Health Care

From the man, Mr. Dean,

As a doctor and a governor, there is no more important issue for me than ensuring quality, affordable health care for all. We did it in Vermont, and we must do it for our country. Your hard work and advocacy has made health care a top issue in this election -- but we cannot let up.

Our health care system is in crisis. Nationwide, 44 million people have no health insurance and 74 percent of those without coverage come from working families. We cannot allow this to continue.

So I am asking you to join tens of thousands of other Americans on June 19th for a national day of action to "Bridge the Gap in Health Care" between those who have coverage and those who don't. Americans for Health Care, Jobs With Justice, Rock the Vote and our friends at SEIU are sponsoring events from the Golden Gate to the Brooklyn Bridge.

To find an event near you, or to start your own event, go to:

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/june19

This crisis affects everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, income, education, employment, or age. It is not just tragic -- it is immoral. At this moment, there are 8.5 million children in our country without health care.

Costs are rising uncontrollably and fewer people can afford to keep what coverage they do have. While you have been reading this letter three more people have lost their health care coverage. This is completely unacceptable. On June 19th we will demand action and tell our elected officials that we haven't forgotten about health care -- and neither should they:

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/june19

If you can't attend an event, please tell your friends, family, and colleagues why you support this national day of action. You can also join me and more than 250,000 other Americans who have declared ourselves "Health Care Voters":

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/healthcarevoter

When you become a Health Care Voter, you pledge to support candidates who propose detailed, feasible plans for ensuring quality, affordable health care for all. When we speak with one voice on this issue we can make change happen:

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/healthcarevoter

We ought not be the last industrialized country to guarantee health care to all its people. We can solve this problem, but only by working ogether. We must stand up and demand that our elected officials start orking for the 44 million Americans who are uninsured and the millions ore who are underinsured.

Please help ensure that all eyes remain focused on this crisis; the longer we wait to do something, the worse this problem gets. Please act now -- lives depend on it.

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

P.S. -- We cannot win the fight on issues that matter if our votes aren't counted in November -- join more than 117,000 Americans who have signed the petition to ensure verifiable, accountable voting systems:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/counteveryvote