Lori Smith's Testimony

Good afternoon.

It is an honor to be here with you.

My name is Lori Smith and I am a citizen of the United States. I live in the state of Tennessee. I am suffering and may die because of human rights violations in my country.

I work with and I’m representing the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) and the hundreds of millions of people in my country who otherwise would have no voice. I sit on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign and I’m President of Music for Health Care. These organizations believe health care is a human right and we work closely with local and national organizations in the pursuit of health care for all.

Please listen closely to what I have to say about health care violations in the US - for it is the truth and it serves as a warning for the world. My state of Tennessee is the model for a national political campaign to dismantle vital social programs for the sick and poor throughout the US. And whatever the model is for the US unfortunately becomes the model for the world.

First, I must say there is a tendency to believe poverty, hunger, homelessness, and lack of health care are nearly non-existent in the U.S. After all, the US is the richest country in the world. However, the truth is that human rights violations and suffering are prevalent and growing rapidly. For example, in Tennessee, 42.1 percent of children under age 19 live in poverty. Memphis, a large city in TN, has a higher infant mortality rate than Vietnam, El Salvador and Iran.

These violations are rarely reported in the media because those who oppress us want to hide the truth.

Violations of the human right to health care in the United States are not always accidents. Health care in the US is controlled by powerful, for-profit interests.
Wealth and power influence US policy, which is structured to function for the benefit of a few rather than the many. By intentional discrimination, they uphold and promote the inequality between the rich and the poor - the powerful and the powerless - the sick and the healthy. They exploit the oppressed and attempt to silence the voices of those who speak the truth. And the US has and continues to impose its oppressive policies on the world.

Six years ago, I was working for a large company. My employer paid me well and provided health insurance. In the US, you need health insurance to get health care.

Then I got sick.

I was diagnosed with Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis. These are chronic, disabling autoimmune diseases where the body attacks and destroys its own vital organs. Lupus is often fatal. I may not look sick on the outside, but my body is destroying itself on the inside. For the rest of my life, I will need frequent and specialized health care and medicines.

Because of my illnesses, I could no longer work for the company. I lost my job and my health insurance.

I became poor, I was scared and I was sick.

Because I was poor, my daughter and I qualified for TennCare, the state of Tennessee's medical program for 1.3 million poor adults and children. 25% of the Tennessee’s population relies on TennCare for their medical care.

In 2004, Tennessee’s Governor announced he planned to dismantle the TennCare program. The Bush Administration supports his plan and just this month the Governor removed 323,000 of the sickest people from TennCare. I am one these people and so is my friend who has terminal cancer, and another who is paralyzed and relies on a ventilator to breath. They will die.

The 700,000 who remain on the program will receive only limited health care, which will be life threatening to many. They will also be subjected to the new definition of “medical necessity.” This new definition takes away the authority from a doctor to determine what is medically necessary and gives that authority to the government and insurance companies. And under this definition only the cheapest medical care will be given.

I have met with the Governor and his administration on several occasions to discuss the deadly impact his changes will have. They refused to listen and save lives. The Governor has retaliated with threats, intimidation and bribes, targeting anyone who speaks against his plan. He tried to have a federal judge removed, threatened to fire and fired state employees, pressured hospitals, doctors, and faith leaders. He has denounced me publicly in local and national newspapers.

These violations are unnecessary and preventable. There is enough money to provide health care for all. The Governor knows it. And the US government knows it. Yet they are allowing it to happen at the expense of human lives.

Tennessee's Governor aspires to run for president. He is a self-made millionaire from the health care industry and he supports private, for-profit health care and the free-market. And he has plans to nationally “reform” health care for the poor

Regarding the sick and the poor and the social health care programs that help them, the Governor has said:

“(Social medical programs for the poor are) a clear and present danger to the budgets and priorities of the (United) states." "We have too many people with too many (health care) benefits."

The Governor of Tennessee isn’t the only person who feels this way. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist lead efforts in Congress this year to make the largest cuts in US history to national social programs for the poor. Some important facts about Senator Frist: He is from Tennessee and supports the TennCare cuts. He is a doctor. He and his family own the largest hospital chain in the US, which generated revenue of $21.8 billion in 2003. Further, Senator Frist plans on running for president in 2008 and "health care reform" is at the top of his agenda.

Although the situation is dire, there is hope!

We are breaking the silence and taking action. On June 20tth, in Tennessee, I and other TennCare recipients occupied the Governor’s office demanding our right to health care. The Governor is denying us food and water, but we refuse to leave.

In 2006, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign will hold a national Truth Commission in the US, to bring international attention to human rights violations. We are asking our international brothers and sisters to join us.

I believe we can achieve social justice and health care for all. But it won't be easy. It will be a long and challenging process, for many will oppose us. It will demand taking risks.

We must be willing to identify and expose the oppression and harm that is occurring.

We must resist any entity or mechanism that continues to oppress and violate human rights.

We must break the silence. Those who are suffering must tell their stories and we must help them to get their voices heard.

We must help the oppressed organize. Our biggest strength and hope lies in building a mass international movement.

I don't have all the answers, but I do know that if we are to succeed - we must commit, we must unite and we must act – NOW.

It has been a pleasure talking to you today. May we all be guided and protected in our journey to help one another.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for caring.

In the closing march of the People's Health Assembly, thousands of people from over 80 different countries marched through Cuenca. Jen and Lori marched with the People's Health Movement USA delegation behind a banner that read, "No to war, Yes to health!"

Jen and Lori at the opening of the People's Health Assembly. The banner in the backdrop reads, "The voice of the Earth Calls us Together."

Lori and Jen were very excited to be a part of many discusssions at the PHA2 about building the People's Health Movement (PHM) and linking the PHM and the PPEHRC both on the US and international level. Please watch for further updates.

Thanks to the People's Health Movement and especially the PHM-US circle for helping to raise the resources for Lori and Jen to participate in the 2nd People's Health Assembly in Ecuador.