DC Lobbying Conference

Tom Ticknor and others at the DC Conference

Members of the church attended a conference in Washington, DC  April 3-5 titled “Healthcare as a UU Value”.  At the conference they heard from Sister Simone Campbell, one of the “nuns on the bus,” about the importance of telling our stories and from author and activist Chuck Collins, who’s just written a book titled ‘Born on Third Base’.

The conference was co-sponsored by UUs for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC) and the DC chapter of UUs for Social Justice (UUSJ).  It included speakers who highlighted the importance of bringing our spiritual values to our activism work and experts from Americans from Tax Fairness and Nurses United who presented details on the current health care plan.  On the final day of the conference, attendees met with 22 US Senators and their staff to lobby for the rights of every American to affordable and effective health care.

When the delegation from Illinois met with Sen Durbin and Sen Duckworth’s staff, they presented numerous letters from Illinois churches, including ours, stressing that health care is a human right and that care for needs to be strengthened and not eliminated for those least able to pay.

According to Amirah Sequeira of National Nurses United, even with the Affordable Care Act 28 million Americans still have no health insurance.  She told the group that Sen John Conyers has introduced HR676 the “Medicare for All” bill; it now has over 80 co-sponsors.

The group also met with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from the 7th District in Washington state, the only UU currently serving in the US Congress.  She criticized Trump’s proposed health care bill as a “huge transfer of wealth”; it would have eliminated the higher tax rates for the wealthy and for large corporations put in place to help pay for the subsidies of Obama’s Affordable Care Act.  Rep Jayapal was especially concerned that Republicans might turn to state courts to try and cut-back the Medicaid subsidies now in place in many states.

As follow-up to the conference the UUJEC is planning to create a multi-session curriculum on improving healthcare in the US and how it relates to the growing problem of income inequality.  The group also is considering holding regional conferences on the health care to continue efforts to mobilize congregations around this issue.

2017-05-24T14:18:44+00:00

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