Rallying for Health Care Reform

My apologies for such a late post; however, given the increasing momentum for health care reform in the news and media I feel it is still timely and appropriate. It's great to see the HSPH community getting involved with health care reform and rallying around this important cause! Below is a post from a fellow student, and first time blogger, Alana Wooley:

September 11, 2009
An estimated one thousand people came out to the Boston Commons on Labor Day for a health care reform rally hosted by Organizing for America, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and other labor unions and health care reform advocacy groups.  Speakers included Massachusetts politicians (several of whom may be vying for the late Senator Kennedy’s vacant Senate seat), Boston politicians, labor union leaders, physicians, and community members personally affected by a lack of or inadequate health insurance coverage.

Many attended the rally bearing homemade signs iterating the urgency of health care reform.  Some signs read: “Help make America as healthy as insurance profits,” “The health of the people is the highest law of the land,” “Public option means affordable health care,”  “Health care is a human right!”  In addition, signs and speeches called for health care reform honoring the late Senator Kennedy’s cause.

Rally participants ranged in age, race/ethnicity, physical ability, and social class – chanting at times in favor of health care reform and applauding politicians who articulated their support of a public insurance option.  Representative Stephen Lynch, who supports health care reform, but does not support the public option, received loud boos from rally participants, often drowning out his speech.  Chants that circulated among rally participants included “What do we want? – “Health Reform” – “When do we want it?” – “Now!” and “Public Option! Public Option!”

In addition to showing support for health care reform, rallies such as this one also sought to visibly demonstrate the number of people who support healthcare reform, with the intention of eclipsing the famed town hall objections that have often been featured in the media.

Alana Wooley
ScM Candidate, 2010
Society, Human Development, and Health
Harvard School of Public Health
awooley@hsph.harvard.edu