California Healthcare Advocates To Protest Rep. Waxman

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 30 Oct 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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For His Role in Eliminating "Kucinich Amendment" that Would Remove Impediments for California and Other States to Implement Single-Payer Healthcare Reform

What

Registered Nurses from the California Nurses Association, activist doctors from the California Physicians Alliance, school employees from the California School Employees Association, and workers and healthcare advocates from the Labor Taskforce on Guaranteed Healthcare will lead a protest Friday at the offices of U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman.

In his role as House floor manager of the national healthcare bill, Waxman played a leading role in removing from the healthcare bill the "Kucinich amendment." This language would have removed legal impediments to states who opt to implement single-payer systems.

This language, that would would exempt states that enact Medicare for all/single payer bills from the onerous limitations contained in the federal ERISA law governing employer sponsored health plans, is critical to the ability of California and other states to move forward with the single-payer, guaranteed healthcare systems. A single payer bill, sponsored by former State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, has twice been passed by the California legislature and remains a top legislative priority for nurses and other California healthcare activists.

When

Friday, October 30, 11:00 a.m.

Where

District Offices, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, 8436 West Third Street, Ste 600 Los Angeles, CA 90048

Why

"Henry Waxman's real constituents are the everyday California patients who need genuine healthcare reform. The California legislature has twice voted to implement the single-payer systems that are so successful in other industrialized democracies around the globe, and we need language like this. Please Mr. Waxman: do the right thing, for your state and your constituents," said Geri Jenkins, RN, co-president of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.

Source
California Nurses Association