NY Labor Council Urges AFL-CIO Convention to Endorse HR 676

> NY Labor Council Urges AFL-CIO Convention to Endorse HR 676
>
> The Troy Area Labor Council has submitted a resolution to the AFL-CIO
> September Convention, calling for the AFL-CIO to endorse HR 676 and to
> lobby against "… any fallback program of mandated insurance or public
> option plans which include the wasteful, for-profit insurance
> industry."
>
> The Troy Council's resolution also asks that "the AFL-CIO help
> organize
> and financially support a 'Healthcare is a Human Right' Solidarity
> March
> and Rally in Washington, DC."
>
> The upstate New York labor council has sent copies of its resolution
> to
> all 491 Central labor Councils and Area labor federations
> requesting "…
> that your Labor Council join with us in submitting this or a similar
> resolution to this year's AFL-CIO Convention."
>
> In the letter, sent to all 491Labor Councils, Mike Keenan, President
> of
> the Troy Council, said: "While the discussion of health care reform
> goes
> on in the White House and in the Congress, unfortunately, what we are
> hearing from the media are mostly the voices of the insurance
> industry and
> pharmaceutical lobbies; and misguided politicians who think that the
> healthcare crisis can be solved by either taxing healthcare benefits
> or
> mandating that we purchase health insurance."
>
> The AFL-CIO Convention will meet September 14-17th in Pittsburgh, PA.
> Labor Councils are entitled to vote in the convention. One hundred
> and
> twenty-seven Labor Councils have endorsed HR 676, single payer
> healthcare
> legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and 75
> co-sponsors.
>
> The Troy Council's letter is at:
> http://www.pefencon.info/HR676/TALC_Cover_Letter.pdf
>
> The Troy resolution is at:
> http://www.pefencon.info/HR676/Resolution.htm
>
> HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by
> expanding a
> greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.
>
> HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care
> including
> prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary
> and
> preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home
> health,
> physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse),
> vision
> care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable
> medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care.
>
> HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds
> of
> billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the
> private health insurance industry and HMOs.
>
> In the current Congress, HR 676 has 75 co-sponsors in addition to
> Conyers.
> Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced SB 703, a single payer
> bill
> in the Senate.
>
> HR 676 has been endorsed by 514 union organizations in 49 states
> including
> 127 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state
> AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD,
> NC, MO,
> MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA,
> AK, MI,
> MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).
>
> For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample
> endorsement resolution, contact:
>
> Kay Tillow
> All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676
> c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
> 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
> Louisville, KY 40217
> (502) 636 1551
> Email: nursenpo@aol.com
> http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org
> 05/04/09
>