Five more people were arrested yesterday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in front of health insurer CIGNA’s world headquarters:
About 50 people rallied outside Cigna headquarters, at 16th and Chestnut Streets, protesting what they say are insurance companies putting profit before people’s health care needs.
Among them was Joan Kosloff (above and right). Using a bull horn, she told the crowd about her son, Eric Aycox, whom she says died as a result of a treatable case of meningitis because he was uninsured.
A short time later, Kosloff and four men blocked to revolving doors of Cigna Insurance, and all were arrested for civil disobedience as the crowd chanted, "We’re there for you."
Joan’s son Mark Aycox watched as his mother was arrested:
"My family is pretty active, and we want America to be as good a country as it claims to be."
They joined the six arrested Monday in Minnesota, protesting the criminal actions of insurance companies.
Watch:
Once again, the question comes to mind, who is the real criminal here?
Are people like Joan Kosloff, protesting because her son died because he didn’t have insurance, the enemies of society? Do they deserve to be led away in handcuffs?
Meanwhile, insurers like CIGNA get to go about their business – denying you and me care, making more profits for their shareholders, paying their CEO $12.2 million last year [pdf], and spending millions every day lobbying against health reform and a public health insurance option.
BlueZ00m has updates on the people arrested yesterday for standing up for people over profits. Today, CIGNA goes on with business as usual.
(also posted at the NOW! blog)
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yet another unfathomable story. Does anyone think the current system is defensible? the entire health care “debate” has been surreal. Good for Joan Kosloff and the others for taking a stand against the indefensible
Jason, here is another update, from Marc Stier, PA state director, HCAN:
Marc Stier At Large has posted a new item, ‘Our Action at CIGNA Today ‘
Michael Ladson, Joan Kosloff, Dennis Short, Marc Stier, Ray Torres,
Today we were arrested for blocking the doors to the offices of the CIGNA
Insurance Companies world headquarters in Philadelphia.
Taking this action was not easy for us. Most of us have been political
activists for many years but some of us have never been arrested […]
You may view the latest post at
http://blog.stier.net/?p=713
-bleuz
Great post, Jason. HCAN did great organizing these.
Front paging now.
Chris, please read Marc Stier’s blog post, just now shared above.
Thank you again for your support. Hoping you have called/faxed/visited your Senators?
Today is a national call-in day for health care reform activists; not sure if you know? Just in case: here are three phone numbers to use:
1.877.264.HCAN (4226)
1-877-323-5246 — at the urging of the AFL-CIO
1-800-828-0498 – to reach your Congresspeople and your Senators.
-bleuz
The phrase for this century is no longer “We Shall Overcome” but Shall We Overcome? the influence of big, huge money on our lives as American citizens.
Perhaps a Constitutional Amendment governing lobbying is needed to remove it from the First Amendment Claims that big dollar interests make to keep our legislators in their pockets.
So what were the “charges?” No permit? Demonstrating on private property? Failure to show the proper amount of deference to Cigna’s CEO? Some other bullshit?
“SURREAL” is a good word for the health care “debate”.This reminds me of the scene in catch 22 when yosarrin gets arrested by the MP’s for “diorderly conduct”after dicovering his mild mannered, midwestern farm boy freind is a child rapist and serial killer. (they dont arrest the serial killer).
Bravo ! Bravo HCAN !
and not to take anything away from these heroes (just seeing that pic of the beaming Joan Kosloff chokes me up) but I would suggest someone start drafting the local clergy for these actions. nothing like ministers, rabbi’s, nuns, and other ‘collars’ being hauled off in handcuffs to further brand your cause as righteous in the eyes of the less involved.
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score’s the baucus plan at $829 Billion over a 10 year period, that is paid for. The CBO also states that it will lower the deficit by $80 Billion and it would be much lower if there was a public option.
Criminally corrupt politicians are the reason the U.S. is ranked near the bottom of every catagory when ranked next to other modern, industrialized nations. Time for publically funded elections.
lieberman $12.6M, mcconnell $7.8M, baucus $7.7M, cornyn $6.7M,
kyl $5.6M, grassley $5.4M, ensign $5.2M, conrad $5.1M, cantor $4.9M,
nelson $4.9M, burr $4.8M, boehner $4.4M, hatch $4.4M, lincoln $4.1M,
vitter $3.9M, carper $3.6M were paid by the Medical Industrial Complex to kill Health Care Reform. (Source: OpenSecrets.org, Aug. 09)
Follow the Money: Link
Call Congress and demand, Single-Payer Health Care for All!
