May 30 Demo Report-Back

COALITION AGAINST PRIVATIZATION (CAP)

Friends,

On Friday May 30^th, the Coalition Against Privatization held its second street demonstration against the proposed conversion (privatization) of GHI/HIP to for-profit status. As you may have heard, this privatization would remove an important non-profit healthcare carrier thereby exposing 4 million people in NY State to a for-profit health insurer. Non-profit status places a cap on administrative spending at 15% of the overall budget, provides oversight on premium increases and restricts access to funding from financial markets (thereby insuring that the overall goal of the company is the provision of healthcare and not the accumulation of profits).

The application for conversion sailed through Albany in April of 2007 and met little resistance until January 2008. Democrats, Republicans and, until recently, most of the leaders of municipal trade unions supported the privatization. They hope to profit from the estimated $3 – $5 billion dollars in assets, which will be liquidated if the conversion is approved. Plan subscribers, including 1.2 million municipal workers and their dependents (retirees included), would be thrown into a for-profit system which has left more than 46 million people without health insurance and 50 million under-insured.

In January 2008, 300 people, many retirees on fixed incomes, testified at a hearing held by the Superintendent of Insurance. The vast majority spoke against the proposed conversion with many demanding single-payer national health insurance. Since then, CAP has been formed and has organized street demonstrations on May 9th and May 30th. In addition, CAP supporters flooded the phone lines of the Superintendent of the Insurance on May 12th in a planned call-in action.

Friday's demonstration targeted the office of GHI in midtown. Protestors then moved to the office of Governor David Paterson. Along the way, the march received support from passers-by in the form of conversations, pumped fists and words of encouragement. The employees at GHI, who face possible termination or transfer if the conversion is approved, were also receptive to our message. Chants included: "Eric Dinallo–Just Say No!" / "David Paterson–Tell Him No!" and "People over Profits–Healthcare is a Right!"

Speakers included representatives from the UFT rank and file caucus, Independent Community of Educators, TWU Local 100 rank-and-file activists, UFT retirees, D.C. 37 retirees, Socialist Party USA, Healthcare – NOW and Socialist Action. The speakers highlighted the need to break through the silence on this issue by taking the word directly to rank-and-file workers who have largely been kept in the dark by political and trade union representatives. It was also noted that one unelected administrator, Superintendent Eric Dinallo, now controls the fate of 4 million people. Finally, many speakers combined their opposition to the privatization with renewed calls for building the movement for single-payer national health insurance.

Coverage of the march will air on a WBAI (99.5 FM) program entitled, "Building Bridges," this Monday evening, June 2nd, at 7:00pm. There will also be a second article by Ari Paul in this Tuesday's edition of The Chief.

The march began with a surprise announcement that Randi Weingarten, the head of the Municipal Labor Council and the President of the UFT, had penned a letter to Superintendent Dinallo expressing concern about possible increases in premium rates and denial of access to care should the conversion be approved. She stated that the municipal unions were in the process of reviewing their support of the proposed conversion. This is an important victory for CAP since we have consistently argued that premium rates and access would be jeopardized by a for-profit carrier. Activists in ICE have also attempted to bring this message to the floor of the UFT Delegate Assembly for the past three months and have had many positive conversations with DA representatives.

Going forward, CAP is participating in the June 19^th national demonstrations in support of single-payer national healthcare. Demonstrations will be organized in 17 cities throughout the U.S. The New York City demonstration will unite CAP with Healthcare NOW! and Private Health Insurance Must Go! We will demand the passage of H.R. 676 and speak out against the privatization of GHI/HIP. The demonstration will be held on Thursday, June 19th, at 5:00pm in front of the office of GHI at 441 9th Avenue (34th & 9th). We will then march to the office of United Healthcare at 1 Penn Plaza (33rd bet. 7th & 8^th).

Please consider participating in our growing movement to stop the privatization of GHI/HIP and secure healthcare as a basic human right!

A CAP organizer can be contacted at (718) 869-2279 or by email at noprivatization@yahoo.com

In Peace and Solidarity,

The Coalition Against Privatization