Marchers, celebrities sound off on health care reform

Across the country, protesters and celebrities are sounding off on health reform as legislation gets closer to becoming reality.

The Philadelphia Daily News reports that 400 people marched in that city to urge lawmakers to pass health reform: "Yesterday's local protest was one of about 95 nationwide gatherings for a national day of action dubbed 'Big Insurance: Sick of It.' About 400 supporters of health-care reform gathered yesterday at City Hall, some with signs reading, 'Healthcare for all is a basic human right' and 'Insure people, not profits,' for a rally before marching to Cigna's Center City headquarters" (Olley, 9/23). 

The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports that there were about 150 gatherings in all (Johnson, 9/22).

The groups were joined in their criticism by several celebrities, including Will Farrell, who made a video lambasting big insurance with MoveOn.org, ABC News reports (Tapper, 9/22).

Meanwhile, some college basketball coaches also expressed support for reform efforts, The Associated Press reports. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey joined Georgetown University coach John Thompson III and others on Capitol Hill to press for reform with Minnesota Democratic Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar. "They are among hundreds of members of Coaches v. Cancer, a group of college basketball coaches who have worked with the cancer society to help raise $50 million to help in the fight against cancer (9/22).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.