Watching the President’s Address in Atlanta

pemOn Wednesday, the second leg of the Health Insurance Reform Now bus tour kicked off in Atlanta, Georgia. The bus is taking the day off today in observance of September 11th, but here’s a report from the Wednesday night event:/emnbsp; /ppOver 750 eager Organizing for America supporters gathered in Atlanta for the kickoff of the second leg of the Health Insurance Reform Now Bus Tour. Just steps away from the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, home to the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., they listened as speakers shared their personal stories of struggling with a broken health care system. /pp align=”center”img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3905928417_3dbc5c50fb.jpg” alt=”" //ppCandice Walker told the story of how her son had been repeatedly misdiagnosed because her insurance company wouldn’t pay for him to see a specialist. She believes that if he had been able to go to a special clinic, which her coverage repeatedly denied, they would have discovered a congenital heart defect before his death at age 17./ppDr. Deneta Sells then took the stage, explaining that she had broken her ankle during a post-medical school trip to Mexico. For a recent graduate, the bills for the needed treatment and testing were huge, even after she negotiated a professional discount and payment plans./pp align=”center”img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3523/3905930123_6f2fe8e7dd.jpg” alt=”" //ppLater, State Senator Nan Orrock, a member of the White House Working Group on Health Reform, fired up the crowd with tales of her struggle in the civil rights movement, saying that there’s still discrimination in America: between the insured and the uninsured. She harshly criticized insurers who deny coverage just when it’s most needed:/pblockquoteWe need health insurance that you can use when you’re sick, not just pay premiums when you’re well./blockquotepWhen 8:00 P.M. rolled around, the big screen tuned in to the President’s address to a joint session of Congress. As he laid out his plan, they cheered for more options and affordability. As he criticized the status quo, they murmured in agreement. As he called out those who seek to divide and debate with falsehoods, they cheered and raised their fists in the air. The atmosphere was electric: this is the true face of the American people, that great silent majority who support reform. But on this night, they were no longer silent. /pp align=”center”img src=”http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2633/3905933027_bdabeeec9f.jpg” alt=”" //ppYou join them in making your voice heard. a href=”http://my.barackobama.com/SupportReform”Sign a letter of support/a for President Obama’s plan for health reform, and tell your members of Congress that we need health insurance reform now./ppNext up, the bus travels on to Tallahassee for a press conference on the grounds of the State Capitol. Then we’ll move on to Orlando. We can’t wait to see the next crowd when we get there./pp align=”center”img src=”http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2460/3906712374_1be08b7328.jpg” alt=”" //p