Health Care for All

Hi all, I'm a little fired up right now, as I get periodically, and right now it's about health care. This status quo HAS GOT TO CHANGE! People are dying preventable deaths, or suffering long, slow humiliation, because they can't afford insurance, can't afford Dr. visits, treatments, medications, preventative screenings, etc.

Three action steps:

1. I recently received this communication from my great aunt, Nancy, who has been active in calling for Single Payer.

"Our House Democrat, Mike Thompson, District One - when asked about Single Payer answered:

"There is no public support for it." and "If 2,000 of you had been here to ask, I might have thought there was."

We are in the process of generating at least 2,000 letters to him From His District -Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Yolo.

ACTION STEP: IF YOU LIVE IN ANY OF THESE COUNTIES (I.E. IF MIKE IS YOUR REP), PLEASE SEND HIM A LETTER. I JUST DID IT, IT ONLY TOOK A MINUTE. Here's my letter below.


Dr. Representative Thompson,

I generally find I agree with your positions and votes as a legislator. Thank you for your ongoing service.

It recently came to my attention that you said there is no public support for a Single Payer system.

You are wrong. I support a Single Payer system, and nearly everyone I know in my community supports it, too. I hosted a Health Care for America public meeting here in Petrolia back in December. We are a small community and 8 people came, but ALL EIGHT OF THEM AGREED: Health care should be a right, not a privilege, and that the insurance companies are all ripping us off left and right. It is criminal that people are left to fend for themselves, and even if we are insured, we are one illness away from bankruptcy. Two of the participants at our meeting were health care providers, and they too agree that Single Payer is the way to go.

Frankly, anything short of that isn't going to do anything, but preserve the predatory practices of the insurance industry that doesn't give a damn about taking care of people and their health. Please support AT LEAST a public health insurance option, but if I had my druthers, I would suggest that you support ONLY A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM, PROVIDING HEALTH CARE ACCESS FOR ALL AMERICANS! We deserve it!

Thank you,
Amanda Malachesky
Petrolia, CA
Mother, Massage Therapist

2. Visit Barack Obama's Health Care Page and submit your own health care horror story about why we need health care reform:
http://stories.barackobama.com/healthcareOr just read the stories and bear witness to how messed up the whole thing is.

3. If you're really ambitious and are You Tube savvy, submit a video of yourself asking Barack Obama a question about health care. He might answer it on his online town hall meeting tomorrow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY7HccFXjZU

Thanks for reading this public service announcement. Now get out there and perform your civic duty!