More than a dozen individuals from Westport and area towns (most of whom did not know each other) attended the meeting at Glascoff's house. Each attendee is committed to repairing the broken health care system in America, and was informed about the meeting through an e-mail from Organizing for America, which is hoping to create a groundswell of support for health care reform in homes, libraries, and communities centers in all 50 states across the nation.
The first meeting in Westport and in all locations was intended to focus groups on brainstorming for a June 27 health care event that is expected to be the kickoff for future initiatives designed to bring national pressure on reformation of the health care system.
The Westport group ultimately decided that their first endeavor would be to put pressure on State Rep. Toni Boucher and Gov. Jodi Rell to support two bills now in the legislature which would alleviate health care costs, the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership, which would permit municipal employees to join the state health insurance plan, and Sustinet, which would allow individuals to join the state health care pool and pay for health care on a sliding scale basis.
Each individual at the meeting agreed to contact at least 10 others to begin a network that would advocate louder for affordable health care.
According to Glascoff, those bills have not been supported by Rell in the past, but she is hoping that there is a new economic reality now which will change Rell¹s mind.
Glascoff, who has been a lifelong public advocate, blamed "a lack of legal accountability in our health care system and an extreme profit motive that has resulted in very costly excess care. Most people don't understand the ramifications of these problems."
She advocated a continued focus on health care reform, and ticked off some of the many excess costs which need to be eliminated, such as excessive testing in part caused by a reaction to the number of lawsuits, and a fear of mortality, which results in huge costs just prior to the end of life.
People don't want to talk about such things. We must begin a conversation about the end of life," she said.
Gloria Cole Sugarman, another Westport resident also at Saturday's meeting, encouraged those interested to contact Toni Boucher at 203 762-3232 or 800-842-1421. For those interested in supporting the initatives of Organizing for America, the website is www.barackobama.com.