"June 2008" Posts
All aboard
Big lake? No problem. The Road to Health Care bus boarded the S.S. Badger to cross Lake Michigan into Wisconsin, saving a day's worth of driving time and keeping our health care message afloat.
Posted By: Stephanie Hoo on 6/19/2008 11:18:00 PM
In Lansing, power to the people
State Sen. Deborah Cherry introduced the Road to Health Care message at the Michigan State Capitol building on June 11, calling on both Lansing and Washington to do better and pointing out deficiencies in Sen. John McCain's health plan.
A new SEIU report details how McCain's plan would actually make it harder to get health care. Learn more about it here: http://www.seiu.org/media/pressreleases.cfm?pr_id=1673
"People in political power who can approve health care should do it," said Elizabeth Manning-Washington from Lansing, who is unemployed. "They help the stock markets and big oil companies with the click of a pen. They should be able to help the rest of us, too."
Eftikhar Saleh, a teacher from Dearborn, elaborates in this video clip.
Posted By: Stephanie Hoo on 6/19/2008 11:12:00 PM
Dodging raindrops in Muskegon
Thunder and lightning weren't enough to stop the big purple bus as it traveled to the lakeside town of Muskegon and set up outside the SEIU Healthcare Michigan office. The storm paused just long enough for the event on June 9, which featured nurses, home care aides and hospital workers -- including Lola Scott, who works in a senior living center.
"I see people without health insurance trying to self-medicate themselves, like in the old days," she said, "with homemade splints, mustard packs and hot toddies."
"In the old days, people used to die after getting a toothache because they didn't go to the dentist and the infection spread. People used to die at 35 or 40 years old. Do we want to go back to that?"
"No," she said, as the assembled crowd shook their heads.
From there, the bus headed to Lansing, to take its message of health care reform to Michigan's State Capitol.
Posted By: Stephanie Hoo on 6/19/2008 11:08:00 PM
Motoring into Detroit
The Road to Health Care teamed up with the Health Care for Michigan Campaign to collect signatures for a state ballot initiative that seeks to control costs and get more people insured.
"A lot of times you think no one cares and the system is just waitingfor you to die," said Karen Kirkland, an uninsured health care worker who was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago and still owes almost $20,000 in medical bills. Karen made about $16,000 last year – all of which went toward her medical debt and paying for medications.
"Michigan can do better. America can do better," she said at the May 27 event.
Karen was also interviewed by local radio -- with her story prominently featured during drive-time -- as SEIU volunteers fanned out across the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak to knock on doors and sign up more health care voters.
Posted By: Stephanie Hoo on 6/4/2008 8:14:00 AM