ST. GEORGE - As the Senate continues to debate health care reform, a group of residents is urging lawmakers to pass the legislation and provide health care for a growing number of uninsured Americans.

In an effort to convey the immediacy of the situation to members of the Senate, a group of Southern Utah residents took part in a Cost of Delay vigil outside of the Washington County Federal Building Tuesday, with many others across the nation participating in similar rallies inspired by MoveOn.org, a political activism organization.

Cyril Noble, chairman of the Washington County Democratic Party and organizer of Tuesday's event, said he urges members of Congress, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, to swiftly pass the health care reform bill with the inclusion of a public heath care option, providing an estimated 46 million uninsured citizens nationwide with an opportunity to purchase insurance from a publicly funded provider.

"It's just a principal of human decency," Noble said Tuesday. He fears the number of uninsured Americans is destined to rise amid widespread job losses.

After speaking to the crowd Tuesday, DeAnne Staheli, director of the Doctors' Volunteer Clinic of St. George, said the nation's health care system is in dire need of reform because a growing number of uninsured patients is unable to receive adequate care to prolong or save their lives.

"It's inexcusable and my heart breaks because there is nothing I can do," said Staheli, who deals with uninsured patients on a daily basis. "People are dying,"

A lack of health insurance is associated with approximately 44,789 deaths annually, or one death every 12 minutes, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Staheli said the number of uninsured patients at the Doctor's Volunteer Clinic has increased by 30 percent from last year, with approximately 1,000 uninsured residents visiting the clinic each month.

Linda Callison, a 60-year-old Ivins resident, said she attended the rally to voice her support for health care reform, because she has grown weary of dealing with Utah-based insurance companies and she would like to see the Senate pass the health care bill without sacrificing the public option.

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ST. GEORGE - As the Senate continues to debate health care reform, a group of residents is urging lawmakers to pass the legislation and provide health care for a growing number of uninsured Americans.

In an effort to convey the immediacy of the situation to members of the Senate, a group of Southern Utah residents took part in a Cost of Delay vigil outside of the Washington County Federal Building Tuesday, with many others across the nation participating in similar rallies inspired by MoveOn.org, a political activism organization.

Cyril Noble, chairman of the Washington County Democratic Party and organizer of Tuesday's event, said he urges members of Congress, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, to swiftly pass the health care reform bill with the inclusion of a public heath care option, providing an estimated 46 million uninsured citizens nationwide with an opportunity to purchase insurance from a publicly funded provider.

"It's just a principal of human decency," Noble said Tuesday. He fears the number of uninsured Americans is destined to rise amid widespread job losses.

After speaking to the crowd Tuesday, DeAnne Staheli, director of the Doctors' Volunteer Clinic of St. George, said the nation's health care system is in dire need of reform because a growing number of uninsured patients is unable to receive adequate care to prolong or save their lives.

"It's inexcusable and my heart breaks because there is nothing I can do," said Staheli, who deals with uninsured patients on a daily basis. "People are dying,"

A lack of health insurance is associated with approximately 44,789 deaths annually, or one death every 12 minutes, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Staheli said the number of uninsured patients at the Doctor's Volunteer Clinic has increased by 30 percent from last year, with approximately 1,000 uninsured residents visiting the clinic each month.

Linda Callison, a 60-year-old Ivins resident, said she attended the rally to voice her support for health care reform, because she has grown weary of dealing with Utah-based insurance companies and she would like to see the Senate pass the health care bill without sacrificing the public option.

Read full story...