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Ableton On Air is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Boston, New England Chapter. Today, what's the importance of this month? Well, there's so many important things about it. We are here today to talk about healthcare. As a human, right? Wait, wait, turn it again with your hands. All right, it's on my back. Okay, the people of Worker Center is rallying for everybody to have free healthcare, Medicaid as a whole. Instead of all of us paying individually for plans that aren't covering our needs, and also going up every year, to all pay for it as a collective, that's how insurance is sort of structured. Instead of doing it as a model, like a government model, right now the little companies are charging us one by one. Or if you can't afford it, instead of your bill being $500, it's $50,000. So we're hoping... In your opinion, quickly, what's the biggest problem? Or what has been some of the biggest problems for people with disabilities or people with special needs in the United States and also globally? Because it's not just local people in Medicaid, housing, problems like that. Oh, discrimination first starts. I mean, people love to prey on people they feel maybe weaker than them or may not understand their rights. Also accessibility to things, saying to people that it's an incumbrance upon them that they have to wait five minutes for someone to get on a bus or for there to be a lift. People also need access, like a big, I say, hurdle for people with disabilities, sometimes even getting to appointments and then having social workers that will offer them the assistance to find the resources to get there because they are out there, but you have to have people willing to sort of disseminate the information and not look at it as some kind of tax on their time. And people need vehicles that are accessible for them to use, like say, if there's a program, we need to have some vehicles of handicapped accessible, more parking for people to be able to get out and go to a store that they don't have to walk a long distance. Like if you have a handicapped accessible vehicle, there should always be like a spot so you can go to shops, so you can go to these other places. And then I think like electric vehicles should start thinking of these issues as well, whether it be a van, whether it be a smaller vehicle, things like that, like people need to have more independence. That's just my thought. And healthcare is supposed to cover some of these appliances and to have more funds to cover things that can adapt cars or businesses or apartment buildings was another thing where I had known a man who was an amputee and he couldn't find housing because there was no housing that was accessible to him, like to be able to go up a ramp with his wheelchair. There was no elevators accessible. This was like in Memorial County, so he was stuck. I think it was in a shelter. And what's the reason why you're here today? And same question, what do you think can be changed with like housing and healthcare? Everybody should be able to have healthcare and that's why we do the March for Medicaid. I'm in need of a new walker. This one to Council on Aging and Independent Living and I paid $139 out of my pocket. That's what I had to pay. And it is good luck. And I'm here in March with our workers. Thank you. Thanks for healthcare here in Vermont. And I've been thinking, you know, sort of looking back, Vermont Worker Center has been here for 20 years, saying healthcare is a human right. 10 years ago this morning, a lot of young people woke up in Manhattan in Zuccotti Park and started Occupy Wall Street. And so I thought on this anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, where we really learned the importance of the needs of the 99% being taken care of and that the 1% will hold all the wealth. We need to change this system. And indeed, so it's been a long time crying, but I'm so glad that we're out here today saying that once again healthcare is a human right. It's good to give a message of hope inside healthcare being a human right. I mean, with America being a rich country, and I mean, there shouldn't be Medicare, Medicaid, I mean, there shouldn't be first hand, there shouldn't be poor people. What's one positive message being reflected in a man of the cloth? Yeah, well, I know that we can change this. As those young people found out 10 years ago on Occupy Wall Street, another world is possible. And so what we just have to do is continue to have the hope, the work, the faith, working together in solidarity to change this system. Another world is possible. Why do you think the system needs to be changed? Well, because it's unfair. Some people get the care that they need, but most people don't. For some people, they get great care. But most people, it's not always so good. And so I think we need to make sure that there's a basic fairness that everybody gets what they need. And that's why the system definitely needs to be changed. Until that's the case, we've got to be out here saying healthcare is a human right. Oh, healthcare's got to go. Neighbor, neighbor, can't you see? Health care for all is what we need. Neighbor, neighbor, can't you see? Health care for all is what we need. Oh, healthcare's got to go. Health insurance is a lie. They don't care if people die. They don't care if people die. Health care's got to go. These profiteers have got to go. Health care is a human right. Today we stand and fight. Health care is a human right. Today we stand and fight. Health care's got to go. Health care's got to go. Health care's got to go. It's so good together this week. But 10 young people rose up to realize they had started to occupy Wall Street. 