AFGE National Convention Endorses HR 676

> AFGE National Convention Endorses HR 676
>
> Reno, Nevada. The American Federation of Government Employees
> (AFGE) is
> the twenty-second international union to endorse HR 676, single payer
> healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).
>
> On August 27th the 38th AFGE National Convention passed Resolution
> #4003,
> "Endorsing Universal Health Care H.R. 676." The resolution was
> submitted
> by Local 2157 which represents workers at the Portland, Oregon,
> Veterans
> Administration Medical Center. AFGE represents 600,000 federal and
> District of Columbia workers in a wide variety of agencies, including
> Social Security, the Veterans Administration, and the Bureau of
> Prisons.
>
> Betsy Zucker, RN, FNP, and a convention delegate from Local 2157, said
> after the vote:
> "AFGE members from around the country overwhelmingly endorsed H.R.
> 676,
> Single Payer Health Care, on August 27. Federal workers understand
> that
> Medicare-for-All will save money, provide health care to all, and
> start
> addressing health care as a human right, not a commodity to be
> bought and
> sold to the highest bidder. AFGE supports health care for people,
> not for
> profits!" #30#
>
> 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 86 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 561 union organizations in 49 states
> including
> 130 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
> 09/02/09