Salem Forum On Healthcare Tomorrow

Dear Friends,

I would like to invite you to a forum this week -- on Health Care Reform. It is happening this Tuesday, June 30, from 7-9 PM. Location for the forum is the Marion County Democratic Office which is located at 250 Liberty St SE in Salem (on the west side of Liberty SE and across the street from the Phoenix Grand Hotel). Speakers at the forum include:

Peter Mahr MD -- Physicians for a National Health Plan (single payer)
Michael Grady MD (from Silverton) representing the Archimedes Movement, a health care reform effort founded by former governor John Kitzhaber
Carol Robinson, a member of the Oregon Health Fund Board

They will discuss the various health care reform proposals.

The forum will also discuss the activation of a grassroots effort in Salem to join the growing national grassroots effort to enact a strong and vital national health plan by the fall of this year. This grassroots effort is needed to counteract the voices of vested interests who have the ear of congress -- particularly the senate.

As an Obama volunteer and a Democratic Party activist, REAL Health Care reform is my top priority (emphasize REAL meaning public option or single payer only). As an activist in my 60's, I am one of many Americans who have crusaded for health care reform their entire lifetime. Many of our fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers also fought for a national health care plan. Despite all our efforts, a national plan has eluded us and those who preceded us for a century or more.

As a longtime political activist, I have also learned that the opportunity to enact national health care has often presented itself only once in a generation. The year 1993 presented the last opportunity we had as Americans to enact real health care reform. At that time, I was 45 years old and the father of two children aged 10 and 13. Those children are now grown aged 26 and 29 and neither has full access to the quality of health care that they need.

Let's not wait another 16 years to get real health care reform enacted. Let's build a strong grassroots here and across America to send a loud message that we want health care reform now and we want that health care reform to revolve around a plan that includes a strong public option or is a single payer system.

I do not want to wait until the next opportunity that arises -- maybe 16 years from now -- when I am 77 and my children are 42 and 45.

Join me and get involved this summer to bring about true health care reform by the fall of this year. If not, we may have another long wait until the chance arises again.

Andy Bromeland
Salem, Oregon 97301

e-mail: bromelan@earthlink.net