Eric Massa Protests Outside Health Care Conference (VIDEO)

Congressman Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) led a protest Monday outside the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Washington, site of the 2009 national conference of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a trade group for the health insurance industry.

"We are not radicals! We are not a fringe element!" shouted Massa, who opted not to use the bullhorn provided by protest organizers. "We are the 48 million Americans who cannot access health care today!"

Sign-waving protesters cheered as Massa delivered his full-throated support of single-payer health insurance. The protest, which attracted roughly 60 people, was organized chiefly by reform advocates Health Care for America Now, along with partners from the AFL-CIO, MoveOn.org and several other groups. Organizers decried AHIP as a special interest group that makes obscene profits to defend the status quo.

"The single-payer proposal needs a seat at the table," Massa told the Huffington Post after delivering his remarks to the crowd. He said he was "delighted" that single-payer proponent Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) had been "given a seat at the table" when the White House invited him to attend last week's health care summit.

Peter Orszag, President Obama's budget director, didn't bring up the single-payer seating assignment when he spoke at the conference.

"All the proposals getting serious consideration on Capitol Hill have a public-private approach," said AHIP communications director Robert Zirkelbach when asked to respond to Massa's call for single-payer coverage. Zirkelbach said AHIP prefers increased regulation and market reform to anything that would totally upend the current system.

The protest ended when the group tried to enter the Ritz to deliver an oversized award certificate to Karen Ignagni, AHIP's president and CEO. The "Best Protector of Profits at the Expense of Our Health" award didn't make it past security guards or a strategically-parked car near the entrance.

"I believe in First Amendment rights," Ignagni said when asked about the protest during a subsequent press conference. "We're motivated by going through a process of taking issues off the table that are troubling the American people."

The American News Project was there with a video camera. Watch:

Comments

[lacewing]

All members of AARP should begin pressing the management of that organization, one of the most powerful influences in Washington, to stop dithering around and endorse single payer.

Let's do it!

http://www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefail/contact_us.html

[levibatgirl]

These insurance companies act as if they have rights above the rights of Americans and we should set aside our demands and should defer to them.

Sca-roo them!!

[Ohioan730]

Yes! Stand up to them. I was once employed by The Ritz-Carlton. They make a big fuss over being polite and acknowledging all employees as being on the same level at the orientation and then when you begin to work there, you get marginalized and ignored. I was totally suspicious of emphasis placed on employee equality and treatment at the orientation and I found out why---it is a HUGE issue within that company. Not surprising that they are shady on insuring their employees. I didn't stay long enough for the benefits to kick in before I was fed up with the entire company.

[helonias]

I have a friend from Belgium who has been a US citizen for 30 years.

He also does what he needs to do to keep his Belgium citizenship, for one reason.

Their far superior health care, his words.

He has experienced both

BTW his a a well paid professional and has health Insurance here.

[SPQR1775]

Yes, I am in the military and people fail to realized that the military is a socialist system, so too is the Federal Goverment and all the "white schools" that seem to get the goverment benefits, but GOP/DEMS politician refuse to fund schools in urban or minority districts whether black, asian, latin or white rural appalachian towns. The Time for CHANGE is now and peopl will demand it, it is only a few months away before people awake to the lack of interest and support on their part. The AWAKENING HAS BEGAN, THE CHANGE IS COMING AND THE CONGRESS will he brought to it's KNEES. PELOSI will get all the CHANGE she is fighting for and the Corporate GLOBALIST CABAL will be shut down from Pharma to Defense!

[SPQR1775]

This is great and is surely a reflection of "THINGS TO COME"! As the summer sultice arrive DC will be flooded with people by the millions to march on Washington and Demand Passage of EFCA, HEALTHCARE FOR ALL, demand that the "DINO's" Blue Dog Democrats and their globalist cabal of GOP Bushites, NEO-Clintonites, NEO- Bushites, NEO-FACIST, NEO-NAZI's, NEO-Rushites, NEO-GLOBALIST and NEO-CORPORATIST and their conservative fringe elements in the NEO-ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, NEO-LDS, and all the other NEO-RELIGION must put the interest of the people first. The Neo-Defense Industry, Neo-Health­care/HMO's­, Neo-Banking, Neo-Trade, Neo-Parmaceutical and all the others who are fleecing Americans and the worlds people for profit. WE THE PEOPLE ARE NOT FOR PROFIT, EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK, EQUAL PRODUCT FOR FAIR PRICE. ALSO WE WILL STOP THE CARSINOGENSE SODA, AND FOOD PRODUCTS. DOWN WITH THE BUSHITE FDA. DOWN WITH THE NEO-FACIST IMPERIALIST PENTAGON AND THE NEO- PLANTS BURROWED IN THE GOVERMENT AND SUPREME COURT. THE CHANGE WE SEEK IS NOW. Get ready for the Purple Revolution. Americans are tired, fed up and we are FIRED UP * READY TO GO!

