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Sharon Kitchel-Perdue Attends Health Care Affordability Summit in Washington, DC

Sharon Kitchel-Perdue at the Health Care Affordability Summit in Washington, DC

January 15, 2010 -- Fifty 50 SEIU members from across the country – including our very own Sharon Kitchel-Perdue (right) - attended a Health Care Affordability Summit in Washington, DC this week, as part of a nation-wide day of action sponsored by SEIU and other grassroots, faith, labor, consumer and civil rights organizations.

Activists and leaders gathered on Capitol Hill to demonstrate solidarity on this critical issue and build support for common sense efforts to meld the best affordability provisions from the House and Senate bills into the final version.

Click here to see other photos from the event.

Click here for more details.


Take the Pledge - Make Health Care Reform a Reality

72 Hours is All We'll Get

Countdown for Health Reform

This month, folks in Washington are deciding how much you'll be spending on health care. The White House is working with Congressional leaders to hammer out the final health care bill, and what's in your wallet is on the line.

This is our last opportunity to improve this legislation. It's a window that will likely open and close over the course of 72 hours, and during that time, we must all take action. Click here to and pledge to do your part

We'll be fighting for the following improvements to the bill:
  • Make health care affordable
  • Hold insurers accountable for their practices
  • Don't finance reform on the backs of cash-strapped working families

We're monitoring progress on the health care bill, and will alert pledge-takers when we start the clock on 72 hours of SEIU member voices. You can expect it to happen sometime in the next 2-3 weeks. Pledge online today. This will be our last chance.


Seniors to Seniors - Informing Health Reform



Seniors to Seniors - Informing Health ReformWhen it comes to health care reform, it may seem like there are more questions than answers: Will my doctor still take Medicare? How will prescription drug coverage change? Is long-term care part of the proposal? And like any political hot topic, unbiased information is hard to find. This video provides a clear and concise overview of health reform and what it means for you.

As you watch, you’ll discover how health reform will:
  • Keep physicians in Medicare and stop payment cuts.
  • Improve long-term care choices.
  • Keep Medicare affordable and close the doughnut hole.

This video was produced by Seniors to Seniors - a coalition of senior citizen advocacy organizations (including SEIU) all committed to educating seniors about what the current health care reform legislation means for them once it is implemented. The coalition’s goal is to help filter through the clutter and the hype to educate seniors about how health care reform will help keep doctors in Medicare, stop physician payment cuts, improve long-term care choices, keep Medicare affordable, and close the prescription drug “doughnut hole.”


It's Time to Deliver

It's Time to DeliverWe've waited long enough.

Right now, everyone is paying for the cost of our broken health care system.

People with "pre-existing conditions" are being denied coverage by insurers.
 
Women are being charged 30-51% more than men for the same health insurance policies. Newborn babies are being denied coverage because they're "too fat" or "too small."

And a jaw-dropping 44,000 people a year are dying because they lack health insurance. How much longer will Americans need to wait before Congress acts?

Today, we're sending our message loud and clear - that it's time to deliver on health care.

SEIU members are joining with voters across the country in calling Congress today, October 20th. Our union has a vibrant presence in Washington, and we've been hard at work lobbying for this legislation, but we're powerless without the participation of our membership.

Make three calls (two Senators, one Representative), and tell your members of Congress you expect reform that:

  • Ends insurance company abuse;
  • Makes health care affordable for everyone;
  • Includes a strong public health insurance option;
  • Requires employers to pay their fair share;
  • Does not contain taxes or more costs to working families who are already paying more than their fair share into the system.

Call each of your members of Congress today. We can't let insurance companies dictate what happens in Congress, because when they win, we lose.


Andy Stern in Seattle: Health Care Reform on Track in Washington, DC

Andy Stern - Health Care Town Hall in Seattle
August 12, 2009 -- SEIU President Andy Stern hears personal, tragic health care stories everywhere he travels. He’s confident new stories will stop soon when Congress passes health care reform.