10 years ago this morning in Zacati Park, they knew the inequality of our system. They knew that there's a 99%, and that's us, and there's a 1%, and that's them. They knew that it's time to change the system. For 20 years, the Vermont worker center, over 20 years, the Vermont worker center, has been out here saying, health care is. And so now we're continuing that fight, but we're looking to the future. We're looking to the time when all our sisters and brothers are taken care of. Not profits, but people. That health care is accessible to all. That all are considered safe. Well, all have all what they need. That's why we're here today. Because health care is. Yeah, so thank you. We're going to march together. We're going to sing together. We're going to do what it takes to change this system. We're going to do what it takes to make sure that there's no profit off of people's illness. We're going to do what it takes to make sure that there's housing for all, that there's no discrimination against our sisters and brothers. We're going to do what it takes to make this system to make it fair for all. So thank you so much. Thanks to each and every one of you for being here today, for all those who've organized this wonderful day. Again, welcome to Bury Nonviolent Medicaid Army. Welcome to Bury for my worker center. Health care is. Health care is. All right. We're here for government early Cooper camp. We have a proud member of the center of Vermont organizing committee of Vermont worker center. I'm mad. I'm a member of the Chittenden OC and the Vermont worker center. Why are we here? Because health care is a human right. Because health care is a human right. I personally learned that at 18 when I developed a chronic illness and entered the adult world just absolutely destroyed with medical debt. Do our communities deserve better? You know this march and this rally is one of dozens happening all across the United States this week as part of the nonviolent Medicaid Army week of action. We live in the richest country that has ever existed in human history. But we also have 140 million poor people in this country. Almost half of our population were poor and dispossessed. We have the highest number of COVID deaths in the world. 650,000 approximately the population of Vermont. 18 months into the pandemic our political leaders have not moved to drastically expand health care nor to declare that health care and housing are human rights. That's a big boom. And that's why organized poor and working class people this week are calling for Medicaid for all in urban and rural places in California, in Texas in Alabama, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and right here in Berry, Vermont. Now these groups our brothers, our sisters, our siblings are part of building the New Poor People's Campaign a national call for moral revival. And today as we march and step we recognize that it is an intertwined fight against poverty, racism, militarism, ecological devastation and our nation's distorted moral narrative. Today we come together under the banner of health care but we know that the same system that denies us our right to health care is the system that denies our right to housing. It is the same system that attacks and scapegoats immigrants that marginalizes our elders and peoples with disabilities that puts hurdles in all our way. Today we'll hear stories that make those connections between all these injustices. We'll hear stories that speak truth, that an injury to one is an injury to all. Yes! Are you talking about logistics? Are you talking about logistics? Liana, this group so let's see if we can hear them in the air. I might do a quick kind of whatever. The other thing is what I thought was we'll kick things off once the general organiser thinks it's about time to go we'll go over there and start singing neighbor, neighbor, can't you see and they'll be called like hey, we're getting going. And then when one of the start-off MCs is like alright, we're going to start marching and the singers are going to get us going. Let's start with those you want to go and I feel like that's perfect. Hey, let's go to that land. We're relatively close and relatively close to the front because we just often have people who are marching we're choosing to march, we have mobility impairments to lead the way to kind of set the pace but let's be not too far behind the front to kind of just help things going. I'll have one of these but I'm happy to be a Colorado person. There's this thing too. I just don't want to get lost. I just don't. Yeah. I'm going to get the whole word. In the period of able to learn it's not on the media. That's why I'm here today. I apologize. Paying electric separate. That's the country as a part of the nonviolent Medicaid arms gratitude and appreciation to Bennett Shapiro and Mad Tech that's providing a sound system for today so you can hear us speak. Thank you for helping us amplify our voices and our stories. