Maine's Largest Health Care Reform Rally

Change that Works, Maine People's Alliance, Health Care for America Now, and other groups working to bring about comprehensive health care reform held a rally in Portland on Saturday. It was the biggest rally for health care reform in Maine's history.

Change that Works, a campaign sponsored by SEIU, has been working on health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act.

MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 has been a part of Change that Works from the beginning, back during the winter.

Change that Works bused people to Portland from all over the state. People from all of Maine's sixteen counties were there. The estimate I heard was over 650 people rallying for health care reform, now. With Congress' August recess fast approaching, the crowd started chanting, "No reform, no recess."

The recess will give the insurance and pharmacuetical companies a chance to start pushing back hard on reform, to keep things the way they are and leave it up to the insurance companies to reform themselves. We all know how that will work.

We grouped up in Monument Square on Congress Street to hear the various speakers and the theme song, "Begging for Change."

Speakers included representatives from Senator Snowe, Congressman Mike Michaud and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. Speaker of the House, Hannah Pingree and Senator Peter Mills also spoke.

Cheryl Leeman, speaking on behalf of Senator Snowe, said that Senator Snowe is now supporting the public option.

My thoughts when I heard this were, "WOW! We finally got through to her! All the phone calls and letters and contacts made to Senator Snowe through Change that Works and HCAN paid off. WE DID IT!"

Speaker Pingree mentioned Maine's direct care workers, the work we do, and the fact that we are providing care and cannot get health insurance through our work. She mentioned the self-employed lobstermen in her district that cannot afford individual policies to insure themselves and their families.

Senator Peter Mills talked about small businesses not being able to insure their employees because the cost of health insurance keeps skyrocketing.

After the speech making was done, we marched down Congress Street, turning onto Exchange Street, marching through the Old Port, turning onto Spring Street, marching past the Cumberland County Civic Center, turning on High Street, then back onto Congress Street. We got a lot of honking horns from passing motorists, honking in support of reform.

The best part of the rally was hearing Senator Snowe's representative saying that our senator supports the public option and that it needs to be included in reform. The second best part was seeing many people I've met along the way, working towards reform. It was fantastic!

photos by Tom Farkas and Helen Hanson