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Nation Conversations: Jeff Blum on the Battle for Healthcare

USAction's Jeff Blum argues that progressives need to embrace Obama's healthcare reform as a major victory for the social justice movement: "We actually established a new right in America... Healthcare is now a right. That's huge."

The Nation

June 29, 2010

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This past March, Obama signed the healthcare reform bill into law, putting an end to some of the most egregious abuses of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Though the legislation may be imperfect, the protections it affords go a long way toward ending the incredibly unequal access to healthcare that has plagued this nation for decades. Jeff Blum's USAction helped form the 1,000-organization Health Care for America Now coalition, which played a major role in the healthcare battle. On June 24, Blum stopped by The Nation's offices to argue that progressives need to embrace Obama's healthcare reform as a major victory for the social justice movement. "We actually established a new right in America," Blum says. "Healthcare is now a right. That's huge."

This past March, Obama signed the healthcare reform bill into law, putting an end to some of the most egregious abuses of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Though the legislation may be imperfect, the protections it affords go a long way toward ending the incredibly inequitable access to healthcare that has plagued this nation for decades. Jeff Blum’s USAction helped form the 1,000-rganization Health Care for America Now coalition, which played a major role in the healthcare legislation battle. On June 24, Blum stopped by The Nation‘s offices to argue that progressives need to embrace Obama’s healthcare reform as a major victory for the social justice movement. "We actually established a new right in America," Blum says. "Healthcare is now a right. That’s huge."

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