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AFL-CIO Launches Campaign for America’s Health Care |
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It’s a simple proposition and poll after poll shows most people agree that:
In America, No One Should Go Without Health Care.
Today, as new figures from the federal government show there are 2.2 million more Americans, including children without health care coverage—a record 47 million with no coverage—the AFL-CIO launched a mobilization drive to fix our broken health care system.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C., today to describe the new campaign, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says the effort will:
…put the full-force of the 10 million union members and three million union retirees behind winning high quality, secure health care for every person in America by 2009.
Nobody should have to live in fear of an accident or illness or an unexpected medical bill. Nobody should have to go deep into debt or declare bankruptcy to pay for a life-saving operation—especially while drug and insurance company CEOs are pocketing tens of millions of dollars a year. No company should have to shut its doors because it can’t compete with businesses who shirk health care obligations, or businesses in other countries that have public health care systems overseas.
Initial key elements of the health care drive include a focus on the 2008 presidential election, creation of a million-member mobilization team of union activists to arm union members with the information they need to be active players and health care voters, creating alliances with grassroots organizations and reaching out to employer groups to craft and win a meaningful national health care policy.
Jean Tome, from Columbus, Ohio, is among the millions of U.S. workers struggling to pay for health care. At today’s press conference, the Working America member told reporters about how she is only one medical problem away from financial ruin. She also spoke about her hardships trying to pay for vital prescription medication and medical bills. She has a job but can’t afford the health insruance that her employer offers.
I am one of 47 million Americans without health insurance. I am employed and I work hard everyday….A few months ago I became ill with pink eye and strep throat…I didn’t want to go to the doctor. I couldn’t afford it. I was already getting docked wages from the days I was missing and I had no health insurance to back me up. It’s hard to believe that a person gets to be my age in this country and is afraid to go to the doctor because they don’t know how they’re going to pay for it. I live on the edge every day.
Connecticut nurse Mary Florio, an AFSCME member who has been a bedside nurse for 31 years, has seen how the nation’s health care system has spiraled downward. She told reporters:
The people I’m seeing now are coming in so much sicker than they were when I first got out of school…They are not going to the doctor because they don’t have health insurance. Or if they get to their doctor they can’t afford the medicine they need to take to get better. They system needs to be fixed.
Says Sweeney:
Health care is the top domestic issue for our members and all Americans, and the AFL-CIO is making the 2008 elections a mandate on fixing this broken system. We will hold candidates at every level responsible for supporting comprehensive, progressive national health care reform, and we will elect a president and a Congress prepared to turn their campaign promises into reality.
In America—no one should go without health care.
Many of the presidential candidates have outlined their health care plans and there are several health care bills in Congress. Many of the plans and bills contain important pieces of the puzzle to bring health care to all. The AFL-CIO has not endorsed a particular plan, but a health care blueprint must:
- Control rising and irrational costs.
- Provide comprehensive, high-quality health care to all.
- Give every family the opportunity and responsibility for preventive care.
- Preserve the right to choose and use your own doctor.
- Ask the government to play a strong role to curb corporate greed and incompetence and ensure more fairness and efficiency.
- Lower employer costs and, in turn, ask them to pay their fair share.
- Build on what’s best about American health care, while drawing what works from other countries.
New figures from U.S. Census Bureau show there are 47 million people who had no health care coverage at all in 2006, a jump of 2.2 million from 2005 and 8.6 million more than 2000. That’s a 22 percent increase in the six years since President Bush has been in office. Also the number of uninsured children jumped to 8.7 million in 2006, a 7.6 percent increase over 2005.
In addition, workers with health care coverage are facing higher and higher costs to maintain that coverage and those rising costs eat away at their income and living standards. Health care costs are rising at twice the rate of inflation and health care premiums have increased 81 percent since 2000, but wages have risen just 16.5 percent. As more employers cut back or refuse to pay their fair share, millions of workers may lose their employer-based coverage.
The union movement’s new health care campaign has an immediate goal: protecting the millions of children who currently receive health care coverage from the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from President Bush’s threat to veto legislation reauthorizing the program. Without reauthorization, SCHIP will expire Sept. 30. Says Sweeney:
We will hold George Bush responsible for his threat to veto SCHIP—funding approved by Congress to continue coverage for nearly 7 million children and provide health insurance for the first time to up to 5 million more. Working America—our community organization for people who don’t have a union on the job—is knocking on more than 3,500 doors a night talking to people about children’s health care funding. And we’ll bring together children and retirees across the country to support children’s health.
Union activists is several states held press conferences on the new health care mobilization, including a standing-room-only event in Louisville, Ky., where Rep. John Yarmuth (D) pledged his support for the campaign and where several workers and health care professionals spoke out for reform.
We will keep you posted on the fight to save SCHIP and the new health care campaign. Be sure to check out the new AFL-CIO Health Care website that includes:
- Videos of real people talking about their health care struggles;
- A roundup of the latest health care news from the blog world;
- Information on health care facts and fixes;
- News from the state health care battle front; and
- A petition you can sign and send to your lawmakers in Washington, D.C., calling for comprehensive health care reform.
9 Comments
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One would hope that all our members (active and retired) have seen the SICKO movie. Any union folk can tell of health care horror stories from their own knowledge.
