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I finally made it back from Boston (late because I had a doctor's appointment)and want to share some of the pictures and impressions from today;
The crowd was good - I'd say the hall was just about filled. Among some of the guests we saw were Jim McGovern, who is US Rep. for the 3rd district in MA; Tom Finneran - former State House Speaker; Cam Kerry; Robert Crowe - JK's finance chair and good friend; and Phil Johnston, MA Dem Party chair.
John Kerry, Vanessa Kerry, and Thomas Farrington were the speakers at today's event. Of course I paid special attention to JK's attire - Navy suit, light blue shirt, and red tied with grey dots. (At first it looked like the pink number he likes to wear, but upon closer inspection I found that it was a new one.)
Mr. Farrington's speech was rather short, but very informative, and very alarming. He spoke of the fact that African American males die from prostate cancer 2.5 times more than any other males. His father, for instance, died from prostate cancer only 4 months before Farrington himself was diagnosed with the disease. He has spent the last 6 years working to raise awareness about prostate cancer through his book, and his organization - Prostate Health Education Network.
Vanessa Kerry was up next, looking as lovely as ever. She spoke of her education, and this being her final year at Harvard Med School, and how she has learned that we have nothing without our health. Her love for her father shone through as she told us that she is who she is because of him, and as she spoke of his prostate cancer diagnosis, his surgery, and subsequent clean bill of health.
She stressed health care as an issue so pressing, that John Kerry made it one of his main issues during his campaign, and that there has been no positive movement in the past two years on that front. As a matter of fact, it has gotten worse under George Bush.
Patients have to choose in which state to live in order to get good care, and that our midterm elections should be a referendum on health care.
When she introduced her father at the end of her speech, she had managed to engage the crowd entirely.
John Kerry came up, thanked Vanessa and said that nothing was better than being introduced by his daughter who was such a source of pride. If she were became half as good a doctor as she is a daughter, her patients would be lucky.
Senator Kerry's speech was very policy-oriented, but was peppered with enough well-placed zingers to keep the crowd at attention through its entirety.
His main points were;
1. Every American must have health coverage by 2012
2. Start with kids first. They're born, they're enrolled. They get child care, they're enrolled. They go to school, they're enrolled - no compromises.
3. Controlling skyrocketing premiums, so-pays, and exclusions. Families should no longer be pushed into bankruptcy through medical bills. No more choosing between college tuition and paying for doctor's bills. Americans are to get the health care they need and deserve.
4. Assuring high quality and preventive care for every American, no wating until they are sick enough to have to go to the emergency room.
He stated that this was his plan in '04, and it is as good now as it was then, hence he is sticking to his guns.
Interesting facts; GM adds $1500 to the cost of each car it produces to cover health care for its workers - Toyota only $500.
Starbucks spends more money on health care than coffee beans.
Walmart is taking the easy route - don't offer insurance to its majority of workers by hiring them part time, or offering inurance that is too expensive. If a worker gets sick, let him go.
I liked his comparison of the health insurance numbers to Bush's approval ratings - health care has gone up by 73%, Bush's approval ratings are reverse that.
A key point that got a serious round of applause was this; The Democratic Party must stand for health care for all Americans, or we don't stand for anything at all.
Drug companies should be investing in cures, not slick advertisment campaigns.
Physicians should be given incentives to join group practices to achieve lower costs.
The federal government should reimburse some of the high cost cases to the insurers if preventative care and health promotion benefits are included in the coverage.
Focus should be on new and creative solutions, and building on what works.
The speech was - as his previous one on energy independence - full of ideas, and ways to implement them. Nothing was left open to questioning. If we cansay one thing about John Kerry - he crosses his t's and dots his i's.
The audience appeared to appreciate that fact as well.
Pictures coming right up :-)
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