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Steelworkers Endorse Single PayerUnion Expresses its Support for National Health Insurance
The United Steelworkers union passed a resolution endorsing HR 676, "The U.S. National Health Insurance Act," at their annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 3.
According to Healthcare-Now, the United Steelworkers (USW) union's 3,200 delegates passed a resolution to continue their union's support for national health insurance, also known as single payer health care. The resolution also established health care as a human right. “We must declare war on the insurance companies,” said one delegate. “This is a fight we have to win.” The vote took place at their union's convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 3. According to the United Steelworkers website, Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) attended the convention as a speaker. Other speakers delivering a recorded video message included U.S. Senator Barack Obama, who “condemned the Bush administration for its blatantly anti-worker values,” as well as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken. United SteelworkersAccording to its website, United Steelworkers is a union with over 1.2 million active and retired members. It fights “for a better life for all workers in union halls, at the work place, in the courts and in legislatures.” It represents workers from a wide variety of professions, including:
National Health InsuranceWhile single payer health care has not yet materialized in the United States, the idea gains more supporters every year. HR 676, a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, would replace all private health insurance currently offered in the United States with a single national health insurance program, administered by the federal government and financed via a new 3.3% payroll tax and a new tax surcharge on the wealthiest Americans. The goal of the legislation “is to ensure that all Americans will have access, guaranteed by law, to the highest quality and most cost effective health care services regardless of their employment, income or health care status. They would receive all medically necessary primary care, dental, mental health, prescription drugs, and long term care services.” The full name of the bill is “The United States National Health Insurance Act,” and it was originally sponsored by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) in 2003. The bill has gained in popularity since then, and it currently has 91 co-sponsors in Congress, including former U.S. presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. It is currently under review in both the House Subcommittee on Health and the House Natural Resources Committee. Other Unions Support Single Payer Health CareUnited Steelworkers is not the only union that supports HR 676. A list of union endorsements for the bill can be seen at the Healthcare-Now website. Healthcare-now is "a national campaign for a quality guaranteed non-profit single payer healthcare system in the United States."
The copyright of the article Steelworkers Endorse Single Payer in American Affairs is owned by Brent Miller. Permission to republish Steelworkers Endorse Single Payer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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