A headline in the Oct. 31 issue of the Altoona Mirror said it best: “SEIU goes to bat for ACA.”
Over the last two months, healthcare professionals and members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania have taken their roles as “Healthcare Champions” seriously. The pledge made coming out of this year’s Leadership Assembly in September has energized and inspired us to take our knowledge and professional expertise to the streets to advocate for the Affordable Care Act.
It was a calling that came straight from the top — U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius knew that as healthcare workers, we could use our unique expertise to help educate others about the benefits of the new healthcare law, encourage uninsured people to get covered, and pressure our state legislature to fully implement the law by expanding Medicaid in our state.
In eight weeks, our nurses and other healthcare professionals have taken to the streets more than two dozen times to do outreach for the ACA in every part of the state. We’ve lobbied our legislators to support the law, we’ve talked to people on the street about the benefits of the ACA and even helped those in need of insurance connect with counselors and navigators who could get them signed up for a policy through the online marketplace.
Through our efforts, we’ve met people who needed healthcare coverage and were grateful for the information and our help. We also met average citizens who just didn’t feel like they understood the law and we helped them find the information they needed.
Take a look at just some of the coverage our efforts have garnered so far:
- Union Members to Help Enroll People in Health Care Exchanges
- SEIU to help encourage health care enrollment
- Health secretary compares Care Act to civil rights fight: Health secretary, SEIU push Obamacare
- SEIU joins Kathleen Sebelius in Obamacare outreach push
- Large Crowd Protests US Rep Joe Pitts
- Lancaster Rally Supports Obamacare
- WGAL Channel 8 Coverage
- WHP CBS Channel 21 Coverage
- Union Members to Help Enroll People in Health Care Exchanges
- Health insurance exchanges open for business
- Philadelphia Inquirer: Corbett sees hope in approval of Arkansas coverage plan
- New federal health insurance marketplace goes live today
- Glitches evident as Obamacare goes live
- Patience is Key
- Local Groups Make Strong Push To Inform Public About Affordable Care Act
- Health Care Workers Prepare For Exchanges
- Health care workers protest outside U.S. Rep. Dent’s office
- New Survey Shows Mixed Opinions on Affordable Care Act
- SEIU goes to bat for ACA
- This RN is rallying in Philly for full Obamacare today
- SEIU Holds Halloween Demonstration For ACA at Shuster Office
- Hitting the street to spread information about the Affordable Care Act in Upper Darby
But we’re not done. We are gearing up now to launch intensive community outreach in low income neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the Lehigh Valley. We will knock on tens of thousands of doors, connecting uninsured individuals with navigators and counselors, registering new voters, and recruiting activists to share their stories and build a movement for quality, affordable healthcare for all.