“We can’t afford to lose,” Stern said. “America can’t afford to lose the health care battle.”

Stern was in Seattle Tuesday touting health care reform, arguing that part of that reform must include a public option that creates competition and cuts cost.

In the health care reform battle, Stern praised Washington. The state’s two senators now say they support a public option.
 
“Calls make the difference,” Stern said. “Keep the pressure on them and don’t let them waiver.”

Members of SEIU Healthcare 775NW have been calling congress to express their support of health care reform over the past few months. In a recent nationwide SEIU calling campaign, Stern said Washington State members generated 25 percent of the total calls. Approximately 80% of those calls were made by 775NW members.

Send a Letter to the Editor on Health Care Reform

Send a Letter to the Editor Today!Congress is on vacation for August. One of the best ways to get their attention is to send a letter to the editor to your local newspaper.

Click here to send a letter to the editor on Health Care Reform

We've made it easy for you. There's a draft already set up. You just have to check your contact information and identify which papers you want to send it to. 

You'll be done in less than five minutes.

If you hear back from a newspaper and if they tell you the letter is going to be published, click here and let us know about the details.


Get the Facts on Health Care Reform - Join a Conference Call with Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Kathleen Sebelius - HHS SecretaryYou're invited to join Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this Friday, August 7th at 11:30am, for an exclusive 'myth-busting' conference call with SEIU members on health care reform.

RSVP for the call by clicking here.

Right now, opponents of health insurance reform are spreading lies, fabrications and blatant distortions to scare the American people.

The myths seem to multiply daily. You've probably heard them yourself, or fielded questions from concerned friends and family about whether health care reform would "kill Granny" or result in "rationed health care."

Can you join our Friday 11:30 pm call? RSVP here. You'll receive an email with all the information you need to join the call.

We won't win the debate unless we've got the facts. This Friday, you'll hear from the nation's top health care official - HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius - on what's really in the health care legislation before Congress, and what

"Now is the Time to Act" on Health Care Reform

Susie Young Issues 'Call to Action' at Health Care Event in SpokaneJuly 15, 2009 (Spokane) -- A diverse coalition of nearly 200 people seemed to agree at a forum that healthcare reform is needed, but it was the last speaker who stirred them with a call for action.

“Nothing has passed in this country without the voice of the American people,” said SEIU Healthcare 775NW member and home care worker Susie Young. “Now is the time to act.”

Young said that if healthcare reform is going to happen, people need to pick up the phone or write members of congress. They can even hit the streets to march for healthcare reform.

Her comments drew by far the most enthusiastic applause from participants in a www.DividedWeFail.org forum. The coalition is made of AARP, NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) and SEIU.

Video: Members Lobbying for Quality, Affordable Health Care in Washington, DC

On June 25, our union sent a delegation to Washington, DC to lobby for health care reform.

Watch them talk about their stories and why they believe we all deserve quality, affordable health care.


775NW Members in DC for Health Care Reform

775NW Members Rally for Health Care Reform


"If we get this done by the end of this year, I will tattoo our union’s logo to my right arm on January 2."

-Jim Medlin, Nursing Home Worker at Avamere Georgian House in Tacoma

Jessica Field, Phil Bradford, Cheryl Johnston Carr, Jim Medlin, Lorene Hart, Jacqueline Yell at the US Capitol lobbying for Health Care Reform on June 25, 2009

SEIU Healthcare 775NW Members lobbied for health care reform this week in Washington, DC (L-R: Jessica Field, Phil Bradford, Cheryl Johnston Carr, Jim Medlin, Lorene Hart and Jacqueline Yell.

June 25, 2009 --  Jim Medlin is fired up after joining more than 10,000 people rallying for health care reform in our nation’s capital yesterday.

Jim was part of a delegation of SEIU Healthcare 775NW members who joined healthcare advocates from across the country fighting for quality, affordable health care. They had a simple message for Congress, “We can’t wait for health care reform.”