As a former private health insurance agent, Alise Mossvetica said her mission was to deny medical claims whenever possible. Mossvetica says the financial harm she caused bothered her so much she quit the industry.

Now a health insurance consultant, Mossvetica is pushing for the afforable public health insurance option as proposed by President Barack Obama.

"I was part of the problem, I did harm," Mossvetica said of her health insurance job. "There's so many tricks to the trade but people don't know because there's no transparency."

As an example, Mossvetica said negotiated health insurance contracts are set at prices "astronomically" above actual health care costs.

As a volunteer for Organizing for America, Mossvetica helped rally about 25 health insurance reform supporters outside the Reno federal courthouse on Thursday. The rally drew supportive honks from passing drivers, plus the usual admonitions like "Get a job!"

After a few speeches, Mossvetica and other organizers delivered more than 2,100 signed petitions to the offices of Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign and Congressman Dean Heller inside the courthouse. The "Give America a Choice" petitions support Obama's public/private health insurance plan. Mossvetica said the choice between public and private coverage would help make health insurance more competitive and transparent.

"If we stick together, if we hold our representatives to the fire, we will get a public health care reform with the public/private option," the Sparks resident said. Mossvetica said a single-payer health insurance system proposed by some doesn't have enough "traction" because Americans want the choice.

"Eighty-three percent of Americans want a public option," Mossvetica said. "Today, they (the health insurance industry) are lobbying against us. The middle class and working poor are devastated. Private health (cost) goes up and the cycle goes on."

Opponents of the public health insurance option say it will cost taxpayers too much and cause more government intrusion into private lives. Others worry about the effect on the already enormous federal government deficit.

While Thursday’s rally was all about supporting government involvement in health care, Michele Beard, chair of the Washoe County Republican Party, said there are many problems with a publicly funded solution to health care.

“We are against the health care reform plan. We don’t see any need to have our people further taxed,” Beard said. “People need to have a choice of what they want in terms of medical care, not be told where to go.”

Beard went on to say that while a public health care program might reduce costs, it would also probably eliminate some services and make fewer people want to practice medicine.

“I thnk it would be a detriment across the board,” Beard said.

Mossvetica said the grassroots health insurance reform movement will continue all summer with more petition drives and rallies in Washington and around the country. The week of July 20 has been dubbed "Health Care Week of Action." For more information, go to www.organizingforamerica.com.

Former Obama campaign volunteer and archaeologist Andrea Catacora, 32, of Reno waved a health insurance reform sign at Thursday's rally. For the first time in her life, she has employer-funded health care insurance.

"Everyone has the right to health care across the board. It doesn't maatter who you are, we should all be equal," she said.