It was Twelfth Night in Louisville’s Central Park when Shakespeare enthusiasts gathered despite the heat and humidity. Medicare lovers were there as well to celebrate Medicare’s 60th Birthday with the distribution of flyers advocating the enactment of an Enhanced Medicare for All. People agreed, pocketed the leaflets, and signed the petition.
On July 31, 2025, there was a hearing on Affordable Health Care in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at 22:08 to 30:08. Dr. Adam Gaffney speaks at 47:02 ending at 52:42.
Both are excellent in explaining Improved Medicare for All!
From the eloquent speakers to the singing Raging Grannies, to the commemoration of lives lost to a cruel health care system, Kentuckians raised their voices to demand an end to profit in health care and the enactment of a single payer plan to cover us all. That was Sat., May 31, when Louisville was part of a National Day of Action involving 30 cities.
Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care had put out a call to action:
“As we battle to stop the catastrophic attacks on health care, education, public workers and services, civil rights, unions, social security, immigrants, research, the environment, and even science, we refuse to be cowed by fear and hate. The ferocity of the attacks requires a bold response. The demand for Improved Medicare for All, free from profit, and covering everyone can unite us and inspire the nation to rise to its best potential.”
You can see some of the Louisville event here:
Ron Hargrove’s 3 min video of interviews from May 31:
TV coverage, 2 and ½ min video, of Louisville event
The 46 minute video of the Louisville May 31 event
5 min video of Kentuckiana Raging Grannies
Harriette Seiler’s photo album of May 31
Commentary in the Kentucky Lantern
This is a new beginning, a bold, urgent, nationwide demand to enact Improved Medicare for All, free from profit.
Our thanks to all who came, to our speakers Dustin Reinstedler, Hamza Jamal, Dr. Karen Krigger, and Gail Henson, to the 17 Kentucky cosponsors, to Paul Hoppe who built the magnificent structure that held the banner and organized essentials, to Jill Harmer who brought the Raging Grannies, to Harriette Seiler who organized the sound, the permit, and so much more, to Charlie Casper who called the media and organized the commemoration, to Dr. Kitrina Kearfott who staffed the table and spoke to the media, to Kirk Gillenwaters who brought union members, and to Ron Hargrove and Dalton Nolan who made wonderful videos. To Dr. Garrett Adams and all who spread the word, carried chairs, tables, did set up and clean up, we are grateful.
Over 140 organizations are cosponsoring this event in 25 cities across the country. Actions are planned in Louisville KY, Pittsburgh PA, Kittaning PA, Houston TX, Barrington NJ, Arlington VA, Detroit MI, Charleston WV, Charlotte NC, Burlington NC, Greenville NC, Seattle WA, Spokane WA, Portland OR, Tillamook OR, Corvallis OR, Santa Barbara CA, San Francisco CA, San Diego CA, and New York City with more on the way.
Louisville Rally
12 Noon
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Mazzoli Federal Building, 600 Martin Luther King Jr. Pl. 40202. Join us!
Speakers: KY State AFL-CIO President, Dustin Reinstedler; Dr. Karen Krigger, Professor of Family and Geriatric Medicine; Hamza Jamal, UofL Medical Student; Gail Henson, member of the League of Women Voters of Kentucky and Co-President of the local Louisville League
Socializing at 1:00 pm with pizza provided!
(The time for the rally has been changed to 12N to avoid conflict with the Social Security Rally.)
In Kentucky cosponsors include:
Kentucky Poor Peoples Campaign, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Kentucky State AFL-CIO, Greater Louisville Central Labor Council, Kentucky Unitarian Universalist Justice Action Network, Louisville Showing up for Racial Justice, Derby City Coalition of Labor Union Women, United Auto Workers Local 862, Laborers Local 576, Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Louisville Workers Brigade, Louisville Fellowship of Reconciliation, Kentucky Green Party Group, Kentuckiana Raging Grannies, League of Women Voters of Kentucky, Louisville DSA, Forward Kentucky
Your organization can sign on as a cosponsor here
See the list of cosponsors and further details here
Former NALC Branch 84 President Michael Plaskon speaks in this 90 second video.
