Nurses, the uninsured, families, and small business owners shared personal struggles with the health care crisis and strong concerns about skyrocketing health care costs today during a press conference and lobby day at the state house. 

The event, sponsored by RI Jobs with Justice, Rhode Island for Health Care, New England Health Care Employees Union/SEIU 1199, Ocean State Action, the American Medical Student Association and a number of other community based organizations is a health care day of action. 

Currently over 120,000 Rhode Islanders and 43.6 million Americans are uninsured.  80 percent of those uninsured are from working families with a full-time worker at home.  Participants spoke about the need for bold reform that will lower health care costs and reduce the number of uninsured in Rhode Island. 

“We’ve decided to drop our insurance because it’s too expensive and doesn’t cover preventative care we need.  I’m not sure what we’ll do to cover our health care expenses,” said Caroline Brown, a self-employed Health Care Voter from Smithfield.  “That’s why I’m involved in RI for Health Care.  Because I never thought that I’d be almost 40 years old and not insured.”

“We have a moral imperative to find a way to cover everyone in the state,” said Rev. Duane Clinker of Hills Grove United Methodist Church.

Participants spoke to legislators against the budget cuts to RIte Care and Medicaid and in support of legislation currently before the legislature, including the Fair Share Health Care Act which will ensure that the state’s largest employers contribute a minimum standard to their employees’ health care.

 “As a medical student, I’ll be on the frontlines of the health care crisis everyday,” said Kirsten Spalding of the American Medical Students Association.  “I want to work in a system that lessens existing disparities in health, not one that widens them.” 

 “It’s an injustice that large, profitable companies are contributing to our health care crisis by not paying their fair share of their employees’ health care,” said Rachel Miller of RI Jobs with Justice.  “The Fair Share Health Care Act is about stopping corporate greed and is a step in the right direction.  The state legislature and Governor Carcieri need to make bold changes to our health care system and make quality, affordable health care accessible to every Rhode Islander.”


Rhode Island Jobs with Justice is a coalition of labor unions, community organizations, and faith-based groups fighting for workers' rights and economic justice in Rhode Island. RI JwJ was formed in 1996 after the demonstrated need to fight together, in solidarity, to win real victories for workers in Rhode Island.