Time’s Run Out: It’s Sudden Death for adultBasic

If you're downtown today:

Time’s Run Out: It’s Sudden Death for adultBasic

42,000 of our neighbors in PA are set to lose their health insurance on Monday, February 28th. PHAN is hosting a vigil outside the Governor's Mansion in Harrisburg at 5:30pm and is organizing a NOON RALLY in Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh to fight back.

Please join us to send the message to Gov. Corbett that we won’t stand by while he sides with big insurance companies over hardworking PA families. Help us show the Governor that the people of PA are not ok with cutting lifesaving health insurance programs—especially when the funding exists to save them!

Just like in Wisconsin, this is not about the budget—it’s about politicians putting the agendas of wealthy special interests over the needs and priorities of their constituents. The new radical political majorities in Harrisburg and across the country must be put on notice: we will NOT give up the fight for fairness and dignity for working people and for health care justice for all.

Stand with us on Monday—we want to get at least 100 folks there, so please send this to everyone you know!

WHAT: Solidarity Action to Stand Up for the 42,000 Working People at Risk of Losing Their Health Coverage Today
WHERE: Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh
WHEN: Monday, Feb. 28th, 12:00pm

PS. If you or anyone you know is on adultBasic, please ask them to get in touch with me. We’ll be continuing to fight for a program like adultBasic (if it does end Monday as expected) and will definitely want to help folks get connected to any other resources and options available in the meantime. egill@pahealthaccess.org

and this:

"If you haven’t seen it yet, a lot of them have been posting messages to the Governor on his Facebook page, and on our Save adultBasic Facebook group page."

Rallies and Protests and Press Conferences, Oh My!

Looks like folks are awakening to the assault on, well, everyone (who isn't super rich)! Women, children, union members, the middle class, the working class and the working poor, public transit riders -- unless you're Donald Trump -- the Republicans have some plan to screw you.

We're not "special interests" when we are the majority!

Please attend any of these that you can:

THURSDAY, 2/24/11
Impacts of Proposed U.S. Budget Cuts on Pittsburgh Jobs & Families Press Conference (This is for the media)
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: WGF Office, Landmarks Building, 100 W. Station Square Drive, Suite 315
WHAT: Via press release [edited]: "Women and Girls Foundation hosts. Southwest PA organizations, their local workers and service recipients, would be directly impacted by the drastic cuts included in H.R. 1 which slashes billions of dollars of funding resulting in the elimination of millions of jobs and services for working families in our region. Federal programs impacted range from early childhood education and college financial aid to nutritional assistance for infants, veterans housing, public broadcasting, and reproductive healthcare. It eliminates federal funding for Planned Parenthood and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and it defunds the implementation of health care reform and EPA pollution enforcement. It now moves to the Senate for vote later this month. Representatives from the following organizations will speak: Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children, Fair Housing Partnership, Just Harvest, WQED Multimedia, Women’s Center & Shelter, PennFuture, Planned Parenthood, Adagio Health, The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Community Services, Action United, ACLU Pittsburgh, SEIU, Women’s Law Project, New Voices Pittsburgh, National Council of Jewish Women, National Organization for Women, Pennsylvania Health Access Network, and Health Care for America Now. (Members of the media are asked to RSVP if you plan to attend.)"

MoveOn / Democracy for Pittsburgh: Invest in America!
TIME: 11:30 AM;11:45 AM
WHERE: Gather @ Aldo Coffee Shop, 675 Washington Road, Pittsburgh (Mt. Lebanon), PA 15228; Proceed to Office of Rep. Murphy, which is at 504 Washington Road, Pittsburgh (Mt. Lebanon), Pa 15228
WHAT: "We are going to go to Rep. Murphy and let him know that cutting billions from funding health care, education, and science will do nothing to turn our economy around, but it will hurt the other 98% of us that are barely getting through the worst recession since the Great Depression. We will go to the office of Rep. Murphy with our Invest in America message, and share our personal stories of why we need support for our broken economy and communities." Please RSVP for the event by clicking on the link below: http://pol.moveon.org/event/invest2011/112639

“Fighting For the American Dream” Rally
Stand in Solidarity with the Wisconsin Workers
TIME: Noon (lunch provided)
WHERE: USW International HQ, Downtown Pittsburgh, 5 Gateway Center, 60 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh PA
WHAT: "Our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and other states are in a fight for the very survival of their jobs and their union. This is our moment to stand and show solidarity with them and let their Governor and the extremist organizations financing these attacks know: WE STAND TOGETHER! "


FRIDAY, 2/25/11
People's Rally For Public Transportation
TIME: 8:30 - 11:30 AM
WHERE: Mellon Square Park, 6th & Smithfiled, Downtown Pittsburgh PA
WHAT: Protest the drastic cutbacks in public transit.