With retiree health care benefits cuts, increased “taxation” by medicare/medicaid by growing deductions and copays; cuts to active working famies; time to force fatcats in Washington and the statehouses across the land to take posive action for the American people.
Further, any politican whom does not get onboard with corrections to this and other problems should be put out of office and in a hurry.
I understand this thinking, BUT, “WE” have worked all our life’s for the UNION, Package. If you give this to everyone ,just why would ANYONE EVER WANT TO JOIN A UNION????????? WE have taken care of OUR “Family’s” with working in the UNION’s Labor market. Traviling all over the Country trying to make a “good” living for the “Family”, for what? For the gutless GOVT. to give WHAT WE AS UNION MEMBER’S have fought for ALL our live’s. If you want (HEALTH CARE) for everyone, why be UNION? JOIN A UNION HAVE HEALTH CARE FOR YOUR FAMILY!!!!!!
Generally speaking I would tend to agree with the principles that “no bozos” has laid out. I, too, am tired of toting non-union freeloaders with my dues money and commitment to solidarity.
However; I am hearing, more and more, how difficult it is becoming for negotiating committees to hold ground in contract meetings with respect to health care. The bargaining leverage of Union negotiators on this portion of the “Union Package” is becoming weaker and weaker. The best way to prevent health care from being placed on the negotiating chopping block altogether is to force our government leaders into providing universal health care to all Americans. The reason Unions should get behind this measure is from the standpoint of preserving what the Labor Movement has already fought and won for most of its members. Additionally, it’s the right thing to do for what I refer to as the American Movement. I shouldn’t have to wait for age 62 or 65 or whatever age it may get changed to in order to finally qualify for universal health care. I want it now, for all ages…old, young, and everyone in between!
Our hospitals would be in far less of a crisis if they weren’t forced to provide FREE medical care to illegals. Because that is exactly what they must do. Illegals use the er’s and hospitals for every ailment, emergency or not, and then in most cases never pay a dime! How many hospitals ever see any payment for all the anchor babies they deliver every year? If a legal US citizen goes into the hospital for treatment and doesn’t have insurance you can bet they’d be sued if they didn’t pay the bill. Are the illegals ever sued? Hm…..
As a retiree union member, I fear that my former employer will eliminate retiree health insurance for all workers. They already have for a portion of the unionized work force hired after January 2003. My personal lawyer, who normally represents management, has warned me that virtually every company in the USA is taking a look at retiree health care costs.
So if it isn’t a concern for active unionized workers now, it will be come retirement. I applaud Brother Sweeney and the AFL-CIO for making this a major election issue.
Just listining to some of the pathetic excuses for not supporting Universal Health Care makes me sick.
Blaming it on the Illegals, Blaming it on the Non-Union Workers.
When the Corporatists and the Greedy Neo-Cons see Union people talking such non-sense they laugh all the way to the Bank. It’s the old ploy ,playing one exploited group against the other.
We as Workers and Union Workers in particular must recognize the fact that our Struggle is a struggle for the dignity and the quality of life for all Workers and their families.
Everyone deserves Free Quality Universal Heath Care. A single payer plan similar to the plan that Dennis Kucinich proposes is the best plan for America.
Unions lost their clout in America because many of their members fell in to the look out for me screw the others mentality of the greedy capitalists. The reason Unions ar strong in Europe is because the Leadership and the Rank-in-File see the big picture and realize that the Union Struggle, is a continious struggle against Capitalism and for a more equatible distribution of wealth that will improve the lives of all the Workers and their Families who’s labor creates all the wealth in the world.
yyou are tring to get affordable health care for everyone is that the same kind of health care that I had at Qwest? the kind that I used too much as a result of my broken legs and when I missed too much work for Dr appointments they fired me. There went my job and health care insurance maybe we need to work on JOB SECURITY. Yes I was fired for missing to much work for
dr appointments
Liz
Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report
National Edition
Produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg
************************************************
Rep John Conyers on National Health Care at
The People’s March for Peace, Equality and Justice
in Newark, New Jersey
with a Special Message from Michael Moore
With health care being the number one domestic issue, all
sorts of plans are emerging which claim to fix the problem.
But Rep Conyers single payer solution, House Resolution 676,
is only one which would establish a universal health insurance
system which frees us from the waste and profiteering of the
insurance companies. We bring you Rep. Conyers speech at the
rally, a short interview we had with him and a message of
greeting to the marchfrom Michael Moore.
************************************************
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I have a 26 year old son that is desperately trying to run his own business. He has been struggling for over 2 years now. He cannot afford health insurance and the medical assistance office won’t give him medical insurance because he owns his own business. His parents have worked all their lives, paid their dues to society and when their son needs medical attention, no one is there to help. He has unbearable back problems, is in terrible pain 24/7, needs immediate medical attention, nerve block shots, an ephaderal, has slight scoliosis of the spine, rips in his mediscus muscle in his knee and gets NOTHING from the goverment to help him. Why is it that a person from another country needs medical attention and American doctors volunteer their services for FREE?
What about our children? Do we have to be immigrants to get help for free or just take it day by day till we pass away from too much pain & depression? I DON”T GET IT? DO YOU?