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Dear Friends and Supporters,
MANY THANKS to all of you who took action over the past few weeks to support the House of Representatives moving forward on health care reform. It was truly exciting to watch the vote tally grow as the clock ticked down late this past Saturday evening. The vote was historic -- passage of a truly momentous piece of health and social welfare legislation on par with Social Security (1935), Medicare and Medicaid (1965), and the State Child Health Insurance Program (1996.)
The significance of this vote cannot be understated -- it was won against formidable odds up against all the forces of the status quo. Justice triumphed. For those who've been at the fight for universal health care going back to the New Deal Era and up through the failed Clinton health care reform effort, we stand on your shoulders -- thank you!
We particularly want to thank all 12 members of our NYC Congressional delegation who voted for the House health care reform bill, H.R 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Unfortunately, there was one lone hold-out: Rep. Michael McMahon, who represents Staten Island and parts of southwest Brooklyn (Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights) -- we'll now be working hard to turn his vote around before the final bill agreed upon with the Senate comes back to a vote in the House, hopefully by the end of the year.
We all worked very hard for this successful House vote. While we all take a breather this week while Congress is home for the Veteran's Day recess, we should all pause to savor our achievement, thank our Representatives for voting for health care, and prepare for the battle ahead in the Senate -- it will be even more challenging than the House vote. The Senate is scheduled to begin it's formal consideration of health reform legislation when they return next week, and formal debate is expected to begin right after Thanksgiving.
In the meantime, we want to encourage all of you to reach out to our local Representatives who voted for the House bill to thank them for their support -- it was a tough and close vote, but they rose to the occasion.
We also want to note with deep dismay the inclusion of strong anti-choice provisions in the House bill which will severely limit coverage for comprehensive reproductive health care for women. At the 11th hour, the Conference of Catholic Bishops intervened with Catholic members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to threaten them with barring their access to sacraments if they did not vote for these measures, known as the "Stupak-Pitt amendment." To their credit, all members of our city's delegation, including Rep. McMahon, voted against it, so we owe all of them thanks for their courageous stand on this matter too.
Here's how YOU can thank YOUR member of Congress -- THIS WEEK!
1. Call your Representative and thank him or her for voting for health care reform. Call both their local district and Capitol Hill offices. If your Rep. is Michael McMahon, give his office a call to let him know what you think about his vote, and encourage him to vote FOR health care reform when the final bill comes up for a vote next moth.
2. Write a letter to the editor to your local newspapers, thanking your Rep. for voting for reform, or expressing disappointment if they did not.
3. Show up for a big "thank you" press conference and rally, Thurs. Nov. 12th at 1 p.m. on the steps of City Hall. All Reps. who voted for the House bill have been invited to attend. Bring your own signs and banners, along with friends, neighbors, and colleagues.
4. Attend other "thank you" rallies in the outer boroughs on Thurs. Nov. 12, to highlight local health care "champions". These are being organized by MoveOn, so check their website for all the particulars.
5. Attend a "Thank you, Everyone, Happy Hour" on Fri. Nov. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m., at Tonic East, 411 3rd Ave (at E. 29 St.), 2nd fl., in Manhattan. All NYC Reps. who voted for the House bill have been invited, so this is a perfect chance to offer your thanks in person. Sponsored jointly by NYC for Change and Organizing for America, this reception will also offer opportunities to publicly thank the scores of New Yorkers who participated in numerous activities in recent weeks that mobilized public support for health care reform (phone banks, rallies, press conferences, protests, etc.), and get ready for the weeks ahead.
Next up? ...on to the Senate!
Starting next week, the action arena shifts to the Senate. Fortunately, our two New York Senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have been strong champions for reform. We'll be counting on their leadership to move the Senate to act, as the inertia will be tremendous. And of course, the vested special interests will be doing everything they can --as they have all along-- to either stop reform outright or shape it in a way to their advantage, and not to ways the benefit everyday New Yorkers.
One prelude event to next week: Activists in Connecticut, led by the Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care, are holding an "Interfaith Prayer Vigil" in the community of Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I- CT), this coming Sunday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m.. Sen. Lieberman has stated that he will filibuster any reform bill in the Senate that includes a new public health insurance option. Participants will gather at the Stamford High School, 55 Strawberry Hill Ave., in Stamford, and then walk to Sen. Lieberman's home to call on him not to block reform from moving forward. New Yorkers who want to participate in this event will be gathering at center clock at Grand Central Terminal on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. (don't be late!) to take the 4:34 MetroNorth train to Stamford -- look for a "Health Care for America Now" sign. Shuttle buses will be available at the Stamford station to take people to and from the school. Roundtrip fare is $30. RSVPs strongly urged to info@healthcare4every1.org or 203-639-0550.
Thanks for all you do in the fight for health care for all New Yorkers and all across America. We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these upcoming events!
Mark Hannay
Director
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