Between 2,500 and 3,000 people gathered for a very spirited "Heathcare-Yes, Insurance Companies-NO" rally outside the Moscone convention center in San Francisco at 12 noon Thursday, June 19. The largest contingents came from the CSEA-California School Employees Association and California Nurses Association unions and the California Universal Health Care Organizing Project. Many other labor, community and political organizations mobilized significant contingents including the American Federation of Teachers, Lo. 2121, Senior Action Network, Gray Panthers, Calif. Alliance for Retired Americans, ANSWER-Act Now to Stop War & End Racism-Coalition, United Educators of San Francisco, Cindy Sheehan for Congress Campaign, Iraq Moratorium, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Gloria La Riva, PSL Presidential candidate, and Nathalie Hrizi, 12th Congressional District candidate of the PSL and Peace and Freedom Party distributed hundreds of flyers supporting free quality health care for all and calling for the insurance companies to be abolished.

Inside the center, insurance executives and their political mouthpieces were attending the convention of the American Health Insurance Association. In order to enter, many of the attendees had to pass by hundreds of workers chanting, "Shame, Shame, Shame."

Many of the rally speakers testified about having been denied health care by insurers when suffering life-threatening diseases. Others spoke of family members who had died after denial of benefits.

The main theme of the rally was the need for a universal health care system. The rally featured Sen. Sheila Kuehl and included protestors from the groups Physicians for a National Health Program, California Alliance for Retired Americans, California Nurses Association, Senior Action Network and California Universal Health Care Organizing Project.


for more information on universal healthcare check out these sites:

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

- California Nurses Association/ http://www.calnurses.org

- California School Employees Association/ http://www.csea.com

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

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

- Senior Action Network/ http://www.sfsan.org

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

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