Advocates of a nationalized healthcare plan, fed up with the exclusion of single-payer medical care from the debate to fix the nation's health system, are demonstrating in over 50 U.S. cities during the last week of May and first week of June. In San Francisco, more than 200 healthcare advocates rallied in front of San Francisco's Federal Building on May 29th. They lined up to enter Representative Nancy Pelosi's office, finally causing one of her staff members to come down and hear the group's concerns.

In a single-payer system the federal government would pay for medical care delivered by public and private health professionals but medical bills would go directly to a government insurance plan and private insurance companies that make huge profits would be out of the picture. During Friday's demonstration single-payer proponents pointed out that cost-savings, efficiency and better delivery of care would result.

Activists protested the fact that health insurance and pharmaceutical industries have waged a huge lobbying effort to keep insurance companies involved in any healthcare reform. They called upon Pelosi to step up to the plate and co-sponsor a bill for single-payer for the nation, House Resolution 676. Pelosi has said that "single-payer is not on the table."

Video | Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 Healthcare-NOW!