Healthcare reform advocate to speak at Democratic tele-luncheon
Featured speaker at Monday's Democratic tele-luncheon will be Margarida Jorge, Executive Director of Health Care for America Now, or HCAN, a 501(c)(4) advocacy group that speaks on behalf of more than 1,000 organizations nationwide. In 2008 Margarida helped create and lead HCAN's campaign to overhaul the US health care system and extend insurance coverage to most of the country's previously uninsured population, and was chief architect of the organization's 47-state field program.
The landmark legislation that resulted, The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. HCAN has been credited with being a major contributor to that legislative success. Since the ACA's passage, the organization has been focused on defending it against countless attempts at repeal or disruption, an effort that has been mostly successful in the nation's capital and federal courts, but continues in numerous state capitals across the nation. HCAN works in cooperation with its 501(c)(3) partner, the Health Care for America Education Fund, a project of the Tides Center in San Francisco.
Margarida Jorge is a veteran of electoral, union, civic engagement and issue campaigns and a recognized expert in strategic campaigns, grassroots organizing, issue advocacy and organizational development. She has served in many national leadership roles, including as National Director of SEIU’s American’s for Health Care campaign, co-chair of Americans for Tax Fairness, Executive Director of the Women’s Equality Center and Secretary of Faith in Public Life. She has served as Campaign Director for Lower Drug Prices Now (LDPN) since 2019.
She has also worked as a strategic consultant and advisor for many progressive organizations including Demos, Main Street Alliance, Vision First, Faith in Action, Family Values@Work, Working America, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) and the Ms. Foundation for Women. Before coming to Washington DC in 2007, she spent nearly 15 years organizing labor unions, passing legislation, building community organizations and electing candidates in Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, and Florida. She holds two Bachelor's degrees from Columbia University in New York City. She has served as HCAN Executive Director since 2017.
Sponsored by the Democratic Men's Committee, this event is scheduled for noon on Monday, March 8th, and will be held online via Zoom teleconference due to social distancing restrictions at in-person venues. Those wishing to be on distribution for these Zoom links should email Rich Dunn, Men's Committee Events Coordinator, at richdunn@aol.com.
- ACA
- Affordable Care Act
- Americans for Tax Fairness
- American’s for Health Care
- Announcements
- Care for America Education Fund
- Democratic Men's Committee
- Democratic tele-luncheon
- Demos
- Executive Director
- Faith in Action
- Faith in Public Life
- Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
- FRRC
- HCAN
- Health Care for America Now
- LDPN
- Lower Drug Prices Now
- Main Street Alliance
- Margarida Jorge
- Ms. Foundation for Women
- President Obama
- Rich Dunn
- SEIU
- teleconference
- Tides Center
- Vision First
- Women’s Equality Center
- Working America
- Zoom