We call on communities across the country to join in a National Day of Action on Saturday, May 31, 2025, to put National Single Payer Healthcare on the nation’s agenda.
Our health care system is broken beyond repair. Insurance companies and for-profit middlemen create barriers to care and massive administrative waste. These result in unnecessary suffering and deaths. For over 60 years, piecemeal reforms have resulted in higher costs and the worst health outcomes among comparable nations.
We demand the recognition by our government that health care is a human right.
We demand the elimination of private health insurance and the banning of for-profit delivery of care.
We demand the enactment of a publicly financed, national single payer program that would provide comprehensive coverage to everyone.
We demand that health care delivery be transformed from profit-seeking ventures into services organized to serve the people of our country, a system in which all caregivers are freed from corporate control.
The National Day of Action will bring people together locally and nationally from neighborhoods, unions, faith groups, businesses, and all types of civic organizations to join the demand to remove profit from health care. We must focus our collective anger towards corporate health insurers to bring real reform: put National Single Payer on the nation’s agenda!
Your organization can sign on as a cosponsor here.
Jill Harmer, front row left, has arranged for the Raging Grannies to perform at the rally.
On Fri., March 21, 2025, Louisville rallied at the Mazzoli Building to demand protection of federal services and workers. The mood was intense–the wounds are deeply felt. Even the Pegasus seemed to cry out against the injustice!
A TSA worker spoke of the illegal withdrawal of their union rights. Others told of the damage to the veterans from the VA cuts. This fight is just beginning. Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare was there in solidarity.
On Sat., March 22, 2025, hundreds convened at the Local 862 UAW hall to condemn the threats to cut Medicaid, the federal/state program for health care for those with low incomes or disabilities. Over 1.5 million Kentuckians have no other coverage. The majority of recipients are working at jobs that pay too little and don’t provide health insurance.
Moms spoke of the fight to keep their challenged children covered when they get a tiny raise. Almost all of those in nursing homes depend on Medicaid!
Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare was there to express support.
As we organize for a national single payer program, free from profit, that covers everyone, we stand against any backward moves. KSPH distributed hundreds of Improved Medicare for All flyers. The response was warm and supportive. The people demand a health care system for people, not profit.
On Wednesday, February 11, 2025, medical students at the University of Louisville met to organize a Chapter of the Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP), the student arm of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP). PNHP is a single-issue organization with more than 25,000 members advocating a universal, comprehensive, single-payer national health program.
Hamza Jamal, a second year medical student, organized the meeting and led with a presentation on the purpose of SNaHP and its proud history of advocacy, both on the U of L campus and nationally. Kay Tillow, Chair of Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care (KSPH), spoke on the state of our healthcare outcomes and costs and the necessity to move to a national single payer system, free from profit. Harriette Seiler, Secretary of KSPH, told of the positive experience of her Canadian family with their single payer system.
Students asked probing questions centering on what they can do to accomplish the needed changes in health care. Dr. Anthony Martin, the group’s advisor, joined in the lively discussion on how to survive as a physician while advocating for systemic change.
To reach the student group, email Hamza Jamal (pictured in photo) at hamza.jamal@louisville.edu
Hamza Jamal has written an article examining health care administrative costs in the United States. Access the article here.
Sicko is a 2007 American political documentary film by filmmaker Michael Moore. Investigating health care in the United States, the film focuses on the country’s health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. Moore compares the for-profit non-universal U.S. system with the non-profit universal health care systems of Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Cuba. Watch it, free, here:
Ona Marshall and Drs. Ed Marshall and Alecia Fields, experts on reproductive rights in Kentucky, discuss the status of those rights on this episode of Single Payer Radio, hosted by Paul Hoppe and Drs. Mike Flynn and Eugene Shively.
Forward Radio · Single Payer Radio | Women’s Reproductive Rights in Kentucky | 9-16-2024
On Sep. 14, 2024, Harriette Seiler, Paul Hoppe, and Dave Shuler staffed the KSPH booth to distribute flyers and get petitions signed. They report an enthusiastic reception by the public. Our thanks to the Louisville Workers Brigade for generously sharing their booth with us.
