Slide 1

Creative Concepts for Organizational Outreach & Movement Building Moving Beyond The Choir Slide 2 A Panel Discussion with Luis South, Community Organizer in the South Los Angeles Community and Founder, South of Los Angeles Sabina Virgo, Co-Founder of AFSCME, Human Rights and Disability Rights Advocate Alberto Saavedra, IT Entrepreneur/Marketing Specialist, Board Member - California OneCare Moderated by Georgia Mae Brewer Campaign for a Healthy California Slide 3 A discussion about building cross-issue alliances and engaging communities of faith, youth, immigrants, working class and low-income, communities of color, and communities of privilege. Slide 4 Kaleidoscope of US Healthcare Experience Are you white collar, blue collar, union, non-union, entrepreneur, veteran, unemployed, retired, young, healthy, disabled, senior, corporate executive, small business owner, middle manager, investor, an artist, a parent, a child, a documented immigrant, an undocumented immigrant? Depending on specific attributes, especially employment status, a US residents perception of healthcare security varies enormously. Slide 5 Organizational Outreach You have to know who youre talking to... Rotary Club? Church Group? Political Club? Community Clinic Association? Veterans Rights Advocates? Home Health Worker Advocates? Immigrant Rights Group? The Optimists? School Board? Neighborhood Association? Union Local? Business Networking Group? Association of Realtors? Sierra Club? and how they intersect with the healthcare system... Slide 6 Institutional Alliances Moving Beyond Endorsement to True Engagement Slide 7 Schools School Boards, PTAs, Teachers Unions discussion by Luis South Challenges: Denial, Avoidance of Political Issues Solutions: Create a community presentation based on a social values argument. Get the teachers to see how healthcare injustice affects the parents & kids. Healthcare is not political, we now have a law that is constitutional. Ask the Teachers Unions to go beyond mere endorsement to creating a curriculum to engage the kids. School Boards, PTAs and Teachers Unions are all tightly knit together. Get to one of them, you have access to all. Sure, kids are covered now, but what about when they grow up? Slide 8 Religious Institutions including Interdenominational Organizations discussion by Luis South Challenges: Reluctance to ruffle feathers The right has these institutions, and the people hang on their every word. Solutions: Engage their leadership on the social values arguments. Press for a chance at a presentation to their congregation. Avoid the use of single payer, in favor of Medicare for All Bring a focus to the inefficiency of the for-profit mentality in healthcare. Slide 9 Outreach within a team of at least two people. The team should reflect diversity, and relevancy to the community being approached. Slide 10 Consider what to ask for.... Endorsement of the bill? Dedicated liaison to the Campaign? Divestment of Assets from Insurance Company Stock? Access to Membership? Legislative Visit? Slide 11 Cross Issue Alliances & Movement Building discussion by Sabina Virgo What concepts should inform our outreach endeavors? What messaging is critical to our logical allies? Slide 12 The Issues We Face, The Times We Are In A protracted battle over the role of government The question of the dominance of public domain vs. private institutions. 40 years of starving public institutions creating a self fulfilling prophecy of inefficiency and failure (Post Office, schools, prisons). We are fighting over the crumbs. Slide 13 Critical Concepts The issue is not the issue (The facts already support Medicare for All. The real issue is power, and facts alone wont win over power. Power only responds to power (That is, a mass movement can counter the insurance industry and their tremendous wealth) Power does not exist in a vacuum (it is supported by 40 years of concentrated effort to starve the public sector) Slide 14 Develop supportive relationships with allied causes. Be connected & relevant to a Moral Mass Movement. Fight not just to win, but also to defend the gains WORK WITH OTHERS! Slide 15 The Importance of Fighting for The Middle Medicare for All is hardly a marginal position. Engaging the middle is a critical tactic that the Right employ. Reach out to Rotary Clubs, Neighborhood Councils and more. At best, you will win them over. And at least you will innoculate them against the misinformation campaign that will be unleashed once we start making progress. Slide 16 The Business Community and Non-Social Justice Focused Outreach Discussion by Alberto Saavedra Slide 17 Critical Niches in the Business Ecosystem Publicly Traded Corporations Not monolithic - executives, middle managers and line workers all have different healthcare perspectives. Cadillac plans. Small/Medium Private Businesses Little negotiating power and too small to self-insure but they have some protections in California. Entrepreneurs True risk takers, not just financial but also health, not motivated to work for others by health care slavery. Slide 18 The Prospects Position in Business Ecosystem Determines Her Problem Competing Internationally? Profits Compromised by High Expenses? Need for Flexible or Temp Workforce? Not Attracting Great Workers? Slide 19 Corporations Executives - Do not directly buy insurance. Have a different mindset - many are Libertarians. Unlikely prospects for recruitment. Middle Managers - Concerned about health benefits both to attract good workers but also because of their impact on the bottom line. Cost and efficiency more effective than social justice arguments. Workers - Afraid of losing what they have, need reassurance, often slaves of their health care. Slide 20 Small/Mid-Sized Businesses Owner usually buys the insurance. S/he has first-hand knowledge of employees, their families and health care issues. In CA, small groups of 2 to 50 employees enjoy guaranteed issue and renewal policies with premium costs held to 10% over a standard rate. Cost and efficiency arguments are like to be effective no matter what the political persuasion of the owner. Slide 21 Entrepreneurs Pioneers in the New Economy. Pragmatic with a capital P Concerned with economic independence Cost and efficiency arguments most effective. Small Business Majority supports ACA, same arguments will win them to single payer. Slide 22 Social Media - To combat the Mainstream Media