Rally Thanks NYC Congressional Home Team for Victory on Health Care in House

New York City Organizing Committee

Rally Thanks NYC Congressional Home

Team for Victory on Health Care in House

Urges Congressman McMahon to “re-join the team” for a final ”Yes” vote

(New York, NY) – A crowd from various New York community groups, health advocates, grassroots supporters, organized labor, small business and others as part of Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care campaign – gathered on the steps of City Hall today to thank 12 members of the New York City Congressional delegation for their historic votes for the House of Representative’s health care reform bill – the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962). The speakers also thanked all the New York City members for opposing the last minute Stupack-Pitts anti-choice amendment.

“Just a week ago, thousands of New Yorkers rallied to support our city’s winning baseball team for their World Series victory on these very steps. Today, we rally again for another home team – this time for our city’s Congressional delegation, for their historic victory in the House of Representatives in the fight for quality, affordable, health carel, which is no mere game for millions of New Yorkers,” said Mark Hannay, Director of the Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign, and a leader of HCAN’s New York City Organizing Committee. “The scores are in, and all but one of our city’s Representatives deserves an MVP award. Unfortunately, Rep. Mike McMahon struck out by voting against health care for all New Yorkers.”

“After a long, hard-fought journey, the House passed a historic bill that will improve our nation’s health care system, covering tens of millions of uninsured, and making insurance more comprehensive and less costly for those who already have it,” said Jack Ahern, president of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “We applaud our local Congress members who voted for providing affordable health care for all Americans.”

“The recent passage of a comprehensive healthcare bill puts us one step closer to making affordable healthcare available to all citizens,” said Kyle Bragg, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU–the largest property service union in the country. “We’ve fought hard to see this come to fruition. Now let’s stay the course as we move it to the U.S. Senate.”

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-17th: Bronx, Westchester, Rockland), who joined the rally to discuss women’s health care issues said that: “On this past Saturday night, a giant step by the House to end discrimination against women in the health insurance market was sullied by the adoption of the Stupak-Pitts anti-choice amendment. Under The Affordable Health Care for America Act, uninsured women will gain significant access to quality healthcare, including family planning, and guaranteed access to maternity care. Discriminatory insurance coverage policies designating pregnancy, domestic violence, and caesarean sections as pre-existing conditions will be ended, and it will no longer be permissible to charge women more for insurance than men. These are measures we can all applaud.”

Other local HCAN leaders representing various constituencies also expressed great pleasure about passage of
H.R. 3962 and the New York City delegation standing strong on health care reform, including the fact that all voted against the Stupak-Pitts amendment to restrict access to abortion coverage.

“On a daily basis, I see countless individuals who suffer from diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and osteoarthritis,” said Dr. Carol V.R. De Costa, M.D.,M.S., with the National Physicians Alliance. With the new public health insurance option, I will now have the opportunity to focus on preventive care and wellness, thus helping to decrease the prevalence of these ailments and contributing a healthier America for all.”

Small business owners in New York will also benefit greatly under the bill, receiving tax credits to help provide coverage for themselves and their employees.

“After so many years of struggling with the skyrocketing costs of health care, help is finally on the way for small businesses like mine,” said Carmen Ledesma, owner of Salon Paisien in Woodside, Queens, and a leader of Small Business United for Health Care. “We’ve been stuck without any good options and without bargaining power, paying on average 18 percent more for health care than larger companies, and with nowhere to go. But now, thanks to the House vote, that’s finally going to change. We’re going to have new choices, including the choice of a public health insurance plan that’s not run by the insurance companies, and both small businesses and our employees will be eligible for tax credits or subsidies to help make health coverage affordable. That’s what small businesses need to grow our economy– now!”

“We’re coming off a tremendous victory in the House, and we are truly grateful to our local representatives for helping to deliver this victory, but the game is not over yet,” said David Braun, Coordinator of the Manhattan Council of MoveOn. “As we now move on to the Senate, we cannot underestimate the opposition. With 70 percent of the population supporting the public option, why is this so difficult, what is this fight about? It’s simple, the insurance companies are spending 5 million dollars a week trying to block this legislation.”

“We have witnessed a historic moment with the passing of the Affordable Health Care for America Act in the House of Representatives this past Saturday. However, the fight has not yet been won,” said Aliya Quraishi, MPH, and Director of Communications for NYCforChange. “We now call on the Senate to put politics aside and get the job done. Health care reform cannot wait any longer.”

“I certainly hope that Congressman McMahon will re-join the home team and vote YES for health care in the final inning, after the Senate votes.” said Patricia Suarez, a McMahon constituent and member of Make the Road New York. “I want him back on the team fighting for health care for all New Yorkers.”

According to a July 2009 House Energy and Commerce Committee report, in the 13th Congressional District (Staten Island and southwest Brooklyn) the House bill would provide 11,700 small businesses with tax credits to obtain health coverage for their employees, 9,600 seniors with better prescription drug coverage, $81 million annually to health care providers for uncompensated care, and 21,000 currently uninsured people would be able to gain access to quality, affordable coverage.

“As the health reform debate moves to the Senate, we have the opportunity to get it right,” said Chung-Wha Hong, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition. ‘This means not imposing counterproductive restrictions on immigrants that serve only to undermine the goals of health reform. Let everyone pay into the system regardless of status; don’t impose waiting periods on legal immigrants; don’t set up onerous verification measures that delay or deny care to the eligible. We are looking to Congress and the President to deliver on this mandate.”

Visual at event:

Click here to download PDF of visual.

c/o Citizen Action of New York City, 40 Worth Street, Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 * 212-523-0180 x43

Participating organizations: ACORN, AFSCME NYS, Children’s Defense Fund of NY, Citizen Action of NYC, Committee of Interns and Residents, Communication Workers of America, Community Service Society, Make the Road NY, Metro NY Health Care for All Campaign, MoveOn, National Physicians Alliance, NY Immigration Coalition, NYC for Change, NYC Central Labor Council, NYS AFL-CIO, Raising Women’s Voices, SEIU Local 32 BJ, 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, Young Invincibles

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