GEAUX Health Reform!

This weekend was a knockout! Even the stormy weather couldn't stop us from getting people involved in our campaign, and it certainly didn't quell the enthusiasm of Louisiana citizens as they gave us their stories on health care.


Below is a video testimonial from Walter Diaz, who worked in the EMS system (he was an emergency responder) and told us about the abuses he saw first hand of the health care system. Long story short: Fix the fraud and waste and you'll find ways to make health care more affordable and thus more accessible to the uninsured.

A Day at the Chamber...

Today Devin and I stopped by a meeting of the Jefferson Parish Chamber of Commerce. We were astounded by the great speakers they had lined up and were inspired by the following two gentlemen.

First is Mike Mitternight, a local small business owner who not only offers his employees health insurance but pays 100% OF THEIR PREMIUMS! And guess what... he's doing it without a mandate! Listen to what he had to say:



The next speaker, Mike Bertaut, was an absolute knock out. I'm an uber-geek and love seeing statistics and cold hard data (remember, I own my own company that does this stuff!) and he had plenty to offer while making his case on the dangers of government intrusion into the health insurance industry.

D&D Make it to Mary's Town Hall in Reserve, LA

We had another exciting trip to the river parishes of Louisiana yesterday. Below are just a couple of the many concerned citizens we spoke to. I'm not going to waste much of your time with me trying to recount everything from memory- just check out the videos and see what you think!

First, here are a few clips from the town hall meeting:



This young gentleman said it best: Bi-partisan reform is the way to go!



This next one was a great conversation we had. She mentions all sorts of effective ways to reform health care AND NO MENTION OF A PUBLIC OPTION!

Recess Rallies, Town Hall Meetings, and Mary Landrieu, Oh My!

South East Louisiana has seen its fair share of health care debates this week. Congressmen Ahn Cao from New Orleans and Steve Scalise from Metairie held several town halls discussing the current health care legislation in Washington with their constituents. If one thing was made clear it was this: Louisiana is in no mood for government ran health care.

This was only further proven by the "Recces Rally" held this weekend. Citizens gathered in their communities throughout the country to voice their concerns about a public option and its implications concerning health care reform. Throngs of people gathered at the memorial park at Causeway and Veterans Blvd and were extremely vocal in their criticisms.

Now, citizens have a chance to talk to their senior Senator in Washington, Mary Landrieu. She will be hosting a town hall meeting in Reserve, LA on Thursday to talk about health care reform. Here at the Louisiana Campaign for Responsible Health Reform we have been very vocal in our gratitude towards Senator Landrieu putting her constituents first when fighting for true health care reform. She has publicly opposed a public option and has made sure that small businesses have a voice in the process.

So be sure to be out there Thursday and thank her for fighting the political forces in Washington. If you are a small business owner, or and employee of a small business, this is THE town hall to attend.

See you there!

Day Three: Citizens of Alexandria make their cases known!

I must say, we seem to be gaining momentum as we go along. Our outreach events seem to be drawing more attention from citizens and media the more time we spend on the road. Not only are we touching more people, stressing the necessity of responsible health reform, but the people we do interact with seem to be increasingly enthusiastic and engaged. I have to toss in a grateful shout out here to the Alexandria Town Talk and KALB Channel 5 for promoting our tour; that undoubtedly contributed to the response we received today.

One good tale from the day came from Ferrin Dubose, a 74-year old small business owner in Alexandria who shared with us his concerns of a proposed health care bill’s potential affect on the solvency of his business. Check it out:



Also of note is that our friend Johnny Adriani from New Orleans brought us some goodies from our home base. As you may have noticed from David’s video blog, we have new handouts, including the official campaign pushcards, delightfully witty notepads, and cute little first aid bandage kits. Maybe it was the additional bric-a-brac that made today so successful…

THIS IS DAVE!

It seems that every day tends to have its own theme as we travel the state and the theme we got from the citizens today was very clear: don’t penalize small businesses for not being able to afford health coverage for their employees. Frankly, I would write more but the testimonial given to us by Mr. Dubose sums up the plight of small business owners perfectly. Keep checking for updates and we’ll see you in Monroe!