Hundreds Caravan for Medicare

With nurses leading the caravans in more than 24 California cities, hundreds demanded passage of Assembly bill 1400 that would guarantee medical care to all — regardless of age, medical condition, citizenship status.

More than 60 cars took part in Hollywood, 15 in Anaheim and others in Bell Gardens, downtown LA and Woodland Hills.

National Nurses Union and California Nurses Association leader and caravan organizer Erika Feresten told the crowd “California has the money, we can make CalCare a reality.” 

Solidarity Project activist Michelle Manos added “With systemic problems in health care in this country, the only way out of this mess is winning medical coverage for all. That is especially true now with COVID safety a priority.”

In a press statement, Cathy Kennedy, registered nurse and president of the CNA said, “This for-profit health care system has cost lives, all so that a few health insurance executives can line their pockets. This newest COVID-19 surge further shows how broken our current system is. California has an opportunity to make history and finally say that health care is a human right.”

Businesses are fighting AB 1400, as are health insurance companies. They say California cannot afford it … but according to the California Legislative Analyst’s office, California will have a $31 billion surplus (resources in excess of current law commitments) to allocate in fiscal year 2022-23. The Legislature had a $47 billion surplus to allocate in the 2021-22 Budget Act.

 California already has the money to fund healthcare for everyone.

The statewide caravans of supporters of health care for all in California, the largest yet, are timed to coincide with the date by which the bill must pass out of the Assembly Health Committee: Jan. 14.

National Nurses United president and registered nurse, Jean Ross, told news outlets the truth: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is putting thousands of lives at risk by weakening COVID-19 isolation guidelines to seven days for health care workers — and even less time when there are staffing shortages.

While the CDC now claims this change is motivated by science, nurses know it’s motivated by something else entirely: employers wanting workers back on the clock fast, regardless of whether it’s safe, to maximize their profits.

This move by the CDC comes as the Omicron varient is exploding across the country, single-day records for COVID-19 cases continue to be broken, and the number of available ICU beds dwindles in hospital after hospital. What’s more, this change comes right as OSHA announced its plan to rescind hard-won emergency protections for health care workers. Their actions pose very real risk for nurses, other health care workers, and patients. 

“We’ve fought since day one of this pandemic for protections for nurses and health care workers based on science and the precautionary principle, and we’re not backing down now,” said the leadership of NNU in a released statement.

For more information: https://healthcareforall-la.org/wp/