news and past activities

August and September, SAHNC meets with San Antonio City Council members
In an effort to add San Antonio to the growing list of cities endorsing HR 676, SAHNC members are meeting with their city council members and encouraging them to vote for our single-payer resolution.  After Jane Cantu spoke on single-payer, Councilwoman Diane Cibrian expressed her approval by nodding, while her constituents applauded.

August 9, Congressman Conyers and Progressive Democrats of America Call for Stronger Democratic Platform on Healthcare
Congressman John Conyers and Progressive Democrats of America committee members have put together an amendment that would strenghten the Democratic Party platform concerning healthcare.  The amendment will be considered at the Democratic National Convention later this month. 

While not referring specifically to single-payer healthcare, the  amendment calls for "guaranteed health care" (rather than "universal coverage") and includes the phrase "everybody in and no one left out."  Click here for further details.


August 7, Austin City Council endorses HR 676
Affirming that "every person deserves access to affordable, quality health care," the Austin City Council voted 6-0 (with one abstention) to endorse HR 676, the Unites States Health Insurance Act, which would expand and improve Medicare to cover all Americans.  By advocating the single-payer approach, Austin joins at least 24 other cities that are calling for passage of HR 676, including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Louisville, and San Francisco.  SAHNC congratulates the Austin chapter of Health Care for All Texas for their work, which was crucial in getting the Austin City Council to support single-payer universal healthcare.  SAHNC has set a goal to have the San Antonio City Council endorse HR 676 before December.


July 30, Medicare Birthday
We celebrated the 46th birthday of Medicare in the office of Congressman Charlie Gonzalez.  Even though the Congressman was not there, it was a great meeting.  We had a good conversation with his staff, who promised to inform the Congressman of our visit.  Among those taking part was expert candle blower Paul McMillian.  We had a few security guards who helped us celebrate.  One even cut the cake for us!

As the Congressman and his staff are not allowed to accept gifts of any sort, we maintained that the birthday cake was not a gift, but was for the constituents in celebration of Medicare.

We also went to the Maury Maverick Library for the Congress on Your Corner event with Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, who unfortunately could not attend.  We spent some time talking with his staff member Ginette Magana, who is willing to meet with us in a more private setting to get more information to take back to Congressman Rodriguez. 

There were not many people attending Congress on Your Corner at the library, and as it was held inside the library rather than in the community room, we were limited in what we could do.  The library staff set up a small table for our cake next to the Congressman's table, and a SAHNC member took the opportunity to talk about what Medicare is with a group of children of elementary school age and their parents, while serving them cake.  We handed out our brochures and established a good relationship with Congressman Rodriguez's staff members, who read the brochures and asked questions.

Click here to view the photo album.

June 19, National Day of Protest
Activists in a dozen cities across the country led protests against the unconscionable practices of for-profit health insurance companies.  On that day, 38,000 insurance executives and their political benefactors held their annual conference in San Francisco.  We articulated our demand for emancipation from the profit-driven insurance companies on the same day as the annual celebration of emancipation from slavery.

We were joined by Reggie Cervantes, a 9/11 rescue worker who was featured in SiCKO and accompanied Michael Moore to Cuba. Having lost her health insurance, and dealing with multiple lung ailments, she struggles to provide for her family as well as her own medical needs.  Other participants spoke of their own encounters with our for-profit insurance system: denied claims, cancelled policies, and the uniquely American phenomenon of being deemed "uninsurable."

We gathered in front of the Humana building during rush hour: 46 participants, including doctors, nurses, social workers, union officials, and concerned citizens of various occupations.  All picketed, chanted, marched, and lent support to the growing movement for single-payer universal healthcare.  People driving by on Fredericksburg and Wurzbach honked in support of our demonstration, and accepted our brochure through rolled-down windows.  Twenty-five participants signed petitions, taking literature back to their organizations, friends and neighbors.

SAHNC is grateful to the National Nurses Organizing Committee and the California Nurses Association for sponsoring Reggie's visit.  We also wish to thank the many nurses and other participants who endured the 101-degree heat.

Our protest received coverage by KENS 5, WOAI 4, Univision, and the San Antonio Current.  The Humana security guards kept a watchful eye on our activities, while company spokesperson Russ McLerran issued a statement:
We believe that all of us—insurers, medical professionals, our members and patients, elected officials—should work together to find the best solutions.

It is encouraging that Humana is calling for dialogue and collaboration, and we will hold them to their word.  But we  recognize that talk is not a substitute for action.  We will sit down and talk, but we will also continue to stand up and protest on behalf of our 9/11 heroes and for all Americans.  This is our patriotic duty.

Click here to read the story in the San Antonio Current. 
Click here to view the photo album.
Click here to watch Reggie's 11-year-old daughter Lia call for universal healthcare.
Read about the Louisville protest and a one-person protest in Detroit.


U.S. Conference of Mayors Advocates Single-Payer Healthcare

The single-payer movement received a huge endorsement on June 23 when the U.S. Conference of Mayors at their meeting in Miami unanimously approved a resolution introduced by Lois Frankel, Mayor of West Palm Beach (Click here to read Mayor Frankel's resolution). 