SATURDAY, 2/26/11
Rally to Save the American Dream, Harrisburg, PA
TIME: 12:00pm - 3:00pm
WHERE: Capitol Steps, 3rd St., Harrisburg, PA 17101
WHAT: "Americans who believe in the right to organize are standing up on Saturday. It's time to stop the dismantling of organizations opposed to the right wing agenda."
RSVP: http://www.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=112822&is_manage=1

Scenes from today's Pro Planned Parenthood Rally/March in Pittsburgh

Scenes from today's Pro Planned Parenthood Rally (courtesy of David):








(Umm, lady, your taxes don't fund abortions.).

Stand With Planned Parenthood -- Rally Today

“Save Women’s Lives: Save Federal Funding for Women’s Health Care”

TODAY Wednesday, February 23

12:00 Noon

Meet at 933 Liberty Ave

If you can, please wear pink and bring your signs in support of Planned Parenthood’s family planning and basic health care services.

RSVP to Stephanie: Stephanie.L.Shaw@gmail.com OR 412-434-8957 ext. 116 OR RSVP on Facebook here.

Via Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania:

There has never been a more urgent time to support Planned Parenthood of Western PA and the thousands of patients we serve every year.

As you may know, last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic measure to end Title X funding for preventative reproductive health care and entirely bar Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding for any purpose whatsoever and we need your help in Western PA!

Next week, the U.S. Senate will be voting on these very issues. There could not be a more critical time to let Senator Casey know that these attacks against Planned Parenthood and reproductive health care make it harder – if not impossible – for our patients, and his constituents, to receive the care they need and deserve: annual exams, breast exams, birth control, STI treatment, and life-saving cancer screenings.

JOIN US as hundreds of PPWP advocates, volunteers, patients, and staff walk from our downtown health center to Sen. Casey’s office to let him know that we stand behind him and that we are counting on him to support Planned Parenthood.

Heh

But don't forget, we have the best health care in the world! (If you can afford to pay for it/you'll still be able to afford to work in that field.)

(h/t to Kate Thomas)
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Have A Heart, Governor Corbett Rally! (adultBasic)

Via http://www.consumerhealthcoalition.org/:

HAVE A HEART, TOM CORBETT! RALLY TO SAVE adultBasic
MONDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2011 @ Noon at the Governor’s Regional Office located at 301 Fifth Avenue (On the Corner of Wood and Fifth).

We will meet next two the lion statues (have some courage, too, governor!) and have a short rally where we will hear perspective from persons who have received their adultBasic termination letter as well as persons who are on the waiting list (along with a half million other Pennsylvanians!).

Following the rally, a group of us will deliver the Valentines to the Governor’s Regional office.

More on adultBasic here.
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Community Vigil for AdultBasic Today!

Something to do after work today.

WHAT: "Don't Let the Clock Run Out on AdultBasic" Candlelight Vigil
WHEN: Wednesday, December 8th at 5:30 PM
WHERE: New Hope United Methodist Church - 114 West North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Contact Erin Gill, Western PA PHAN Organizer for questions or directions: 412-512-9225 or egill@pahealthaccess.org

Via pahealthaccess.org:

More people are out of work, working part-time or working in jobs that don't come with health insurance. Still more have been denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions. Now, those lucky enough to be covered through adultBasic are at risk of being kicked off their insurance early next year.

We cannot let this happen!

The folks on adultBasic are trying to do the right thing: they are working hard and buying coverage through adultBasic instead of turning to the ER and driving up our costs. All of these folks, their families, their employers or businesses, and their communities will be hurt if the clock runs out on adultBasic.

We fought hard all summer to keep adultBasic funded, and the Blues announced in July that they would continue their contributions through June 30th. Now, they're looking to go back on their word.

It's time to send a message to the Blues and our elected leaders that we won't stand by while time runs out on adultBasic.

If no additional funding is identified, 43,000 working Pennsylvanians will lose their health insurance in February and the 464,000 on the waiting list will have no hope of getting the care they need.

Join us to stand up for the hardworking Pennsylvanians who rely on adultBasic.

RIP Elizabeth Edwards

1949 - 2010

Think Progress on her legacy:

With her trademark courage, activism, and strong sense of justice, Elizabeth directly confronted the inequalities of the American health care system and the politicians who perpetuated them.

[snip]

Through congressional testimonies, public speeches, blog posts, and countless television appearances, Elizabeth emphasized the human and moral dimension of the health care debate. She pressed lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to pass a law that not only offered insurance to those who went without it, but did so at affordable rates. After all, nine out of every ten people who sought individual coverage in the current system “never got it,” Elizabeth reminded the protectors of the status quo. “People who have had cancer are denied coverage and those who get cancer run the risk of simply being dropped by their insurer for any excuse that can be found.” Elizabeth also highlighted the inequality facing women, who pay more for health insurance than men because they can potentially become pregnant.

Elizabeth was indispensable to the Democratic push for health care reform not only because of her persuasiveness and breadth of knowledge, but also because of her dedication to extending the health benefits she herself enjoyed to every American.

In PA in 2004.