Healthcare Reform Now!
I would like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a healthy, happy 2009/2010 holiday season. Being a part of IBT Local 210, we work hard to fight for contracts that provide good wages, benefits and working conditions for our members.
That’s why we need to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Although it has been eclipsed by the debate over healthcare legislation, protecting the basic right to join a union by passing EFCA remains a high priority for Local 210 and the entire labor movement.
We strongly believe that, like a fair wage, good healthcare is a right, not a privilege. It is something that everyone should have, which is one reason we continue to encourage others to unionize. Unfortunately, millions of Americans are experiencing a grim holiday season and an uncertain future. The fact remains that 10.2 percent of the nation is currently unemployed. That’s the official figure, but we know unemployment is really much higher.
Forty-seven million Americans have no healthcare coverage because they cannot afford the exorbitant annual premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket medical costs. They risk going about their day without coverage, hoping that their health will not be compromised. Right now, a person’s health care coverage is a la carte, and if you have a pre-existing health condition, too bad, no coverage. Healthcare costs are bankrupting America. The Teamsters are longstanding supporters of universal healthcare.
We are closer to securing that now than ever before. We must each do whatever we can to ensure national healthcare legislation is passed, that will put us on the road toward making medical care available and affordable to everyone. Thankfully, President Barack Obama and Congress have been working round-the-clock, hammering out a healthcare plan. The House of Representatives has passed healthcare reform legislation. Democrats recently won the 60 votes needed for its own version of the bill to go forward in the Senate.
Just recently, the Congressional Budget Office announced that the Senate bill could significantly reduce costs for many people who buy health insurance on their own, and that it would not substantially change premiums for the vast numbers of Americans who receive coverage from large employers.
The Senate’s Healthcare Reform Bill highlights include:
- A public option will allow people without insurance and small businesses, to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices,
- No one would be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition or gender,
- Young adults up to age 26 can stay on their parents’ healthcare plan,
- Employers that don’t offer any healthcare coverage would be penalized,
- Limits on deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses.
Despite the difficult times we are facing, I am hopeful that with healthcare reform, working families across the nation will be on their way to a healthier, more affordable future. This is our right. Contact your Senator and let them know that families need affordable healthcare NOW! Call 1-877-323-5246 and follow the instructions. Make your voice heard!
Let me close by thanking you for re-electing me and the entire Executive Board, by acclamation, to another term in office. We are honored to represent you and look forward to working with you over the next three years.
Happy Holidays! |
