Another patron at the Comma Coffee shop talked about how much it would cost to add her husband to her healthcare policy… "It would make my premiums more than $1,000 a month," she told NNOC's Jill Furillo, " So I told him he better not get sick."
Nurses shared their report card for the candidates where they rate Sen. Obama's plan better that Sen. McCain's plan because Obama improves access to care while McCain's plans to tax employer based healthcare benefits and may cause as many as 20 million more people to lose access to coverage and care.
Out on the sidewalks, citizens welcomed the chance to talk with the nurses on a cool fall day when most of the close-by state offices were closed for the holiday. One young man became angry when he thought the nurses were representing the health care industry — "No, I don't want to talk to you. i owe the healthcare industry thousands…" But he stopped and listened when told the nurses are advocating HR676, the National health Insurance Act — single payer healthcare for all.
The road show will undoubtedly bring some surprises — as the nurses take their message far and wide. But the trust patients feel for nurses clearly softened even the most campaign-message-weary. Citizens know who speaks the truth and who has a hidden agenda. And during these last weeks of what has been a two-year long presidential campaign cycle, nurses break through the din of attack ads and economic shell shock with a clear, clean message: healthcare is a basic human right that we can and should provide one another. It's in the nation's best interests.