(Toll Free # House and Senate)
1-866-338-1015 _____ 1-866-220-0044
1-800-473-6711 _____ 1-866-311-3405
Sign Single-Payer Petitions: Link Link
Don’t let the Medical Industrial Complex steal your Health Care from you and your family by donating huge sums of money to Crooked Politicians in order to maintain the Status Quo. Keep up the good fight.
SEMPER FI!
Trespassing, I’m sure.
We try and work with clergy when we can, like in Minnesota:
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8770
face palm
Again – police acting stupidly
Thanks Bluez, for keeping on this.
Why haven’t there been calls for a march on Washington yet?
thanks Bleu
I’m all for protests but you can’t complain about being arrested if you are blocking the entrance to the building. People have a right to enter and exit the building. However, that’s not to say that people shouldn’t block those offices as it does get us publicity for our cause.
I’m frustrated with this issue despite having given money via this blog and having contacted my senators. My senators (Cornyn & Hutchison) disgust me —it’s clear from the people who answer their phones that they don’t care about this issue. Obama has let us down by not being more foreful on the public option. It’s horrible to feel so powerless in the face of such a huge moral crisis and if protesting and arresting makes anyone feel better about it I’m fine with that.
I was listening to the Ed Show on radio today and a caller (must have been a troll) called in to tell Ed that if the PO reimbursed at the rate of the Medicare tables, then that would be unfair to the insurance companies. Ed tried to tell him that it was not true, but in troll fashion, the caller stayed on his talking point. Ed pointed out that there is a lawsuit in Maine over the profit margin for anthem, apparently the only insurer remaining because Maine passed some tough laws about coverage. I finally turned it off, but Ed never got to the point that reimbursement rates would not be a problem if so much money were not given in salaries and bonuses and lobbying efforts. More people could be covered easily and still pay the staff. BTW, anthem maintains that it has to have an 18.5% raise in rates just to get a 3% profit; that sounds like creative bookkeeping to me.
The five were charged with Misdemeanor Level 2, Conspiracy and Failure to Disperse.
I’ll get the exact wording of the charges from the five and post it back here.
Thanks for your support AND your anger, ShotoJamF! Did you call your Senator today (hope hope hope)?
-bleuz
Happy to help, Jason! You know that, eh? And back at ya!
-bleuz
A brief update: I just spoke with Joan Kosloff and will post more details shortly.
She has a court date tomorrow in Philadelphia on her arrest charges. Recall that Joan is one of the five Philadelphia activists arrested yesterday outside of CIGNA for civil disobedience. Her son, Eric, died from treatable bacterial meningitis because had no health insurance. He simply could not afford the test that could have saved his life.
Forgive me for this tease, Jason. As I know more, I will post it here, to this piece.
-bleuz
Please post, or do a diary about it if you have a lot of info!
Whoa. NAVDOC3rdMAR .. you blow me away! Thank you for what I can tell is a whole lot of research. You are spot on. And I’ve shared your post with allies in this fight. I scoped out Cornyn’s number when I saw that one of his amendments to Baucus’s bill said simply:
Here: bit.ly/18lPUH
(link to the *.pdf of Senate Finance Sommittees lineup of amendments to Baucus’ blizzard)
Amendment #564
Cornyn F14
Summary: reducing health care costs
Offset: not necessary
-bleuz
Thanks Jason. I’ll post what I have here, now, but there is more.
I spoke with Joan Kozloff, who said that a few of the five arrested were charged with different offenses. Hers were: Misdemeanor Level 2: failure to disperse; Misdemeanor Level 1: criminal conspiracy.
And I just received this update from Jeff Garris, of PennAction:
“Michael Ladson’s hearing this morning in juvenile court went well, and the others who were arrested had an initial meeting this afternoon with an attorney I lined up. Marc Stier, Joan Kosloff, and Dennis Short have hearings in Philadelphia Community Court tomorrow morning, where it is likely that they will be offered some type of “deal”; Raymond Torres’ hearing will be on 11/2.”
PennAction one of several allies in the coalition of labor and progressives who jointly held this action yesterday in Philadelphia, at CIGNA HQ, Jeff Garris is seen describing the arrest details as he knew them then, at the very end of blogger RevelWoodie’s DK-posted video of the rally and the arrests:
bit.ly/Video_5ArrestsPhila Jeff is a former Mennonite minister and he is an amazing chant leader, I might add.
As I learn more, I’ll post another diary page. Thanks again, Jason.
-bleuz
PS. Hoping everyone’s seen tonight’s Keith? He said, in tonight’s extended Special Comment, what we all, in the streets, on the phone, in emails.. have been saying for months. I believe another FDLer has posted about Keith’s show tonight.