ACT UP has two websites. One for archival purposes, and a new more active site. Our new active site is www.actupny.com. our older archival site is www.actupny.org. Visit both!
14 Arrested at New York Sit-In Demanding “Medicare for All”
Written by admin
Friday, 16 October 2009 04:32
100 Risked Arrest in 9 Cities Nationwide
54 Arrested in 5 cities
New York, NY – On Thursday October 15th, advocates for “Medicare for All” in New York engaged in civil disobedience at UnitedHealth Group, resulting in 14 arrests. Nationally more than 100 risked arrest to disrupt business as usual at the nation’s largest health insurance companies, including UnitedHealth Group, WellPoint, Humana, Cigna, Anthem Blue Cross, and UnitedHealthcare. Another wave of protests are planned for October 28th.
“Private health insurance companies are the real “death panels”—they make decisions about people’s health care based on profits rather than the health of the patients. These death panels must be stopped,” says retired nurse Constancia Romily, 68, who was one of the “Aetna 17” arrested on September 29 while demanding the insurance giant approve all needed care for patients with life-threatening diseases.
As the healthcare reform effort has become increasingly watered down, anger
17 Arrested at Aetna Healthcare Protesting Death Panels and Demanding Medicare for ALL
Written by admin
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 03:34
On Tuesday September 29, 2009, at about 10:20am dozens of people began a picket outside of the offices of Aetna Healthcare, one of the top 5 health insurance companies in the country. Within minutes a group of activists announced their intention to block business as usual at Aetna which the activists said were the "real death panels". Before the mornings end, 17 people were arrested inside the New York headquarters for the insurer. Activists demand Aetna immediately cover all doctor approved care for life threating conditions. Activists also demand that Congress pass and the president sign HR 676, or a similar bill to provide Medicare for All. HR676 would create a non-profit single-payer system like Medicare, only improved and expanded to cover all medically necessary treatment and prevention. Activists announced a campaign to bring civil disobedience coast to coast to demand single-payer.
Protest to Demand Cancer Treatment for Mark Milano & Medicare for All
Written by admin
Monday, 21 September 2009 18:54
Join AIDS and Single-payer activists for a demonstration outside of the offices of Bristol Meyers Squibb and Aetna Healthcare on Tuesday, September 29th to demand cancer treatment for AIDS activist Mark Milano. Mark is a person with AIDS who has recurrent anal cancer, his insurance company has refused to pay saying while the drug is not FDA approved for anal cancer. Anal cancer recurrance is rare, so no data exists on Erbitux, the cancer drug Mr. Milano's physician recommends however the drug is approved by the FDA for colo-rectal cancer. Off label prescription of the cancer drugs is common when other options are not available. What Mark believes is that because the drug costs more than $4,000/dose, Aetna won't pay. Aetna has recently had lower profits and publically stated that it wants to raise its profit rate.
Click HERE to listen to an interview with activist Mark Milano and Laurie Wen about his struggle for treatment and the need to replace the current healthcare system with a single-payer system creating a Medicare for All system, which would eliminate private health insurance from the system and cover all medically necessary treatments.
Last Updated on Monday, 21 September 2009 19:49
ACT UP/NY Endorses WBAI Justice and Unity Slate
Written by admin
Wednesday, 23 September 2009 17:44
ACT UP NY voted overwhelmingly to endorse the WBAI Justice and Unity Slate for the Fall 2009 Elections. ACT UP/NY is extremely concerned about the attempt by the current WBAI local station board majority to bring back to WBAI former programmer Gary Null. Null is a prominent HIV/AIDS denialists and regularly brings on his show other denialists who claim HIV does not cause AIDS, AIDS drugs cause AIDS and HIV tests are meaningless. Null's program aired for 2 decades prior to his removal in 2004. Gary Null produced scores of programs on AIDS from 2000-2004 overwhelmingly from the denialist perspective at the time the denialist movement was pressuring the Mbeki government of Sourth Africa to take the stance that HIV doesn't cause AIDS and that the AIDS drugs don't work. Several of Mr. Null's Gary Null currently appears on two other Pacifica Radio stations, WPFW in Washington DC and KPFK in Los Angeles. Both cities have a high rate of HIV infection and AIDS cases. WBAI is a part of that non-profit radio network dedicated to social justice. For more information about the Justice and Unity Slate go to www.justiceunity.org
Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 September 2009 18:37
Activists Demand Rangel and Gillibrand Sign Support Single-Payer
Written by admin
Monday, 10 August 2009 19:15
On Tuesday August 11th Activists from ACT UP/NY and the Private Health Insurance Must Go Coalition Gathered outside of Representative Charles Rangel's Birthday Gala in Tavern on the Green in Central Park to protest the exclusion of Single Payer Healthcare from the national Debate. Rangel is the Chair of the Powerful Ways and Means Committee and has done nothing to promote Single-Payer Bill HR676, the expanded and improved Medicare for All Act which would create a Single-Payer System in the US. This act would prohibit the private health insurance industry from competing with the national program and would cover not only basic and emergency care, but also drugs, mental health, dental, vision and long-term care. According to ACT UP member John Riley, "This bill if it passed congress and was signed into law, would effectively control medical costs, have a mechanism to eliminate pharmaceutical price gouging, and make treatment available to people with HIV and AIDS for the rest of their lives because it would cover all Americans. It would also mean the end of co-payments, denial of service for medically necessary procedures and treatments and extend many people's lives. It would also end the system where people feel they must remain on disability or risk their health."
As luminaries ranging from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and City Council Speaker Quinn paid their respects to Harlem US Representative Charles Rangel on his birthday, protesters from Disabled In Action, the militant disabled rights group, and the Private Health Insurance Must Go Coalition protested outside. The activists are demanding Rangel make good on his earlier promise of support for the single-payer style Expanded and Improved Medicare Act that goes by the house number HR676. Activists from Disabled in Action/NY point out that the Obama healthcare plan doesn't cover long-term care. As it stands now, to recieve long term care people eventually are forced to become impoverished so they can get both Medicare and Medicaid.
ACT UP urges people concerned about healthcare as a right to come to ACT UP's meeting , Monday August 31st, at 8pm at the LGBT Center at 208 W. 13th St. to organize actions to send a message to the NY congressional caucus members the message we need real healthcare reform with Single-Payer, not a bonanza for the private health insurance companies.
