How do you make the insurance companies sit up and take notice? They've shown that they clearly have no qualms ignoring outcries over their practice of raising premiums to levels few can afford, or denying coverage for a wide variety of "pre-existing conditions." But, members of SEIU Healthcare 775NW may have found the one way to make them pay attention--by bringing 500 members to deliver our message of health care reform to CIGNA's front door.

The message of the day was clear: CIGNA must stop it's abusive insurance practices and withdraw it's opposition to the public option. Stories shared by several of CIGNA's victims underlined this point. Jo Godfrey, a lung cancer survivor and CIGNA policyholder, told the gathered SEIU members about how her doctor refused to diagnose her lung cancer at CIGNA's behest. At the end of her story, Jo said she thinks a strong public option is the best solution to our current, broken system: "I really believe that having an option to get a plan that's not controlled by the insurance companies, that doesn't make a profit, is the fair thing to do, and it will save lives."

Before the rally began, SEIU Healthcare 775NW members were invited to the SeaTac Doubletree to watch the premier of Sick for Profit, a new movie by Brave New Films, which featured Jo's story, and that of several other CIGNA customers. The movie presents a stark contrast between the lavish lifestyles of CIGNA executives and the hundreds of patients that they deny coverage. Take a moment to watch the video below: