Health Care For America Now

More than 5,000 People Protested Insurance Companies in DC on Tuesday; 24 Survivors of Insurance Abuse Met Members of Congress on Wednesday; Now Majority Leader Reid and Senators Durbin, Schumer, and Murray to Welcome Young Advocate Marcelas Owens – Age 11 – to Capitol Hill

***See photos of Tuesday’s protest: www.CitizensPosse.com***

Washington, DC – On Thursday March 11th at 12:15pm in SVC-202/203 at the Capitol’s Visitor Center, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will hold a press conference with 11-year-old Marcelas Owens – a self-proclaimed “health care advocate” from Seattle, Washington.

Marcelas, who just turned 11 today, lost his mother, Tiffany, in 2007. She was too sick to work, lost her job as manager of a fast food restaurant, and lost her health insurance. Tiffany died of pulmonary hypertension at the age of 27. Marcelas and his grandmother, Gina Owens, 52, have come to Washington to fight for health care reform. Their story of loss was cited by Senator Murray at President Obama’s Health Insurance Summit last month, and Marcelas has been in Washington, DC all week protesting the insurance companies and meeting with lawmakers to urge them to pass health care reform legislation.

Earlier today, Marcelas and his grandmother joined 23 other survivors of health insurance industry abuse as they held a forum in Rayburn 2237 with Members of Congress to tell their stories and emphasize the need for comprehensive health care reform now. The Congressional Forum was moderated by Wendell Potter – a former CIGNA health insurance executive who has been speaking out against the industry and its devious policies and practices that are designed to maximize profits and minimize expenditures on health care.

Members of Congress who attend the forum included Chris Van Hollen (D-8th MD), Keith Ellison (D-5th MN), Jan Schakowsky (D-9th IL), John Conyers (D-14th MI), Jim McDermott (D-7th WA), Maxine Waters (D-35 CA), Anthony Weiner (D-9 NY), and John Sarbanes (D-3rd MD). Members unable to attend but scheduled to meet constituent survivors throughout the day today include Adam Schiff (D- 29th CA), Charlie Wilson (D- 6th OH), Mark Kirk (R- 10th IL), Joe Pitts (R-16th PA), Edolphus Towns (D-10th NY), Heath Shuler (D-11th NC), James Oberstar (D- 8th MN) Earl Blumenauer (D-3 OR), and Ron Klein (D- 22FL).

Following the forum, approximately 50 advocates and insurance abuse survivors went to Republican Whip Eric Cantor’s office to tell their stories and express their frustration with his and his Republican colleagues’ lack of support for real health care reform. Unfortunately, the Congressman was not present at the time.

On Tuesday, more than 5,000 people fed up with skyrocketing premiums and health insurers spending tens of millions of dollars to kill or manipulate reform joined Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest heath care campaign – in a large-scale protest outside the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC. The hotel was host to America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) – the health insurance lobbying group – and its annual policy conference. The crowd marched to the hotel and participated in a large-scale action designed to hold the greedy and abusive health insurance industry accountable for its actions.

More than 50 major labor, organizational, and religious leaders teamed up with the 24 survivors of health insurance industry abuse to lead the crowd in protest. USAction President William McNary deputized the crowd to make a mass “citizens’ arrest” of the insurance executives inside the Ritz – the men and women who are profiting by denying people’s health care needs. Supporters unable to travel to DC in person were able to get deputized online by Foo Fighters’ lead guitarist Chris Shiflett and then take action via virtual protest at http://www.CitizensPosse.com.

Insurance Abuse Survivors who participated in Wednesday’s forum included:

KELLY ARELLANES, 50, Little Rock, ARKANSAS (horseback-riding accident, coma for three weeks)
KAMI BODILY, 45, Seattle, WASHINGTON (too sick with lupus to work, bankruptcy)
LESLIE BOYD, 57, Asheville, NORTH CAROLINA (lost uninsured son to colon cancer)
SUSAN BRAIG, 60, Altadena, CALIFORNIA (catastrophic insurance wouldn’t cover breast cancer)
KATIE BRENNAN, 42, Pequot Lakes, MINNESOTA (premiums and deductibles busting family budget)
DESNI CROCK, 36, Marietta, OHIO (costly to out of network care for her toddler, Bridget)
KELLY CUVAR, 30, Brooklyn, NEW YORK (fighting cancer & financial stress)
BOB FINKELSTEIN, 42, Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA (MS medicine costs $2,900 a month)
ARNOLD GEE, 52, Shippensburg, PENNSYLVANIA (uninsured Republican with chronic renal disease)
PASTOR JANET GOODMAN-BANKS, 53, Lincoln, NEBRASKA (costly breast cancer coverage)
CHRISTINE GREWELL, 55, Silver Spring, MARYLAND (pays more for insurance than the mortgage)
MARCUS GRIMES, 38, Woodbridge, VIRGINIA (went blind for lack of health insurance)
REGINA HOLLIDAY, 38, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (husband died after delayed kidney cancer diagnosis)
JOANNE JOHNSON, 61, Blythewood, SOUTH CAROLINA (lost two brothers after health care problems)
MATT MASTERSON, 40, Virginia Beach, VIRGINIA (family lost everything after insurance denials)
REV. KEITH MAYES, 47, Columbia, TENNESSEE (insurance denials caused $175,000 in medical debt)
HEATHER MROZ, 24, Coconut Creek, FLORIDA (insurance canceled while pregnant with twins)
MARCELES OWENS, 10, Seattle, WASHINGTON (lost his uninsured mother to high blood pressure)
BOB PARKER, 54, St. Paul, MINNESOTA (niece died after delayed diagnosis of adrenal cancer)
STACIE RITTER, 36, Lancaster, PENNSYLVANIA (insurer denied twins’ post-cancer treatment)
DAN SHERRY, 52, Waukegan, ILLINOIS (denied coverage because of high cholesterol)
MARY WALLACE, 59, Gold Hill, OREGON (bankrupted by health care costs)
HATTIE WILKINS, 59, Youngstown, OHIO (lost job/health insurance & has pre-existing condition)
ALAYA WYNDHAM-PRICE, 28, Portland, OREGON (lost insurance, no treatment for skull tumor)

Read details of survivors’ stories here.

Labor, Organizational, and Religious Leaders who participated in various events on Tuesday included:
 
 Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron, Center for Community Change Executive Director Deepak Bhargava, USAction Executive Director and HCAN Co-Chair Jeff Blum, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund Executive Director Rea Carey, Institute for Policy Studies Director JOHN CAVANAGH, pediatrician and owner of Son Light Pediatrics in Willingboro New Jersey and Main Street Alliance board member Odette Cohen, owner of Melanie's Child Care in Falmouth Maine and Main Street Alliance Board Member Melanie Collins, Working Families Win State Director Jaime Contois, Governor Howard Dean, Democracy for America Chair Jim Dean, Jeffrey Dekro of The Shalom Center, Jim Dickson of Capital Area ADAPT, Progressive Maryland Executive Director Sean Dobson, Common Cause President and CEO and Former Member of Congress Reverend Bob Edgar, Best-Selling Author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch Barbara Ehrenreich,  America Votes President* and former Colorado State Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, Reverend Cliff Frasier of the SEIU Healthcare Reform Campaign,  Ken Grossinger, National Jobs with Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta, SEIU Executive Vice President Mary Kay Henry,  Campaign for America's Future Co-Director Roger Hickey,  People for the American Way President Michael Keegan, CREDO Mobile CEO Michael Kieschnick, HCAN National Campaign Manager Richard Kirsch, SEIU Healthcare Committee on Interns and Residents President Dr. Toni Lewis, United States Students Association Vice President Lindsay McCluskey, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, USAction President William McNary,  Brave New Films Executive Director Jim Miller, Public Campaign President and CEO* Nick Nyhart, Temple Sinai Rabbi Jessica Oleon, St. James United Church of Christ Reverend Don Prange,  MoveOn.org Executive Director Justin Ruben, Coalition of Labor Union Women President Karen See,  owner of an engraving business in Waukegan Illinois and Main Street Alliance board member Dan Sherry, Rabbi David Shneyer of the OHALAH Rabbinic Association, United Church of Christ Reverend Ron Stief, North Carolinians for Affordable Health Care Director Chuck Stone, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Community Catalyst, Inc. President Katherine S. Villers, GrainPro Inc. CEO and Families USA Foundation President* Philippe Villers, Croton United Methodist Church Reverend Dr. Ronald Wanless, The Shalom Center Director Rabbi Arthur Waskow, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Coalition on Human Needs Executive Director Deborah Weinstein, Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO President Joslyn Williams, and Americans for Democratic Action National Director Michael J. Wilson.

* indicates for identification purposes only