Health Care. Now. Speak Up!

Last week was a busy one for Seattle small businesses, organizations, and community-minded individuals who were working together for some health care reform. You may know (Oh, you KNOW) that Jody Hall, Cupcake bosslady, is a big time advocate for said reform and is becoming a pretty valuable player in the small business organizing game.

Small businesses are the collective largest employer of Americans. That's good for everybody. They also employ the largest number of uninsured or under-insured individuals. That's good for nuthin'. Being that they are small business owners, they are way too busy to get they butts on the lobbying train, and who has money to hire the fancy people to do that stuff for you?

Not us. So we do it ourselves.

Jody has been working with the Washington Small Business Coalition for Health Care Reform, and efforts seem to be coming to a head right about now. Turns out, the Obama administration is pretty hip to the idea of reforming the inarguably mismanaged, lop-sided, and ineffective health care system we've developed here in these United States. Lawmakers want to hear what we have to say about it, so we're telling them.


Jody Hall, Senator Patty Murray, Molly Moon

First, Jody met with Senator Patty Murray and fellow small business owner Molly Moon to talk shop about what's the what for small businesses who want to insure their people. We insure our people here at Cupcake Royale, but it costs us. A lot. Way too much. And that's not cool. We pay way more for way less coverage than the big guys. Again, not cool.

What is cool? Patty Murray, 4th ranking Democratic Senator, agrees. She wants to know what's happening here, in the real world, to us regular types.


Molly Moon, Congressman Jim McDermott, Jody Hall in our Madrona café!

And so does Congressman Jim McDermott, head of the Progressive Caucus on Health Care Reform. He cares so much, he called us up and asked to chat. Right in our café.

And, if we read her correctly while Jody was at the White House pleading this case, so does Nancy-Ann DeParle, the Director of Obama's Committee on Health Care Reform. So, it would seem, now is the time. Lawmakers are listening. So we better speak up. And that's just what more than 5,000 of us did last Saturday as we marched through Seattle in the name of quality, affordable coverage for all.



Way to get out and get it done, people! Word on the street is the House will release its much anticipated health care reform bill within the next 10 days. We spoke up. Let's see who was listening.