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Like Molly said, here in Vermont we've been working all week building up to this day for the whole month we've been talking with folks in our communities by neighborhood canvassing tabling at events like Burlington Pride Festival week of action on Monday we had a honking wave in front of the for-profit Urgent Care and Brattleboro, Brattleboro stand up to call for an end to health care profiteering. On Tuesday we sang and shared our stories in front of the headquarters of Blue Cross Blue Shield to call out health insurance profiteers who make money when they deny us our health care. On Wednesday we shared food with our neighbors in the Northeast Kingdom at a hot dogs for health care meal for the richest country in the world. It has the biggest wealth gap. We have over 140 million people which is almost half of the population who are poor and dispossessed. We have the highest number of COVID deaths in the world 1 in 500 people in the United States have died of COVID-19. In 18 months into the pandemic our political leaders have not moved drastically to expand health care nor declare that health care and housing are human rights and that's why we're here. Because of our for-profit health care system over 25% of the population or over 52 million adults do not have a primary care doctor. This leads to greater suffering and death for poor people especially in the midst of COVID. When many people have fallen prey to false information increasing their chances of infection and lifelong consequences or death. Exactly. That's why organized forum working class people this week have held dozens of actions to call for Medicaid for all and urban and rural places in California Texas, Alabama, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Indiana Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and right here in Vermont and the pandemic has made crystal clear that an injury to one and is an injury to all is not just a nice sounding slogan so long as the poor and dispossessed around the world are unable to access vaccines and other life-saving health care we are all affected. In the face of this stark reality Big Pharma is prioritizing its bottom line over human lives. We stand in solidarity with the poor and dispossessed across the world who are calling on Big Pharma to waive the patents on life-saving vaccines and who call on wealthy countries and call on wealthy countries to stop the immoral hoarding of life-saving medicine and supplies while poor countries face acute shortages. That's right. That's why we're here. Part of the Central Vermont organizing committee here I'm Volney Heath Central Vermont as well. Logistics here. Thank you everybody for coming City Hall Park. It's beautiful, isn't it? This is Berry Vermont. We're very happy to be here in Berry. Bathrooms are over there at the Gray Church. You can go in there. They're up the stairs. In the back. They're in the back. So bathrooms are over there at the Gray Church. I see everybody wearing masks and I just want to thank you so much for wearing masks today. I know that we're all really tired of wearing masks and also we really appreciate it because COVID is spiking in Vermont again and we're all taking measures to stay safe and you know medically vulnerable people have come out here today to support the march and we just want to make sure that we have a safe march for everybody so thank you so much for wearing masks. I really appreciate you. Thanks. If you haven't signed in yet there's a registration table right here. There's another one right over there so you can make your way there and sign in. We've got a wellness table over here towards the statue. There are Clementines and kind bars and bottles of water and if you do happen to need first aid at any point during today we got Band-Aids got Benadryl and other things over there. Go talk to the wellness and first aid tent if you need anything. There is going to be food there are some snacks right over here. Yes and Julie's right here with ours and pins if you want to go get a lovely red Vermont worker center t-shirt you can go over here and talk to Julie. I'm sure she'd be really happy to talk to you. Okay those are my announcements back to you Volner. Thanks Molly. Here in Vermont as at a national level in the face of an unprecedented public health and economic crisis our public officials have refused to implement universal healthcare which was passed into law 10 years ago at this point under Act 48. Instead they have propped up healthcare profiteers like UVM Medical Center OneCare and insurance companies and have offered Band-Aids solutions that don't address the depth or root cause of the crisis. Is that right? Does that sound right? Exactly. Patients and rank and file healthcare workers suffer as a result and both groups are cut up from any meaningful decision making about our healthcare system. Is that right? No. Instead of listening to the growing number of us struggling to access healthcare and rank and file workers struggling to provide care public officials at the top defer to take direction from