare report card.
PITTSBURGH
The nurses arrive in Pittsburgh.
The nurses were excited to hand out healthcare report cards to thousands waiting in line at Mellon Arena for the chance to listen Presidential candidate Barack Obama on the evening of October 28th, 2008.
That's me outside the Mellon Arena getting ready to scream myself hoarse.
It was all about voter education on healthcare. Here a nurse distributes a healthcare report card before the campaign event.
Nurses made their way up and down the lines educating folks that while they grade Obama's healthcare plan as far better than his opponent's, there is still is a big difference between Obama's proposal and what the American people deserve. Here they are getting final instruction before heading to the line at the Mellon Center in Pittsburgh.
And then, what we were all waiting for. I hope you got to attend at least one 2008 campaign rally, it was breathtaking.
We were within touching distance. We were dazzled, we were on the brink of making history.
That smile, he just knew things were gonna be great on election night. And he was correct.
Pittsburgh is the home of the United Steelworkers. Here's one happy steelworker.
PHILADELPHIA - CIGNA HEADQUARTERS WITH THE PARENTS OF NATALINE SARKISYAN
And the last day of the tour for me ended in Philadelphia. We went to CIGNA headquarters with Hilda and Grigor Sarkisyan, the parents of Nataline. We were met by burly CIGNA security guards, jeers and hisses from the CIGNA employees gathered in the atrium of the building. It was horrifying and revolting. CIGNA remains at the heart of our "reformed" healthcare system.
This is a photo of Hilda Sarkisyan pleading with a CIGNA security guard.
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JULY AND AUGUST 2009
And just a year ago, I was in Washington fighting with Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake,progressives and millions of Americans to get a public option as part of healthcare reform. Sadly, we didn't get a much needed public option, but we will continue the fight. We will not stop simply because we have the PPACA. It's simply not enough.
On July 8th, Jane and I were invited by Chairman John Conyers to give a healthcare briefing to Congressional staff, and who would have guessed, a bunch of Congresspeople also showed up. Here's a transcript of what I said.
Here Jane and I talk with an insurance industry lobbyist on Capitol Hill.
And it was during these days, Summer 2009, that I started to attend town hall meetings and urge wavering Congresspeople to support the public option.
Here's a brief discussion with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Sadly, our dreams for a public option to compete with the private insurance industry didn't make it into the legislation.
As Congresswoman Clarke says right on this You Tube, "there is no healthcare reform without a robust public option".
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And in February, 2009, despite grave misgivings about the final configuration of the health insurance bill, I organized a campaign which we called 1,000,000 Voices for Healthcare Reform.
It began right here on Daily Kos and grew and grew. We have been accused of trying to kill the bill, quite the contrary, as loyal Democrats we fought to get a deeply flawed bill passed, recognizing that it was a very small first step.
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WE MUST NOT BE SILENT AND WE WON'T
THE FREE HEALTH CLINICS CHANGED MY VIEW OF EVERYTHING
In 2009, I started attending and writing about the Free health Clinics. Being at these events and speaking to the people who rely on the free clinics for long overdue healthcare, changed my view of everything.
It is simply wrong that only one member of Congress has said she will attend the August 4th Free Clinic.
KANSAS CITY
LITTLE ROCK
HARTFORD
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There's another free clinic scheduled forNew Orleans on August 31st and September 1st if finances permit, I will try to go this this one as well.
I will be in Washington DC on August 4th to tell the stories of Americans who cannot access healthcare and rely on the Free Clinics Association to provide them with something--anything.
I will of course let you about any politicians who decide to show up.
If you want help us with a small donation,to tell the stories of Americans who get healthcare at free clinics, and the politicians who probably will not attend, we're immensely grateful to you.
The funds donated to the Progressive Congress Action Fund, a 501(C)4 not for profit, will be used to advocate on behalf of the progressive agenda, to advance progressive legislation, and may include payments to individuals engaged in fund raising.