September 26, St. Louis, MO

Missourians Organized for Single-Payer event

Remembering those who have died because of insurance company denials. Vigils will be held around the city and county. Look for more information to come or contact Julia Lamborn at julia0409@aol.com.

September 27, San Antonio, TX

Join us September 27, 2008, 10am in Milam Park and help us raise public awareness of the system that kills 7 Texans every day.

San Antonio Healthcare-Now Coalition is staging a Die-In in Milam Park to honor the 22,000 Americans who are estimated to die annually simply because they lack health insurance. (The Urban Institute, 2006 ). As reported by The Houston Chronicle, Texas leads the nation in uninsured individuals – 29.8 %.

Gail Beagle, former congressional aide to our late, legendary Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez, will speak about her friend, Bonnie Terry, who died of cancer last year after losing her job and health insurance. Rev. Bryant Livingston will help us honor these victims of an indifferent government and a ruthless insurance industry. Event participants are encouraged to share their own healthcare horror stories.

For more information go to www.healthcarenowsa.org.

October 1st-November 10th

Election Organizing, Media, Bird Dogging the Candidates, Getting out the Vote

More information to come.

October 4, Houston, TX

Houston, Texas progressives are organizing a rally for healthcare reform

Saturday October 4th, 4pm- 6:00pm, 2008
Houston City Hall (reflection pond side)

This Rally is the same Saturday as (Komen) Race for the Cure, which brings over 20,000 folks downtown.

For more information, contact Cathy C. Courtney at ckorrf@earthlink.net or call 713-661-4678.

Download: Flyer (PDF).

October 6, Nashville, TN

Healthcare Rally and Alternative Debate

Rally will be held from 4-7pm at Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville.

Alternative Debate will be held from 7-9pm at Vanderbilt University, Wilson Hall Room 103.

For more information, contact Debby Hester at debphoenix@bellsouth.net.

November 10th, New York, NY

Poets for Healthcare: A Benefit

8pm at The Poetry Project at St. Marks Church
131 E. 10th St., NYC
info@poetryproject.com / 212-674-0910
$8 general admission

There is a growing movement across the U.S. to support a single-payer, national health care system that would provide health care for all. Currently, over 47 million Americans are without health insurance and another 50 million are under-insured. More than 18,000 people die every year because they have no medical insurance. Since we know that so many poets have difficulty finding affordable, quality health care, the Poetry Project is pleased to host this benefit for two of the leading health-care activist groups based in New York City: Healthcare-NOW (www.healthcare-now.org), and the Private Health Insurance Must Go Coalition (www.phimg.org). Featured poets, performers, and speakers include: David Amram, Vinie Burroughs, Andy Clausen, Suheir Hammad, David Henderson, Bob Holman, Eliot Katz, Rachel Levitsky, Akilah Oliver, Reno, Katie Robbins, Ajamu Sankofa, Stacy Szymaszek, Steven Taylor, Rodrigo Toscano, and Anne Waldman.

November 15th and 16th, Healthcare-NOW National Strategy Conference

Plan our work for 2009, getting the new Congress and the President to move quickly to establish a quality guaranteed single payer healthcare system for all.

November 20, St. Louis, MO

Missourians Organized for Single-Payer event

MoSP Annual Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the Ethical Society.

Contact Julia Lamborn at julia0409@aol.com.

 May-December, 2008 -- EVERYBODY !

* February through June Everybody!  Local Truth Hearings,   Road Shows in your state, SiCKO showings, Conferences in Boston, Oakland, and Minneapolis.   Meetings and Truth Hearings with Members of Congress and their progressive opponents in every district.  Ask them to sign our pledge to endorse and work to hold hearings for H.R. 676.  Build coalitions everywhere, travel on a road show, write letters to the editor, visit your editorial board, plan memorials for those who have died because of insurance company denials.  Organize City by City nationwide.   Call our office if you need information, materials, contacts, support in your area.  1-800-453-1305.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA TRUTH HEARING 

 May 15th Truth Hearing -- Oakland , California   How we can defeat the individual mandate nationwide-- the California Experience.   Healthcare as a Human Right.  Being organized by Ethel Long Scott and the Women's Economic Agenda Project in Oakland . Contact elscott@weap.org for details

NEW STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN

*June-December – Healthcare-NOW will be Training Organizers-- work together with state and local governments to help them understand the savings they will gain in their employee healthcare costs with H.R. 676.  Get endorsements and involve in the national campaign.  Contact Tom Knoche: Knocheberg@aol.com

INTERFAITH CONFERENCE  -- June 2-4, Cleveland 

MARCH IN SAN FRANCISCO AGAINST AHIP

June 19  March in San Francisco, Annual Meeting of the Insurance Industry (AHIP)  California Nurses Association   Contact: Michael Lighty, mlighty@calnurses.org or Don Bechler,    Local marches targeting major insurance company headquarters.  Contact: Katie at Healthcare-NOw to get details.  1-800-453-1305. 

MEDICARE BIRTHDAY EVENTS

July 30: MEDICARE BIRTHDAY --National Call in Day for improved and enhanced Medicare for All. Mail cards to Congress and tTake a birthday cake to your Congress Members' local office and a big birthday card with a lot of signatures from his/her district.  Cindy Calley from Indianapolis is organizing this campaign.  Watch this space for details or email  home@calleys.org

BIRDDOGGING DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

August (last week): Birddog and demonstrate outside the Democratic Convention in Denver …Bob Sisler as Contact?

LABOR DAY

September (first Monday)  March on Labor Day.  Healthcare contingents in front of marches everywhere.   (Do we need to do a more organized plan for this?)

BIRDDOGGING REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

September (first week) Demonstrate and birddog outside the Republican Convention in Minneapolis .  cherippehrc@hotmail.com

Initiative to organize the Northwest for H.R. 676:  All year.  (Britta ILWU leading)

NATIONAL MEMORIAL VIGIL, LINCOLN MEMORIAL

September 26:  National Memorial Vigil in Washington D.C. at the Lincoln Monument after the Congressional Black Caucus Weekend.  Local Vigils nationwide remembering those who have died as a result of insurance company denials and abuse. Donna Smith is leading this organizing effort.  Donna Smith, Contact: dssmith1119@hotmail.com

LOCAL GET-OUT-THE-VOTE

October 1st- November 10th: Election Organizing, Media, Bird Dogging, Get out the Vote.  Use all activities to promote H.R. 676.

NATIONAL STRATEGY CONFERENCE

November 15th and 16th – Healthcare-NOW National Strategy Conference – Plan our work for 2009, getting the new Congress and the President to move quickly to establish a national guaranteed single payer healthcare system for all.  info@healthcare-now.org

TAKING OUR CAMPAIGN TO WASHINGTON , D.C.

November – March 2009– Taking our state and local governments healthcare campaign to Washington .  Contact Tom Knoche or Marilyn Clement  knocheberg@aol.com or marilyncle@earthlink.net