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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: Labor Campaign for Single-Payer Healthcare Mark Dudzic, 201-314-2653 or mdudzic@igc.org |
Labor Leaders Disappointed by Lack of Working People's Voices at Vermont Healthcare Reform Discussion
BURLINGTON, Vt. - March 18 - Working people's voices were not heard at the Obama Administration's second regional Health Care Summit in Burlington, VT on March 17.
"Despite the fact that several union spokespersons attended the meeting, we were not called upon and unfortunately the voice of workers was shut out of the discussion," said Peter Knowlton, president of the Northeast Region of the United Electrical Workers Union (UE). "When it came to the financial discussion, Gov. Douglas and Gov. Patrick [the two governors moderating the session] only called on wealthy special-interests from the worlds of business and professional circles."
Sandy Eaton, a nurse who attended the forum stated that nurses' voices went unheard as well. "Nurses were well represented, but our voices were not heard -- and the term "nurse" or "hospital worker" was never mentioned in the two hour forum," said Eaton who is a member of the executive board of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
Outside the auditorium where the summit was held, over 250 labor and community members rallied in support of HR 676 and single payer healthcare. "Our system needs fundamental reform," said Dawn Stanger, President of the Vermont Workers Center-Jobs with Justice. Stanger, a UPS employee and member of Teamsters Local 597, was joined by dozens of unionized nurses who worked next door at Fletcher Allen Health Care, the largest hospital in Vermont.
"We need to build a movement to demand change," Stanger told the crowd. The Vermont Workers Center is coordinating a major statewide "Healthcare Is a Human Right" rally on May 1 at the Vermont Statehouse, which will include U. S. Senator Bernie Sanders. The rally will oppose Vermont Governor Douglas' proposed budget cuts to healthcare programs and support state and national single-payer legislation.
"I was really hopeful that these forums would finally give voice to workers concerns," added UE leader Peter Knowlton. "There were many people there who could have reminded them about the serious problems hourly workers face with skyrocketing premiums and dealing with the horrors of co-pays, deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses and the run around all workers face with managed care. If this forum is any indication of future ones, we will need to be much more aggressive to get our voices heard."
Knowlton, Eaton and Stanger were among the several labor leaders at the forum who support HR 676, the "Expanded and Improved Medicare for All" Act. HR 676 was re-introduced this year by Congressman John Conyers. It currently has 66 congressional co-sponsors. Because it eliminates the private insurance industry from profiting from people's misfortunes and, like Medicare, establishes the federal government as the "single payer" of everyone's medical bills, HR 676 can provide healthcare for all with no co-pays or deductibles in a fiscally prudent manner. HR 676 has the endorsement of hundreds of state and local labor federations and local unions as well as many other civic and religious organizations.
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3 Comments so far
Show AllThese phony hearings and discussions and town hall meetings are getting old. This is sham democracy at its most pathetic.
The only voices allowed are corporate voices - the purveyors of campaign funds. The people get no say, but I suppose it's some progress to be allowed in the room, albeit to simply sit quietly and listen like obedient children.
There is a lot of hollow talk and "negotiating pretend programs" whose actual aim is keeping the for-profit health insurance companies alive and prosperous, not providing the public with health care.
Why are proponents of single-payer health care frozen out of these public meetings? And why are they blacked out of mainstream news coverage (except for the occasional disparaging remark)?
People deserve to know all the facts, and those who support H.R. 676 deserve to have their say as well as the profiteers.
If the aim of the government is to provide cost-effective, efficient, fair, high quality health care to everyone, then they can dispense with the charade and adopt H.R. 676.
I think it is time we the people ask our politicians to justify their refusal to adopt H.R. 676. A single payer system would help us better track what is going on in our health industry. Health researchers get their data from insurance companies. Who is to say it is unbiased?
It is plain to we who are bright and humane that insurance companies and drug companies have pick our bones long enough.
Insurance companies negotiate with drug companies to use certain drugs. The individual is left out and the doctor who agrees in an accomplice.
I work in the home care field and I'm privy to the lists of medications people are taking. How can a doctor justify prescribing 37 medications for a 80+ year old? 20-30 drugs for a person are very common place. The person is so drugged up the person barely moves. We all know what inactivity does to any of us. When the person finally does die it is from drug induced lesions on the liver. Too many doctors must be profiting from using their patients as processing plants to bring profits to drug companies. It is disgusting.
We need a single payer system that would tract these abuses,prosecute those involved, and bring our people back to a healthier active lifestyle.
The reason we can't find substantial support from labor for Single Payer is because most people receive adequate healthcare through their jobs. But now is the time to take Healthcare Benefits out of the employer package. The government should administer non-job related benefits, i.e. Healthcare, and Pensions, so that the worker doesn't turn into the creditor when the companies want to reorganize and give out 10 cents on the dollar.
The Federal Government already pays for 60% of the Healthcare in this country: Medicare, VA, Medicaid, AND tax breaks to companies to provide health benefits. Let the company income be taxed, and the companies relieved of the burden on figurning out how to provide ever more expensive health insurance to their workers.
American Industries can become more competitive. Unions can focus on labor related compensations and regulations, and our work force will be healthier whether they are employed or not.
WORKERS UNITE FOR SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE! Find an organization supporting Single Payer and attend one of the remaining 3 Obama Health Forums. Even if we're not heard in the room, much less "on the table." which they promise we won't be, WE'LL BE OUTSIDE IN FORCE - April 6th - Los Angeles.