[Imc-newsroom] universal health care benefit show (fwd)

[Danielle Chynoweth]

To help educate people (esp youth) about the health care crisis in this
country the Illinois Campaign for better Health Care is holding a benefit
show:

Universal Health Care Rocks!
Sunday, March 25 at the Highdive.  
9 p.m.
$5 at the door.  

The line up is punk and indie rock from Solips, ADHD, Silent Treatment and
the Blackouts.

read on ...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 10:24:14 -0600
From: Meghan McCann <mmccann at cbhconline.org>
To: rock show contacts <mmccann at cbhconline.org>
Subject: universal health care benefit show

The Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care is a non-profit, non-partisan
coalition.  We are based out of Champaign and are the largest health care
consumer organization in the state, with hundreds of organizational and
thousands of individual members.  Those active in our organization come from
all walks of life- labor unions, women's groups, health care professionals,
communities of faith, consumer groups.  We work on a variety of different
projects to help promote affordable and accessible health care in our
current for profit health care system but our original and ultimate goal is
universal health care.

Many young people are uninterested in health care reform, which is
understandable.  The health care reform movement is tied up in all sorts of
complex policy issues that take a long time to try to fully understand (I'm
still learning after a year here at the Campaign).  Along with the fact that
young people are relatively healthy, health care reform is seen as something
that is extremely confusing and not something that affects them.  I want to
change those misconceptions with this show. Even though illness might not
strike all that often something a simple accident can send an uninsured
young person to the emergency room and then they are left to try to pay off
their hospital bills on a waiter's or retail worker's salary.  With one
forth of the uninsured (there is a total of 42.6 million Americans without
insurance) between the ages of 19 and 29, universal health care really is an
issue that affects young people, whether they know it or not.

There is also a common misconception that getting a good job out of college
ensures health insurance.  This used to be true but it isn't any more.
Health care in America is a private, for profit industry and many employers
can't afford to provide benefits for their employees.  And even if benefits
are offered many people can't afford the high premiums they have to pay for
coverage.  New employees often go through a probationary period where they
do not receive benefits.  Any doctor or emergency room visits must come out
of the employee's pockets.

To help educate people, especially young people, about the health care
crisis in this country I am holding a benefit show (Universal Health Care
Rocks!) and education event for the Campaign Sunday, March 25 at the
Highdive.  The show starts at 9 p.m. and admission is $5 at the door.  The
line up is punk and indie rock from Solips, ADHD, Silent Treatment and the
Blackouts.  The purpose of the show is to not only raise some much needed
money for our organization but to also raise awareness about the need for
universal health care. This show is a great way to learn about and show your
support for not only universal health care but also the great local bands we
have in Champaign-Urbana.

Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested in this show and
the push for universal health care.  I have small quarter page fliers
already prepared and hopefully full size fliers will be available soon.  If
you would like to distribute fliers or participate in publicity in any way,
let me know.

If you have any questions or would like to help out in any way, feel free to
call or send me an email.

I hope to see you at the Highdive on March 25.

In Solidarity,
Meghan McCann
Campaign for Better Health Care
Public Education Coordinator
Media Outreach Coordinator
217-352-5600
mmccann at cbhconline.org


"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most
shocking and inhumane."
                                         - Martin Luther King