How Queers Are Organizing For Health Care Reform
Since May of 2009 QEJ has been mobilizing queers from across the country to create a collective response to the current state of health care reform. A large part of this mobilization has been focusing on the inclusion of a public option within the health care reform bill. A public option that would be available to people most discriminated against in the health care system is necessary, and immigrants, people of color, and LGBT people should organize to help save the public option in the current legislation.
Below is a list of steps and additional resources to use as a reference to create days of action in your community:
- Call your Senator! This number will connect you directly to your state’s senator: 1-877-264-HCAN (4226)
- USE THIS SCRIPT when you talk to them.
- Want to send a letter instead? USE THIS SAMPLE LETTER as a guide.
- Want the NUMBERS? READ this QUEER HEALTH CARE FACT SHEET QEJ created.
- Health Care Reform and the LGBT Community: This document outlines key concerns in regards to health care within the LGBTQ community (National Coalition for LGBT Health)
- Key Facts Race, Ethnicity and Medical Care: Want additional facts and figures? This report discusses health, health insurance coverage, access and quality of health care of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. (Kaiser Family Foundation)
More Progressive organizations working on health care reform:
Move On is a collective that strives to bring real Americans back into the political process. With 5 million members across America they work together to realize the progressive promise of our country. They are quite well known for their partnerships with celebrities and artists. They just released a new video satire of insurance companies featuring the comedian Will Ferrell. This organization hosts events across the country and facilitates community building through their website.
Health Care Now! is an education and advocacy organization that addresses the health insurance crisis in the U.S by advocating for the passage of national, single-payer healthcare legislation. By logging on to their website you can sign petitions, call your legislators and get updates on upcoming events across the country.
Mad As Hell Doctors is a group of doctors that are advocating for single-payer health care system. They are currently on a national RV tour so check out their website to view their itinerary.
Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is a national grassroots campaign of more than 1,000 organizations in 46 states representing 30 million people dedicated to winning quality, affordable health care we all can count on in 2009. They also have support from President Obama, Vice President Biden, and more than 190 Members of Congress. You can sign petitions, call your legislators and view numerous reports reviewing health care in the United States.
Here’s what progressive LGBT and people of color organizations are doing across the country around health care reform:
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) chapter in North Carolina put together a Day of Action around health care issues.
Triangle Foundation is Michigan’s foremost statewide, civil rights organization and is a leader in effective, innovative and visionary grassroots organizing and advocacy for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. They brought a contingent to a march and rally hosted by MoveOn.org and Health Care for America Now. Click here to view the press statement.
Family Equality Council works to ensure equality for LGBT families by building community, changing hearts and minds, and advocating social justice for all families. To ensure that our government provides accessible and culturally competent health care to all families they created the ad to the left (black and white version). They plan to submit the collected stories to congress.
Raising Women’s Voices is a national initiative working to make sure women’s voices are heard in the health reform debate and women’s concerns are addressed by policymakers developing national and state health reform plans. They have produced numerous publications including What women want vs what women get: Do current health reform proposals meet our needs? Check out their website for upcoming events in your area.
Women of Color United for Health Reform issued a document entitled Health Reform Imperatives for Women and Communities of Color in addition to a fact sheet.
Act Queer! Teleconference: Healthcare Agenda for the LGBTQ Community
This is the first of a new monthly teleconference series called Act Queer! QEJ has started as a part of our national public education work. The purpose of Act Queer! is to connect grassroots LGBTQ racial and economic justice organizations with national queer and/or allied coalitions and organizations to share information and strategies on racial and economic justice issues.
Our May 21, 2009 teleconference was on what the healthcare debate means for queer communities.
To hear the each presenter, press play on the audio player. Read materials from each presenter just below the audio player.
Katie Gjertson, AFL-CIO Health Care Reform Now. Reviews the timeline of the upcoming health care bill, how the plan is likely to be structured, Labor’s role in reform and their position on H.R. 676 (the universal coverage bill also in Congress).
Health Care for America Now June 25 Lobby Day Flyer
AFL-CIO Health Care Reform talking Points
Eesha Pandit, MergerWatch/Raising Women’s Voices. The fight to protect reproductive health access in the health care reform, how reproductive justice issues in the legislation also impact LGBTQ folks, and grassroots efforts to impact the healthcare debate.
Materials from Raising Women’s Voices:
Principles for Quality, Affordable Health Care for All
Rebecca Fox, National Coalition on LGBT Health. LGBT inclusion in healthcare reform, and the strategies being used to ensure LGBT issues are included in reform, expanding definition of family for coverage, and advocacy for transgender specific care.
Materials from National Coalition on LGBT Health:
Guiding Principles for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Inclusion in Healthcare Reform
Ajamu Sankofa, Private Health Insurance Must Go Coalition. Focuses on the history of a single-payer system, fallacies of the so-called public/private option and that the Conyers plan and Sanders plan are the plans that would end the crisis.
Materials from Private Health Insurance Must Go:
Recent Bill Moyers Show on Single-Payer Health Care Debate (video)
April 2009 Protest: Your Ass Isn’t Covered (Youtube Video)
If you have questions, comments, or know of other resources or events related to this topic, please feel free to post in the comments section!