National Nurses United

NewsBriefs:Public 7/9/07 1:21 PM Page 4 NewsBriefs Nurses, Moore Launch Campaign to Expose the Real Sickos laying off the release of Michael Moore's new film SiCKO which exposes the failures of the private insurance industry, thousands of CNA/NNOC RNs and other allies teamed up with the Oscar-winning filmmaker on June 12 in Sacramento, Calif. to launch a popular campaign for the nation to adopt guaranteed healthcare modeled on a single-payer system. The day-long events marked a historic moment in the U.S. healthcare reform movement—combining the intense Hollywood buzz surrounding the documentary with the energy of nurses and other activists rallying to improve and expand healthcare to all American residents by eliminating the gatekeeper role of private insurance companies and HMOs. In conjunction with the release of SiCKO on hundreds of screens across the nation, CNA/NNOC enlisted thousands of RNs to join a "Scrubs for SiCKO" campaign that brought nurses to nearly 50 theaters to talk to moviegoers and encourage them to get active in lobbying for guaranteed, nation- P al healthcare—similar to an improved and expanded Medicare for all. The movie and campaign debuted at a time when Americans rate concern over lack of affordable, reliable healthcare as their top domestic issue, individual states are already debating and adopting their own reform plans, and the issue is emerging as among the most critical factors in the 2008 presidential race. Nationally, a bill that would establish a single-payer system, HR 676, is pending before Congress. In California, SB 840, a singlepayer bill, has now passed the state Senate and a key Assembly committee, and CNA/NNOC is mounting a campaign to get the bill enacted despite the threat of a veto by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "It feels like we have a fair chance of implementing real healthcare reform if we take advantage of this unique opportunity in time," said Deborah Burger, RN and CNA/NNOC president. "This definitely feels like a tipping point." On June 12, Moore and Burger, as well as subjects in the film, first testified at a legisla- NATIONAL 4 REGISTERED NURSE W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G tive briefing on SB 840 before Sen. Sheila Kuehl, the bill's author, and other legislators. A huge rally at the Capitol and a special screening of the movie for RNs followed. The briefing focused on the central argument of SiCKO and of legislation like SB 840 and HR 676: that private health insurance companies should have no business acting as a middleman controlling access and payment between patients and providers because they will always prioritize profits above all else. "There should never be room for the word profit when you're making a decision about whether to provide someone care," said Moore in the briefing. "Insurance corporations are always asking, 'Where's the profit here? How does this affect the bottom line? How do we make money off this sick person?' This won't look good to the anthropologists when they dig us up hundreds of years from now." Through patient stories and contrasting the American system to other countries, SiCKO makes the case for the U.S. to switch to a national health plan such as that enjoyed by all other western industrialized nations JUNE 2007

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