Previous action at United Health Group offices in NYC (Above)
At least three doctors will be risking arrest in civil disobedience actions during Mobilization for Healthcare for All's third wave of actions this week, which are being held to demand an end to insurance abuse and to demand real health care reform for all.
Ken Weinberg, who will be risking arrest at the Wellpoint Offices in New York City, says it dawned on him that this is a moral issue, he needs to be out there, and he is risking arrest because he doesn't know what else to do.
"I've met with my senators and congressman and nothing works, says Weinberg. "I think what really pushed me over was the new study that came out from Harvard that showed that 45,000 people die each year because they don't have health insurance and that to me is criminal.
Weinberg adds, "Our elected representatives are so in the pockets of the insurance companies that they're not doing anything. They're not responsive to the American people. So, this is a wake up call to them as well. "
Matt Hendrickson, who will be risking arrest at the Cigna Offices in Glendale near downtown Los Angeles, says he's "inspired by the people that have already gotten arrested in the last three weeks.
"They're just as angry as I am by how the private insurance industry is ruining our healthcare system, says Hendrickson.
Additionally, Hendrickson cites the fact that 50 percent of his patients either have no insurance or they are underinsured, being a self-employed doctor whose premiums are going up 15% a year, and previous human rights movements (civil rights, anti-war, self-determination, etc) as reasons for being willing to risk arrest.
Margaret Flowers, who will be risking arrest at Carefirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Baltimore, Maryland on Thursday, explains that as the Senate Finance Committee hearing started hearings on health care single-payer advocates were excluded. This really showed Flowers that America's democratic process was not in tact and functioning.
She explains at the first meeting "there were 41 people that testified. They had AHIP, Pharma, and Big Business but nobody was there "that really represented the health providers and the patient's point of view." And, there definitely was no person advocating for a national health care program.
So, at the second Finance Committee hearing on May 5th, she and other single payer advocates showed up at the hearing to ask why their voices weren't being included in the debate.
Since the spring, there has been an effort to discount and outright ignore the single-payer action movement that has been carrying out several campaigns to push back against anti-health care reform agendas and improve any reform that may funnel or divert money into the hands of insurance companies for profits instead of patient care.
Despite snubs from Democrats and Obama, the single-payer action movement has momentum and is why the public option is being considered.
"The reason why the public option was introduced, according to congress people that have spoken to the single-payer movement, was because of the single-payer movement, says Hendrickson. "There was such an upswell [by progressives] for single-payer that [leaders] opted for some compromise that would not have been given if there wasn't so much support for single-payer.
So, why are progressives settling for incremental change? Why are they settling for a public option that has proven to be a failure in states like Tennessee, Oregon, and Massachusetts?
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