Sultice 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. THE CHURCH IS A FRAUD, THE BANKING INDUSTRY; PHARMA ARE ALL FRAUDS AND WE ARE THEIR PAWNS-NO LONGER!

[Three Four Five]

MN-Sen: Coleman's hopes take another hit as registration search only yields 88 or 89 additional ballots...

http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=249&ArticleName=Secrecy+Envelope+Search+Complete

[helonias]

One Nation Under God

Who's kid said

You Treat Me As You Treat The Least Of You

[VikingQuest]

Maybe everyone could have health care if they spent less time protesting and asking for other people to pay their bills and pay their own bills.

[Alison DeLuca]

Oh, and by the way - universal health care DOES actually exist right now in the United States. Citizens of Massechusetts have it, thanks to their then-governor signing it into law - that would be Mitt Romney.

[hulagirrrl]

All of your government employees and military members have excellent socialized medical care, but probably not as good as your elected officials in D C.

[joyf1]

Well, we pay all our health care bills, premium is over $16,000 a year and total medical came to over $22,000. My husband has advanced cancer. Any other suggestions?

[dollbaby]

Thank you joyf1. My son has CF and our bills are outrageous. And his CF symptoms are mild. People are not asking for a hand out but a hnd up and a fair shot? I don't think anyone protesting took a bill there to be paid by anyone else, couldn't get it pass security or the parked car.

[mightyhead]

"We're motivated by going through a process of taking issues off the table that are troubling the American people."

????

That has to go in the corporate double-speak hall of fame.

[ELGUAPO77]

WHEN WILL PEOPLE REALIZE THAT PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES AREN'T IN THE MARKET TO GIVE PEOPLE THE BEST HEALTHCARE. THEY ARE ONLY IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING MONEY AT OUR EXPENSE WHICH IS PRETTY EVIDENT OF PAST FEW YEARS. I HOPE THE JOHN CONYERS BILL GOES THROUGH HR676 SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE IS NEEDED NOW.

[snesich]

Clearly, Single Payer makes the most sense for American citizens. We need to present our case to the Obama Administration and the public. Single Payer would allow you to keep your current doctor and health care provider, if you choose, or to choose another one. It would also give you more coverage, prevent denials of coverage based on age or health problems, and cost less.

It's only the propaganda from the insurance companies who are currently making billions off of the current system that is keeping Single Payer from being considered more seriously.

I urge people to learn more about Single Payer at: http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php

They also have a great FAQ section that makes all of this clear and easy to understand.

[PlaceboStudman]

Your propoganda (including the enclosed website which I studied carefully) is just as insiduous and misleading as insurance company propoganda,

Not a single word about pre-existing conditions such as childhood cancer, lukemia or any one of the number of congenital birth defects that exist in the world, and are in case of point, fact for many many Americans who would not benefit from a single payer system.

Health care....no­, let me rephrase that, MEDICINE AND TECHNOLOGY costs will be cut, medication and treatment will be rationed, and the best most advanced state of the art treatments that many of us depend on will be drastically cut back, if not completely eliminated to reduce costs for those people who are most afraid of a stubbed toe or a broken arm (often brought on by one's own carelessness).

But, for those of us with chronic life long disabilities, we MUST depend on the high cost, high productivity methods of new state of the art medicine and technology.

Universal health care is a myth, unless you're willing to shrug off the feeble elderly with alzheimers, or the child born with cancer or lukemia, or the millions of people living with MS, MD, CP, CF, and Spina Bifida

[Irmanator]

Absolute poppycock. Not a fact or a link anywhere, just propoganda. How much are they paying you?

[digitalprophet]

^^ this guy sipped the kool-aid that the white hooded man gave him.

[helonias]

You mean its really doesn't exist in Canada or UK or Germany or Japan or........­...

Gosh

[IowaKid]

I agree, and thank you for the link. We all need to fight together for this cause.

[digitalprophet]

Thanks for the link, it is pretty good for understanding what this country needs, not what the entrenched insurance companies want.

[brandnewstuff]

That was great stance - I applaud all they made the efforts--

First Amendment right to protest ( be glad Bush is gone eveyone would have been called a terrorist and sent to a Blacksite, with not right at all, truth to power Now!) The memos outed all involved