Washington Community Action Network Education & Research Fnd Programs
Washington CAN! has a bold plan to guarantee that all Washington residents receive the same quality health care that our elected officials have had for years. Our health care system is failing. We're paying more and more, but you can't count on coverage when you really need it. And while skyrocketing health care costs are leaving us behind, insurance company profits are on the rise. We're calling on lawmakers to guarantee quality, affordable health coverage for all. We are likewise working to ensure that racial disparities in our health care systems are addressed.
Immigration is an American experience. Yet because of our broken immigration system, every day thousands of people are denied basic civil and human rights, are separated from their families, and are exploited in the workplace. Washington CAN! believes that a just immigration system should provide a path to citizenship, protect all workers, reunite families and ensure equal access to justice. Immigration reform is a core racial and economic justice issue and Washington CAN! will fight for these principles at the local, state, and national levels.
Washington CAN! is also working on economic justice issues such as tax fairness. Our elected officials need to be courageous and stand up for what is right for the long term health of the WA State economy AND ITS TAXPAYERS - a tax system where everyone pays a fair, but not unreasonable, share. We need a permanent solution to current revenue shortfalls and budget crises. This will only come from a long-term, voter-driven campaign for reform. Our state needs to get serious about finding ways to fix the recurring budget crises and pay for our burgeoning health, education, safety and economic needs.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Washington CAN! has had great success in building our Small Business for Health Care Coalition. Small business owners and their employees are three times as likely to be uninsured as other state residents, and those who are insured struggle to maintain coverage for themselves and their employees. In response to this crisis, Washington CAN! began organizing small businesses in 2005. The Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition is now a recognized national leader in the development of a business constituency for health care reform, with more than 2000 active members around the state.
As a grassroots organization, membership means everything to us. It means more lobbying power as we add to our base of over 35,000 individual members across the state. It means more financial resources to expand our work and take on new issues. It means more progress on the issues we care about and more concrete steps to a truly equitable society. Washington CAN! is continually seeking new leaders and new organizations to partner with.