It’s Our Healthcare!

It’s Our Healthcare!
By Mike Rhodes

The It’s Our Healthcare campaign rolled into town today, with about 200 people rallying at Fresno City Hall. Speakers at the rally included Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation who said “healthcare is a fundamental need, yet health insurance has become a luxury in California. Three-quarters of the more than six million Californians that go without health insurance every year are from working families.”

The event included moving testimony from several people effected by the health care crisis. Victoria Roberts was one of these speakers. When Roberts’ nine year old son was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago, she expected to face challenges - but being forced to sell her home to cover his medical bills was not one of them. Roberts, a stay at home mother, and her husband quickly fell into debt when their son’s medical bills exceeded $400 a month above and beyond their monthly health insurance premiums and related expenses. The family earned slightly more than was acceptable to qualify for the State’s Healthy Families health insurance program , and had to reapply three times before being accepted into the program. The Roberts family still owes more than $15,000 on medical bills that accumulated before joining Healthy Families.

Other speakers at today’s rally included Fresno City Council member Cynthia Sterling, Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings Central Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Randy Gahn, Rev. Paul Werfelmann of Hope Lutheran Church, Fresno residents Connie Lara and Alfred Romero who each shared a personal story about healthcare challenges.

This was the fourth stop in a statewide tour for the It’s Our Healthcare! “Road to Reform” tour. The goal of the campaign is to:

* Bring healthcare costs back under control and regulate the insurance industry
* Ensure that affordable health insurance coverage is available for all Californians
* Limit individual contributions so that families are not required to buy insurance that they cannot afford, cannot use, or cannot get
* Require a meaningful employer contribution

Last week the Fresno City Council passed a resolution in support of health insurance for all Californians. Ghan said Fresno was the first city in the state to pass this resolution.

City Council member Sterling said “our community will benefit when all residents have the opportunity to benefit from preventive healthcare. We have an ethical obligation as a society to ensure that everyone who lives in California has access to reasonably affordable, quality healthcare.”

It’s Our Healthcare! is a coalition of organizations representing more than 9 million Californians, including AARP, ACORN, California Labor Federation, Consumers Union, Health Access California, CALPIRG, National Council of La Raza, Service Employees International Union and the Congress of California Seniors. For more information see: http://www.itsOURhealthcare.org .

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