The "Cigna 7", as they were immediately branded, entered Cigna this morning, requested to speak with Cigna executives, were refused, and proceeded to occupy the lobby until they were arrested.
The seven belong to various single payer groups in Chicago including the Illinois Single Payer Coalition, the Chicago Single Payer Action Network and the Progressive Democrats of America, and follow the lead of those arrested in New York last week.
OK friends, this is where the rubber meets the road, as none of these people in Chicago, New York and nationwide are going anywhere until we have true, universal health care that will never bankrupt another American citizen nor our country.
And as any public option will only temporarily slow our rate of hc cost increase as we make our perilous climb to 20% of GDP, the Cigna 7 and those arrested in New York, and those who will undoubtedly be arrested in the upcoming weeks, and those who will not rest until this national health care tragedy is fixed, know that an improved and expanded Medicare for All will be the only way we can do it.
For those supporting a public option, you'd best make sure now that what comes out of Congress is something you can live with, because this fight will not end until we have a fiscally responsible health care system with universal access and not-for-profit financing, pub opt or not.
I want us all to be well.
Oz
Photos by A. Thebert, Illinois Media Progressives
Obligatory and sincere apologies for the brevity of this-I thought the media more important than any semantic window dressing I could muster.
-Oz