WASHINGTON - JULY 25 - Dennis Rivera, Chair of SEIU Healthcare, the nation’s largest health care union representing over a million nurses, LPNs, doctors, lab technicians, nursing home workers, and home care workers, spoke at a Capitol Hill press conference today along with nearly 30 other labor and health advocacy organizations.

Rivera thanked House Members for taking leadership in fixing the nation’s broken health care system, and urged them to continue their work towards providing health care to the 9 million children who are currently uninsured in the United States.

SEIU Healthcare supports the full $50 billion funding allocated by the Budget Resolution for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and supports an increase in the tobacco tax to provide this funding.

“An increased tobacco tax will not only help SCHIP cover more kids, but also decrease smoking--especially among children. As healthcare workers and providers, we think less smoking and healthier kids is a win-win situation. The tobacco tax provides a clear solution for funding this crucial expansion of care for kids,” says Rivera.

The 1.9 million member healthcare union also supports funding the families of uninsured children, for which neither the House nor Senate bills provide.

“The committee's SCHIP package is a good first step. We will continue to work for full funding and urge the Bush Administration to reconsider its veto threat. If $50 billion is worth funding five months of the Iraq war, it's more than worth funding five years of children's health coverage.

“Everyone should have access to healthcare of the highest quality, and SCHIP has already done that for millions of children.

“All eyes in America are on the issue of health care now like never before.”

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