From Senior Action Network

June 16, 2008

Who: A Coalition of health care reform activists

What: Rally at the AHIP Convention

Where: 4th and Howard Street, Moscone West

When: Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 12:00PM

Why: The June 19 rally will be the first organized mass expression of popular demand for high-quality, affordable health care directed by patients and doctors, not insurance profiteers.

The June 19 demonstration will be a part of a national day of protest in which citizens and activists in a number of US cities will speak out against our broken health care system and demand its repair, in the form of a universal, doctor- and patient-directed health care system. They are supporting key items of legislation that would implement such a system: SB 840, the California Universal Healthcare Act, authored by California State Senator Sheila Kuehl, in California; and HR 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act, authored by Rep. John Conyers, on the national level.

The AHIP Convention, taking place at Moscone Center from June 18th to 20th, will host private health insurance executives talking about “Insurance Reform”. On the second day of their conference, representatives of the many organizations that have joined to plan and promote the demonstration will show up to give the health insurance industry a rousing Bay Area “un-welcome”.

Despite the serious nature of the day’s message, the rally will be a festive and lively event. It will include a New Orleans-style funeral wake with a traditional jazz band, symbolizing the thousands of deaths caused by the greed and callousness of the health insurance industry. In addition to Sen. Sheila Kuehl, who will act as MC for the rally, scheduled speakers include San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano; representatives from other local, state and national organizations; and Hilda Sarkisyan, the mother of a California woman who died after being denied health care by her insurer.

The June 19 event is supported by a coalition of organizations including:

- California Alliance for Retired Americans/ www.californiaalliance.org

- California Nurses Association/ www.calnurses.org

- California School Employees Association/ www.csea.com

- California Universal Health Care Organizing Project/ www.singlepayernow.net

- Gray Panthers of San Francisco/ www.graypantherssf.igc.org

- Senior Action Network/ www.sfsan.org

- United Educators of San Francisco/ www.uesf.org