high-paid healthcare executives who have their bottom line in mind instead of what's best for the rest of us. Disgusting. In February we held vigils at for-profit nursing homes across the state where low pay unsafe staffing ratios and unsafe conditions imposed by corporate owners and managers have long inadequate care for patients and unsafe conditions for healthcare workers. We stood in solidarity with workers and patients. One of the long-time members of the Workers Center family Natalie Sinkyu has been fighting for her rights at Queen City Healthcare and Rehab and she says she's here with us in spirit. We stand in solidarity with you Natalie. For this summer the Vermont was one of 17 organizations that submitted a letter to the new task force on affordable accessible healthcare calling on them to prioritize the human right to healthcare. So surprise surprise we have not heard back from them. And from the one meeting that they've held so far it appears that they're looking at the usual band-aid recommendations rather than the systemic solutions that we know that we need. We need systemic solutions, right? We need healthcare for all, right? It's time to stop treating healthcare like a commodity to be bought and sold and time to treat it like a public good. That's the truth, but instead we find ourselves in a situation where UVMC MMC is asking the Green Mountain Care Board for a $204 million budget increase and permission to build a lucrative outpatient surgery center while sitting on a $102 million surplus and while patients wait weeks or months for appointments and frontline healthcare workers are worked to the bone amidst unprecedented staffing shortages. We stand with unionized nurses and hospital technicians at UVMC who have been calling for safe staffing for years. This is a concern to all of us in Vermont because UVMC is trying to create a monopoly that ties the hands of doctors and threatens the survival of local practices small community hospitals and less profitable areas of healthcare. In fact, this same week that the Green Mountain Care Board rubber-stamped UVMC's budget requests granting an additional $200 million in patient revenue, they're denying the budget requests of Springfield Hospital. Disgusting. Their rationale is that their budget is too ambitious because they don't have a huge cash reserve like UVMC. Springfield Hospital serves a community that's pretty similar to us here in Barrie a deindustrialized town that was once the center of tool and die-making in Vermont. Healthcare shouldn't be just struggling communities shouldn't be punished by stripping away our healthcare infrastructure simply because we're poor. That's right. So, in a little bit up next we're going to hear from about 12 people from around Vermont about the particular ways that they're affected and why they support healthcare for all. So we're going to have some storytelling and hear from each other. Before that, Liz and Tev and the Solidarity Singers are going to come up and lead us in a song to help us frame our fight for healthcare. Let's hear it for Tev and Liz and the Solidarity Singers. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're either on the side of the people or you're working for one care. We're going to hear a story from Leanna right up here. Let's give Leanna. I'm here to tell you about my healthcare story about the lack of transportation. We need more transportation especially from the hospital because a lot of us rely on transportation to get to and from appointments. There used to be a bus route that went up to hospital but now instead we have an app called My Ride so I have to schedule trips in advance and you need to have a phone to be able to use it. The bus route also took me to stores by the hospital that I need to go to. Walmart, the big stores are in Montpelier hospital. I want to see it go back to being a bus route every hour. There is no good transportation from the hospital when I've gone up there for urgent need. I can call an ambulance if I need to go there but I don't have a way home. The police used to do courtesy rides but they don't do it anymore. I had to come home from the ER and I called a friend who was luckily awake at 1 a.m. Other times, other time I called someone who I knew from home help and he literally came from his house to get me a ride home and I'm thankful there's nice people out there and it can be hard to find someone who's available. Some people need to rely on ambulance to come back home. One time I overheard some overheard a conversation and they needed a ride home and they wouldn't do it because the person was on Medicaid. Now I refuse to go up to the hospital at night because I know it will be hard to find a way home. Thank you so much for sharing your story, Leana. So many of these stories that you're about to hear today will directly address the health care crisis and we know that our lives don't fit into neat little boxes that would affect our lives specifically. So, our next speaker is Julie. Welcome, Julie. I'm one of the co-coordinators of the Northeast Kingdom chapter of the Vermont Worker Center and I live in St. John's Barrie. I'm a proud disabled woman. I was organized into the Worker Center at Disability Awareness Day in 2018. The work system, people