Media Advisory

November 29, 2005
For More Info: Mark Dunlea, 518 434-7371, xt. 1#

Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform with Cong. McNulty Sat. Dec. 10 in Albany

Local labor, faith and community organizations are sponsoring a town hall meeting on health care reform and universal health care on Saturday December 10th at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 85 Chestnut St., Albany from 11:00 AM to 1 PM.

The forum will be an opportunity for local residents to testify about problems with the health care system and the need for comprehensive reform. A single payer health care system will be discussed, though the forum will also hear about other approaches. The event is open to the public – both to listen and to testify.

The panel hearing the testimony will include Congressmember Michael McNulty, City Councilmember Richard Conti (who also works for the Assembly Health Committee) and local medical providers and faith representatives.

The initial list of co-sponsors includes the Hunger Action Network of New York State, FOCUS Churches, Labor-Religion Coalition (of Capital District), Hamilton Hill Forum, Physicians for a National Health Program, Capital District Greens, and CURE-NY.

The forum is part of a series of the town hall meetings that is being organized nationally by the Healthcare Now campaign (www.healthcare-now.org/), which supports HR 676, a version of Medicare for All. More than 65% of Americans believe that everybody should have healthcare in this country guaranteed by the government according to a recent PEW survey.

While there are many positive aspects to the United States’ health care system, overall the system performs poorly, especially compared to other industrial countries. The World Health Organization ranks the US only 37th in the world; we have infant mortality rates comparable to some third world countries; 18,000 Americans die each year just due to the lack of health insurance. We spend way too much money – 15.5% of our GDP, twice as much per capita as any other country – for this inferior health care system. Health care adds $1,500 to every car built by General Motors. Just the amount we spend on public health care programs such as Medicaid and Medicare is more than any other country spends. Three million New Yorkers – and more than 45 million Americans – are without health insurance at any one point in time.

For more information, contact Hunger Action Network at 518 434-7371, xt. 1#