PORTLAND, ME – Nurses and doctors from nine healthcare battleground states canvassed for health reform on Saturday.
The event was sponsored by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Working America and was held in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Ohio.
The healthcare providers, who wore scrubs as they went door-to-door, were in support of a health reform plan that "will not allow private insurance companies to come in between healthcare providers and their patients."
"We need real reform that keeps my patients' health in the hands of their nurses and doctors, and not their insurance companies," said Bonnie Eisenklam, a nurse from Portland, Maine. "I'm asking Congress for the choice of a public health insurance option that will lower costs, improve quality and keep insurance companies honest."
According to AFSCME officials on Sept. 16 said the Senate Finance Committee healthcare bill, still under consideration by the committee, "is deeply flawed. "
"It does not come close to meeting the needs of America's working families. Nor does it meet the standards President Obama laid out in his address to Congress. There is no employer mandate, no public option, no help for retirees. "
"The bill weakens state insurance regulations and taxes health plans that provide benefits for many middle class families. This bill fails to provide good, affordable coverage and does not protect families from medical bankruptcy. It is unacceptable. We call upon members of the Finance Committee to fix this bill,"AFSCME leaders said.
AFSCME has 1.6 million members in hundreds of different occupations, including nurses, corrections officers, childcare providers and sanitation workers.
AFSCME leaders say the organization advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.
