Health Care Reform Unity Rally in Times Square Honors Kennedy, Highlights Eric De La Cruz as Face of Health Care Crisis
Thousands gather to call for unity on reform front, citing personal cases like young Nevada man who died because of lack of insurance due to pre-existing medical condition despite a massive grassroots campaign to save him
New York (PRWEB) August 30, 2009
More than 3,000 people gathered to rally for health care reform Saturday, August 29th in New York's Times Square at an event sponsored by Health Care for America NOW! (http://www. healthcareforamericanow. org), Organizing for America (http://www. barackobama. com) and NYC for Change (http://www. nycforchange. org) and supported by 30 other participating organizations.
Of the speakers, most notable was television journalist Veronica De La Cruz (http://www. weloveeric. com), who shared the compelling story of her younger brother Eric, who tragically died on Independence Day because of delays in treatment caused by lack of insurance due to a pre-existing medical condition. On a day of many tributes to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, Eric De La Cruz's case dramatically highlighted the need for reform that outlaws discrimination against those with pre-existing conditions and includes an affordable public option available to all Americans.
Despite a massive grassroots effort that drew political and financial support from thousands of online followers as well as celebrities such as rock band Nine Inch Nails (http://www. nin. com), Eric's heart condition - severe dilated cardiomyopathy - worsened while he awaited the coverage needed for doctors to save him. His story has been receiving nationwide attention because of the role social media played in getting him help - online network Twitter (http://www. twitter. com) served as the fuse for a campaign that ultimately generated thousands of phone calls and nearly $1 million for his case - and because his inability to get adequate treatment is emblematic of the current crisis reform is attempting to end.
"We are at a dramatic moment in history. And we have the opportunity to change things. We are on the brink of creating a system where basic health care is a right. It will no longer be a privilege reserved exclusively for the wealthy or for those who are healthy and don't even need the care," Ms. De La Cruz stated in her speech.
"We cannot afford to let partisan politics, private agendas or profits get in the way of the health of millions of Americans...people like me, you, your mother, your father...maybe your brother. Because in the end, help arrived for my brother Eric too late, and it may for you, too."
Other speakers included Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Dr. Jonathon Arend of the National Physicians' Alliance, and Dr. Nina Agrawal, founder of NYC for Change and community outreach director for the National Physicians Alliance. All echoed the desire to finish the job that Senator Kennedy started.
"Let us all pick up the torch that Senator Kennedy has passed to us and make this cause your own," stated Rep. Maloney.
But it was the emotional and personal account shared by Ms. De La Cruz which most impacted the audience of pre-reform supporters. She recounted how over the course of five years, various private insurers, and in turn hospitals, denied Eric the treatment which could have saved his life. Ms. De La Cruz suggested that many people in the crowd of protesters would face the same fate if Congress does not pass a strong health care reform package, one that includes a public option, this fall.
"A lot of people, including those in Congress, will not relate to the severity of the need for this reform until they see the face of someone who has suffered and died because of our current system," Ms. De La Cruz noted after the event. "The current health care system has to change. No one should ever be put through what Eric, my Mom or I have."
The event, which exceeded organizers' attendance expectations and overflowed across the street, ended with the call for Congress to return to Washington next week with renewed focus on getting a comprehensive reform bill passed this fall. Accepting the mission as a way to honor what Senator Kennedy called his life's work, several attendees carried signs reading "TeddyCare For All." Dozens of supporters at the rally indicated they would continue to take the same message to their leaders in the Capitol until their goal was achieved.
For more information about Eric De La Cruz or his case, please contact the De La Cruz family c/o Hedrich Creative Group at 1-888-880-4980.
For information about NYC for Change and this rally, please visit www. nycforchange. org.
For more information about Organizing for America, please visit www. barackobama. com.
For more information about Health Care for America NOW!, please visit www. healthcareforamericanow. org.
# # #