The resolution calls upon Congress to approve H.R. 676, which would improve and expand Medicare to cover all Americans.  It would protect the doctor-patient relationship, allowing patients complete freedom in choosing their healthcare providers, and would cut costs by eliminating bureaucracy.

H.R. 676 would save billions of dollars that local governments are currently spending on employee healthcare.  It would free up resources so that cities and counties would not need to resort to cutting vital services (police and fire protection, street maintenance, etc.) or raising local taxes.


SAHNC Ballot Initiative and Texas Democratic Party conventions
Last fall we worked to get a non-binding single-payer healthcare referendum on the Democratic primary ballot throughout Texas.  This ballot initiative was tabled by the party leadership in January at a meeting of the State Democratic Executive Committee without a discussion or vote, despite our having secured the needed 33 votes for passage.  We did not give up, but instead asked voters to introduce the resolution in precinct conventions on March 4 so that it would make its way to the state convention.

Our resolution was approved at county and senatorial district conventions across the state on March 29, and rose to the level of the state convention, where it was approved unanimously by both the temporary resolutions committee and the permanent resolutions committee.  While it did not come up for a vote on the convention floor before the convention adjourned, it will be referred to the State Democratic Executive Committee.  If approved there, it will be presented to the Texas Democratic Congressional delegation.  At the March 29 senatorial district convention in San Antonio, delegates showed strong support by applauding multiple times during the reading of the resolution from the floor. 
Click here to read our resolution.

Also at the Texas Democratic Party state convention, Health Care for All Texas sponsored a caucus on single-payer universal healthcare and the Texas Health Insurance Plan.  The caucus reviewed the PBS documentary Sick Around the World and made a plea for everyone to get involved in the healthcare reform movement.  We were glad to see that Brian Ruiz, Congressional candidate for District 31, an advocate for universal healthcare who had not previously taken a position on the single-payer approach, attended the caucus.
Your support is still needed.  Please call or write your Congressional representatives and ask them to endorse H.R. 676 to provide healthcare coverage for all Americans.  Let them know that healthcare reform is a priority for you and your family.  It is time to strip away the exorbitant insurance and drug company profits and their unconscionable business practices and return healthcare decision-making power back to physicians and patients, not insurance executives.


Meetings with our elected representatives
In January, SAHNC members met with both State Senator Leticia Van de Putte and Congressman Ciro Rodriguez.  Senator Van de Putte was extremely helpful and supportive and clearly has a firm grasp on the problems with the current healthcare delivery system, both in Texas and on a national level.  She took time to remain in communication with us and forwarded a plan that has been developed in New York. 
Click here to view the photo album.

Congressman Rodriguez, while sympathetic, appeared less concerned about  the scope of the problems as presented by the 15 individuals meeting with him. While offering some good ideas and suggestions for expanding our grassroots movement, he remained unwilling to co-sponsor  H.R. 676 in the House of Representatives, choosing to follow mainstream Democratic thinking of not opposing the corporate insurance lobby but mandating that everyone buy into a for-profit insurance plan.  We urge his constituents to call or write his office to express their thoughts about healthcare reform. 
Click here to contact Congressman Rodriguez.

SAHNC members visited with Congressman Rodriguez again in May, and also with Congressman Charlie Gonzalez.

In July we took part in a meeting with Congressman Rodriguez and his constituents at Mimi's Cafe.  Among the many who were interested in healthcare issues were doctors, veterans, and mental health professionals.  When we asked Congressman Rodriguez point blank whether he had reviewed the information that we gave him in January, he ignored the question.  He said again that he was "not ready" to endorse single-payer, and "the next administration" will figure it all out.  But he did encourage us to continue pushing for these reforms.  The meeting was standing room only, with so many people speaking out on issues that matter.  Every time SAHNC participates in a public forum, more people are brought around to the single-payer cause as they see us pushing for the rights of all Americans.  We believe that eventually our political leaders will have the courage to stand up and lead, but until they do, this leadership must come from the grassroots.


Martin Luther King Day March
Members of SAHNC and the National Nurses Organizing Committee marched together for single-payer reform on the cold, wet morning of MLK Day.  We were joined by U.S. Senate candidate Ray McMurrey from Corpus Christi, a cancer survivor and advocate for a single-payer healthcare system.  That afternoon, the coalition hosted a community informational event at the newly opened NNOC office on Fredericksburg Road at Medical Drive.  After viewing a video of the Congressional hearing on H.R. 676, Ray McMurrey addressed the crowd about needed healthcare reform. 
Click here to view the photo album.


Rachel Hollander and Brian Brooks tie the knot
We regret that our co-chair Rachel Hollander is leaving us and moving to Sacramento.  She was honored with a potluck dinner at the May meeting of the SAHNC Steering Committee and was presented with two cakes!  On May 24, she married Brian Brooks.  The San Antonio Healthcare Now Coalition commends her for her excellent leadership, and wishes Rachel and Brian all the best.  Click here to view the photo album.