Support Rallies for SB 562 Planned at State Capitol on Oct 23 and 24 During Select Committee Hearings on Health Care

The California Nurses Association, Healthy California campaign, Our Revolution and #KnockEveryDoor held more than one hundred grassroots outreach actions in all 80 state Assembly districts over the weekend connecting more than ten thousand of California residents to the movement for Medicare for All and SB 562, legislation which would guarantee health coverage to all Californians and eliminate premiums, deductibles and other out-of-pocket health costs.

Hundreds of volunteers participated in the statewide action, engaging over ten thousand California residents, documenting their healthcare stories and sharing information about SB 562. Volunteers urged their neighbors to call assembly members and ask them to take action to move the bill forward. They also signed up supporters for future campaign actions including two rallies planned Oct. 23 and 24 in Sacramento at the State Capitol coinciding with the "Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage."

"This statewide mobilization was very exciting because we were able to connect with voters throughout California and answer their questions about who is delaying SB 562. Elected representatives can no longer say they support single payer and SB 562 and then do absolutely nothing to advance it. This is unacceptable to voters," said Maureen Dugan, an RN at UC San Francisco and California Nurses Association board member. "Many people I spoke to shared with me how precarious their health care is now. They want California to lead the nation by moving forward with SB 562."

"I'm one of the people that are considered underinsured. A few years ago I had a cancer scare and had to get a few biopsies. I assumed something like that would be covered by my insurance but I had to pay $9000," said Marcia Martin, a canvass volunteer in Lynwood and constituent of Speaker Anthony Rendon, AD63. "I thought I was covered till something bad happened. That's the case for a lot of people living in my community so I'm here today to educate people about SB 562 and how it would eliminate monthly premiums, co-pays and deductibles."

The need for legislators to move SB 562 forward has gained even more urgency, say organizers, given the uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act in light of last Thursday's executive order designed to unravel the Affordable Care Act and ongoing GOP threats to cut Medicare and Medicaid, and possibly repeal parts of the ACA, through legislative maneuvering and the budget process.

The next campaign mobilization is planned in Sacramento during the hearings held by the "Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage." Supporters of SB 562 will hold rallies to urge that legislators move SB 562 forward, on both days of the hearings, Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, on the North Steps of the California State Capitol building from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

RSVP for transportation to the 10/23 & 24 rallies in Sacramento here: https://fs27.formsite.com/CalNurses/form1/index.html

To learn more about the Healthy California Act SB 562 visit: http://www.healthycaliforniaact.org