Mitt Romney and President Obama will be in New York City on Thursday, October 18, for the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner. This is the only NYC event with both presidential candidates present.

STAND UP to cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
STAND UP to cuts to our Social Safety Net
STAND UP to Austerity

…with an equal opportunity protest against BOTH presidential candidates.

When:  Thursday, October 18, 5:30 PM
Where: The Waldorf Astoria Hotel
301 Park Avenue @ E.50th St, NYC

Changes to Medicare have been a central issue in the debates. STAND UP for the only change that needs to be made: Improving and Expanding Medicare for All – implementing a universal healthcare system in the United States.

Join Physicians for a National Health Program-NY Metro and others against cuts to our social safety net – Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

“When Paul Ryan was picked as Mitt Romney’s running mate back in August, Medicare was pushed to center stage as the main issue of the elections. Ryan is the architect of the plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program–a move that would end the popular and efficient public program as we know it and jeopardize the health of close to 50 million elderly and disabled Americans. He and other Republican leaders also want to block-grant Medicaid. While most Democrats oppose these proposals, they have their own plans to drastically cut these safety net programs if they enter into an anticipated ‘grand bargain’ on the deficit.”

– PNHP-NY Metro

If one 5-hour ER visit costs $10,000, it is not surprising why so many people go bankrupt unexpectedly.  It is time to take action.

Join us on Tuesday, 10/2 to rally support for a Robin Hood Tax and on Wednesday, 10/3 to plan future events.

Tues, 10/3 Robin Hood Tax Action

11am • Tuesday, Oct 2nd
Charlie Rangel’s Office • 163 W 125th St (btn 7th & Lenox Aves)

Join us as we rally outside of Congressman Charlie Rangel’s office to demand that he supports a Robin Hood Tax. The Movement is now a Bill in Congress – if you aren’t able to attend the event contact your representative to demand that they Support the Bill.

This action will be in solidarity with Act Up, Health Gap, Healthcare for the 99%, National Nurses United, and VOCAL

Wed, Oct 3rd • 6:30 – 8:30p

HCN NYC’s Monthly Planning Meeting

220 5th Ave @ 26th St • 5th Floor

Healthcare is costly, and planning for a serious illness is not something that most people can afford to do. Even with insurance, getting care is a complicated process that can be prohibitively expensive. No one should have to take on the full-time job of navigating the healthcare system when ill. None of us should be expect to major in “Health Insurance 101.”

Unfortunately, having insurance doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be swamped with medical debt.

Sen. Paul Ryan (R-WI), chairman of the House Budget Committee and candidate for Vice President, resurrected the idea of a premium support or voucher proposal after three decades of defeat. Under this proposal, Medicare’s traditional guaranteed coverage would be eliminated. PNHP (Physicians for a National Health Program) clarifies myths and facts of Ryan’s premium support proposal.

Because the Affordable Care Act is not clear about what is “affordable,” many families might not actually be able to pay for insurance under the new law, which calculates affordability based on individual, not family, premiums.

While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) increases the number of Americans with health insurance,  it does not guarantee that everyone will be covered. Prior to the Supreme Court decision to strike down the requirement that states expand Medicaid, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that 27 million people would remain uninsured by 2022 if the ACA were enacted. As a result of this decision, the CBO has revised that estimate to 30 million. A single payer system is a better way to cover everyone.

Goldman Sachs expects large managed health care companies, like WellPoint, are seeking to broaden exposure to public-sector managed care and revenue growth that it presents. WellPoint bought a Medicaid insurance company, Amerigroup, for $4.5 billion. Wall Street analysts and investors see this deal as a revenue growth opportunity for the companies, reflected by the 3.8% increase in WellPoint’s share price and 38% jump for Amerigroup.

The Presbyterian Church (USA), a single-payer advocate, has decided to investigate the practices of health insurance companies in which they have invested and possibly divest from those which are not aligned with the principals of the church. This action is in line with the recommendations of Rob Stone, who has been calling for investors in for-profit health insurance companies to support resolutions that would return formerly non-profit insurance companies to their original status and divestment in for-profit insurance companies.