“Big Insurance: Sick of It” – Rally Today at 11:30 am

The following is an action alert from MoveOn.org.

As the health care reform debate rages on in Washington, local residents will hold a rally in Santa Ana on Tuesday September 22nd outside the office of United Healthcare. The rally will highlight how Americans are suffering every day because of the profit-driven policies of the health insurance industry and show the need for health care reform with a real public option. UnitedHealthcare is a member of America’s Health Insurance Plans, the national organization that represents health insurance companies, which has spent millions of dollars opposing real health care reform.

Passing health care reform with a strong public option will help lower skyrocketing health care costs and expand coverage to millions of Americans. Under our current system, Americans are dealing with out-of-control costs for insurance and are at the mercy of big companies who can cancel coverage, deny payment for treatments, or raise premiums at the drop of a hat. By injecting a strong public option into the mix, competition will force private companies to clean up their act and help more Americans afford the care they need.

At the rally, participants will ask United Healthcare to stop denying health care to its customers. Participants will share stories of people who have suffered at the hands of the health insurance industry to demonstrate why a real public health insurance option is so important. A R.E.A.L. public option must be: Ready right away, part of a plan to cover Everyone, Accountable to the public and Large enough to contain costs.

“The current health insurance system makes us sick—as a country. As the stories shared will show, if the health insurance industry, including UnitedHealthcare, wins the health care reform debate, we in California lose,” said Guy Johnson, a local MoveOn member.

“Health care reform with a strong public option will help lower skyrocketing health care costs and expand coverage to millions of Americans, but the health insurance industry opposes it because they are more concerned with protecting their sky-rocketing profits. It’s time they got the message that we need real reform, now.”

WHAT: Rally Against UnitedHealthcare
WHERE: 3100 Lake Center Drive, Santa Ana, CA 92704 (Map)
WHEN: 11:30 AM, September 22nd, 2009

The rally is part of a national “Big Insurance: Sick of It” day of action organized by MoveOn.org Political Action, Health Care for America Now, SEIU, and other organizations, which includes events being held nationwide outside the offices of members of America’s Health Insurance Plans.