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Key Organizations Urge Senate to Support Cloture Motions in Health Reform Debate
December 16, 2009
ACS CAN volunteer Dan Brodrick traveled to Washington, D.C. from Gainesboro, Tenn., to urge the Senate to put patients before politics and vote for health care reform. Today, Dan joined other patients from across the country representing key patient and consumer organizations in the health care debate. Dan knows first-hand the holes that exist in the broken health care system. His wife Sharon passed away from cancer that was not caught in time due to a lack of access to care – care that could have saved her life. Dan is also featured in ACS CAN’s first national television spot. A full release on the event follows.
Washington, D.C. – With crucial Senate votes just days away, leaders from AARP, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Consumers Union, and Families USA urged the Senate not to let politics and gridlock get in the way of moving forward on comprehensive health insurance reform.
At a press conference in the U.S. Capitol, the organizations announced their support for upcoming cloture votes on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They were joined by people from across America who described how the current health care system has failed them -- people who understand what the cost of inaction means for American families and small businesses.
“AARP applauds the Senate for putting forward legislation that protects guaranteed Medicare benefits and makes serious progress toward achieving meaningful relief for millions of older Americans who still face challenges accessing affordable, quality health care services,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “We support these steps and hope the final bill can be improved even further.”
“We can't win the war on cancer if barriers to adequate, affordable health care persist,” said Molly Daniels, Vice President of Field Advocacy for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “Health care reform that works for families affected by cancer will benefit almost anyone who needs to access the health care system.”
“Too many consumers are one pink slip away – or one serious illness away – from losing their health care,” said DeAnn Friedholm, Director of Consumers Union’s Health Reform Campaign. “The Senate needs to vote to move the process forward and keep working toward making the vital improvements in health care American consumers need and deserve.”
“During the next week, the Senate will have a clear choice to make: either vote to end a filibuster so that we can secure quality, affordable health coverage and care for America's families, or we can continue the delays, obstruction, and negativity that will result in more and more people being priced out of the health care they need,” said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. “The choice should be obvious: we need to end the filibuster and start helping America's families.”
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