On March 21st, Congress approved legislation designed to extend health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and crack down on some insurance company abuses. For the first time ever, most Americans would be required to purchase insurance, and face penalties if they refused. Abortion rights activists expressed dismay that in order to secure votes from Blue Dog Democrats needed to pass the legislation, President Obama issued an executive order pledging that no federal funds would be used for elective abortion.

Members of Direct Action for Single Payer, who continue to push for a system where everyone in the US would receive comprehensive medical benefits under a government run organization, pointed out that the legislation falls far short of addressing some of the worst abuses of the insurance company industry. Just days before Congress passed its historic legislation, they protested inside the Embarcadero 2 building at Anthem Blue Cross offices in San Francisco, where they were joined by the satirical Billionaires for Wealthcare who counted bloody money and kissed a pet blue dog. The San Francisco Police Department was summoned to the scene when the protest ran into its second hour. There were no arrests.

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Act for Single Payer | Billionaires for Wealthcare