Hightower Lowdown

Sick and tired of waiting on Washington to take action, grassroots groups are on the move, demanding a national health-care program to cover all Americans. Here are some of the activist groups that produce excellent materials on the issue, as well as groups that are forging effective citizen coalitions to organize and mobilize the public at the local and state levels:

• Americans for Healthcare, 1-866-HCVOTER
• Healthcare Now!, 1-212-475-8350 They update the progress of H.R.676 "The U.S. Health Insurance Act."
• Center for American Progress: This group published a well-documented, 13-page paper by former Sen. Tom Daschle on the U.S. health-care system and the need for universal care. You can download it from www.americanprogress.org.
• National Coalition on Health Care, 202-638-7151
• Healthcare For All, 617-350-7279
• Physicians for a National Health Program, 312-782-6006
• American Medical Students Association, 703-620-6600
• Families USA, 202-628-3030