October 30,2002__________________________________
Jlortlatth (Observer
Page A3
Election 2002
Democrats Advocate Reforms
Medical accessibility, affordability promoted at Senior Center
I
On November 5th
help Democrats fight for equality
and opportunity for all Americans.
If you are a registered voter
you have the power to make a difference.
The law says you can vote.
And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden. D-Ore., (from left) visits northeast Portland to promote health care reform
Thursday with Bill Bradbury, the Democratic candidate for Oregon Governor, and Howard Dean, the
governor o f Vermont.
photo bv D avid P lechi TT hf . P ortland O bserver
by D avid P lechl
T he P ortland O bserver
A pow erful group o f law m ak
ers, including O regon’s D em o
cratic candidates for U.S. sena
tor and governor, gathered at the
N ortheast M ulticultural Senior
C enter on M artin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard Thursday to advocate
for health care reform s.
B ill B ra d b u ry an d T ed
K ulongow skijoined current U.S.
Sen. Ron W yden, D -O re., and
V erm ont Gov. H oward Dean to
consider if it was possible to
develop a health care system in
A m erica that w ould include ev
eryone.
“W e have had eight years of
inactivity in the fight to reform
health care,” Wyden said. “It’s
time for citizens and elected offi
cials to take the issue back from
special interests and build a better
h ealth care system from the
grassroots up.”
The roundtable discussion gave
families and O regon’s seniors the
opportunity to discuss challenges
they face meeting the rising costs
of prescription drugs and compre
hensive health insurance.
“I think everyone recognizes
that the rising cost of health care is
ju s t
u n a c c e p ta b le ,”
said
Kulongowski, the Democratic can
didate for governor.
Wyden took the opportunity to
address the importance of preven
tative measures in medicine.
“It’s not health care in this coun
try, it’s sick care. We wait until
people are flat on their backs,” he
said.
Gov. Dean, a possible presi
dential contender for 2004, was
lauded for his work as one if the
natio n ’s forerunners in innova
tive health care program s. V er
mont has one o f the highest medi
cal coverage rates o f people un
der 18 in the nation.
“It’s not expensive to take care
of children,” Dean said.
The lawmakers also shed some
light on the high and low points of
Oregon’s health care system.
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www.democrats.org
aufhoseThat Fought F o m u r Right
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a n d T h o u san d s
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