Documentary Details How Insurance Industry Puts Profits Before People, Highlights Need for New American Health Care System

WASHINGTON, DC - On Wednesday, September 24, SEIU will host a screening of Brave New Films' documentary titled "Diagnosis: Now!" at the health care union's headquarters in Washington, D.C., kicking off a series of screenings at house parties being hosted by SEIU locals across the country. The events are part of a series of screenings organized by Health Care for America Now (HCAN), a broad coalition founded by SEIU and other nonprofit and political organizations to promote quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

SEIU Locals will host screenings in California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington State

"Diagnosis: Now!" uses the stories of everyday Americans to illustrate how the health care industry continues to put profits before people's health care needs and highlights the urgent need for quality, affordable health care for everyone in America.

Some facts about the health care industry:

    * In recent years, the country's major insurance companies saw their profits grow 300 percent, while the numbers of insured Americans stayed the same;
    * Half of all bankruptcies are caused by medical bills, and of those, 75 percent had health insurance at the time they got sick or injured; and
    * Last year, about 116 million people in this country struggled to pay medical bills while insurance companies made billions.

WHAT:           Screening of Brave New Film's "Diagnosis: Now!"

WHEN:           Wednesday, September 24, 2008

                        12:00 P.M. EDT

WHERE:         SEIU

                        1800 Massachusetts Avenue NW (Dupont Circle), Washington, D.C.

Media interested in attending should contact Mark McCullough at 202-730-7283 or mark.mccullough@seiu.org.