receiving Social Security disability are covered by Medicaid for two years. Medicaid pays for wheelchairs, walkers, canes, shower chairs and other devices. It pays for physical therapy and occupational therapy as well. However, after two years you're forced onto Medicare and required to pay for Part B without any increase in monthly income. Their rationale is you can apply for Medicaid to pay the premium for Medicare Part B so we are screwed if we make too much money. Does this system make sense? No. Should we be penalized because we have a disability like me to beg providers for financial assistance? It's a degrading process and proof of income. If you go to Dartmouth, they call it charity. We can't get devices unless we pay for them. Is this a fair and logical system? No. Should we have to beg for healthcare fund universal healthcare so that disabled Vermonters have access to the healthcare and devices they need to lead a dignified life? Yes. I'm going to walk. I shouldn't have to fight for my healthcare. Thank you. Hi, everyone. How are you doing? I'm an organizer with Migrant Justice and I'm going to read a speech written by Issae Miranda who's a member of Migrant Justice but couldn't join us today. So the speech goes. My name is Issae Miranda. I'm a very fun worker here in the state over a month. I work between 12 to 14 hours a day working the night shift. Sometimes barely having enough time to eat. Barely having enough time to sleep or to rest. And I have been doing this for several years. In recent years I have developed or that being diagnosed with severe gastritis and I'm in constant pain when I eat or when I try to to rest. And I have developed this condition because of the long hours that I work where I barely have enough time to eat a proper meal. I have to eat at the milking barn because if you take a lunch break that means that you're going to be working up to 14 hours a day. I have hesitated to see the doctor since I was diagnosed with gastritis because a visit to the doctor means that I will have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars out of my own pocket. I barely make enough money to get by and the little money that I earn I send back to my family. So I'm in this position that because of the lack of money I have to choose between my family and my healthcare and my family comes first because they also have a lot of medical needs and medical conditions and I am the one who supports them. This situation doesn't just apply to me I speak for the rest of my community many workers in dairy farms are facing the same situation where if you're sick you'd rather just drink a pill and hope that you feel better the next day because the doctor is not an option. So this is why we're standing together in Tau-i-Dari with the Vermont Workers' Center and everyone out here today because we're all in the same boat we're all poor we all have to work to put food on the tables and we are all barely getting by regardless of who you are regardless of your status everyone should have the right to access to healthcare affordable healthcare access to Medicaid if you can if you can if you can My name is Christine from Brattleboro I work in the hunger food insecurity sector and fight constantly in a charitable industry that tries to decouple hunger from poverty really I'm just trying to help people in desperation because people are facing poverty I work with people who do not have primary care doctors and get all of their care from the emergency room and people who will try so hard to go 100 miles away because they face so much stigma in our local hospital just because they're poor as for myself I am very lucky in that I have health insurance and I have which is high deductible but I have an HSA however after a year of finding of trying to find a therapist the one therapist that I could find is out of network so I have to use my entire HSA for therapy and having to choose between my chronic health my chronic pain which my doctors don't understand but which none the less is very expensive and paying for that or to pay for my mental health I choose my mental health and so there's a sign here where I put all of my bills on there and I don't pay them this is why we need universal health care we shall heal the suffering singing when shall we we shall heal the suffering night in justice we shall fight injustice singing when shall we fight Ableton On Air is sponsored by Green Mountain Support Services empowering people with disabilities to be home in the community Lincoln County Mental Health where hope and support comes together media sponsors for Ableton On Air include Park Chester Times Muslim Community Report WWW This Is The Bronx.info Associated Press Media Editors New York Parrot Online Newspaper U.S. Press Corps National Anchor FM and Spotify partners for Ableton New York and New England where everyone belongs the Orthodox Union the Vermont Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired the Montpelier Sustainable Coalition Ableton On Air has been seen in the following publications Park Chester Times New York Parrot Online Newspaper Muslim Community Report WWW This Is The Bronx.info and www.h.com Ableton On Air is a member of the National Academy for Television Arts and Sciences Boston, New England Chapter