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“Public Option” doesn’t guarantee healthcare for all

Cherie Mortice, CCI Action Fund Board President. Originally appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. What’s our biggest health care issue? Cost. Many of us worry whether we can afford to go to the doctor we like or get the care we need. And there’s numerous proposals by current Democratic candidates for President aimed at addressing that concern, but only one that truly gets to the heart of the problem. Proposed solutions like John Delaney’s “BetterCare,” or Pete Buttigieg’s “Medicare for All Who Want It,” or introducing a new public insurance plan alongside the for-profit insurers (the “public option”) may sound nice, but do not control costs. And it leaves open the door for private insurers to game the system by offering bare-bones plans to healthy individuals, further burdening our public system. Only an all-in system will truly control costs and address the insecurity we feel within our current system. In the name of political expediency, these...

Our current healthcare system vs. Medicare for All

Michael McKinley, CCI Action and Our Revolution member The current state of American health care is one of pure, unmitigated fear. Most of us live in a constant panic, afraid we and our family will get sick—not so much for having access to good care, as for not being able to afford it. The privately-owned, for-profit health insurance industry is a predatory protection racket, and it is no exaggeration to say it is bankrupting and killing us. Ralph Nader calls the immensely profitable Big Insurance, Big Pharma, and Big Hospital monopolies the “Pay Up or Die” industry. Their purpose is to make money. They do this by taking in as much money from you as they can, while paying out as little as possible for your health care, shifting its high cost onto you. They reduce their payout by restricting the amount of care available to you, by erecting barriers to you seeking and receiving care when you need it, and by making you pay as much for it as possible if you succeed in...

The People’s Voice: The convention is over but our activism is not.

From left to right: Shundrea Trotty, Patty Lovera, Varshini Prakash, and Sarita Gupta discuss the importance of grassroots politics and their optimism for the future. DES MOINES, IA – Hundreds of members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund (CCI) gathered downtown on Saturday to participate in CCI’s 2019 annual convention, The People’s Voice. The convention brought together existing and new members to hear from an all-female panel discussion. Leaders in caregiving, anti-factory farms, climate, and racial justice discussed the importance of these issues and offered ways people can take action and deepen our grassroots activism. “We must rely on people, not politicians and corporations, to make a positive change,” said Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement. “During the Great Depression one year saw two million people protest and 400,000 workers strike for a day or more. We need that kind of social...

Weekly updated for July 8, 2019

In last Monday’s email, we asked you to spend time reflecting on why you do the movement work you do. I had some time to do that myself and was reminded that there are two sides to every coin.As we celebrated independence, we also must recognize the land we live on is stolen land, unceded by indigenous people. As many of us enjoyed a little extra time off for the 4th of July, many more people did not. We recognize this country was built on slavery and exploitation of immigrant labor, and that a handful of very wealthy individuals continues to profit off the labor of poor and working class people. And even as we celebrate the US Women’s Soccer victory, we also must recognize the gender-based systemic oppressions that show up in their story and in the stories of other women and gender nonconforming people, including pay inequity, and unpaid labor.So we are called to this work for many reasons and we recognize that all our struggles are linked. We take...

You’re invited: People’s Voice – Iowa CCI Action’s 2019 Convention

Are you ready to make your voice heard? We believe in an Iowa where every person lives a joyful, healthy, fulfilling life—regardless of where they live, what they look like, or what their background is. But, we know our communities are under constant pressure and attack from climate change, factory farms, over policing, and lack of healthcare. We’re tired of hearing that our health, our water, and our lives must be compromised or balanced with the industries willing to trade those things for profit. We’re ready to tell a new story and write a new future. Are you? Use code FRIENDS to save $15 by July 12th. Join us Saturday, July 27 The CCI Action Convention is an energizing, inspiring, and powerful day. It’s a place of hope and action. At this event we’ll learn how we use our voices and build our collective power to turn things around – for us, our kids, and our grandkids. The day will feature: Powerful keynote, panel, and...

Register NOW for The People’s Voice: Iowa CCI Action’s 2019 Convention

Watch live We believe in an Iowa where every person lives a joyful, healthy, fulfilling life—regardless of where they live, what they look like, or what their background is. But, we know our communities are under constant pressure and attack from climate change, factory farms, over policing, and lack of healthcare. We’re tired of hearing that our health, our water, and our lives must be compromised or balanced with the industries willing to trade those things for profit. We’re ready to tell a new story and write a new future. Are you? Join us Saturday, July 27 Community Choice Convention Center833 5th StreetDes Moines, IA 50309 The CCI Action Convention is an energizing, inspiring, and powerful day. It’s a place of hope and action. At this event we’ll learn how we use our voices and build our collective power to turn things around – for us, our kids, and our grandkids. The day will feature: Powerful keynote, panel, and workshop...