AFL-CIO To Push Action Plan On A Form Of Single-Payer Universal Health Care

[Omaha Steve]

AFL-CIO To Push Action Plan On A Form Of Single-Payer Universal Health Care

By Doug Cunningham

When the AFL-CIO Executive Council supported a universal national health care system in Las Vegas, it stopped short of endorsing a bill by Rep.John Conyers that would create a single-payer plan. Jerry Shea, Assistant to the President of the AFL-CIO, says the labor federation wants a health care system based on an expansion of Medicare but not limited to the Conyers proposal.

: "A Medicare system, such as we're proposing, would be a form of a single payer system. But we did not endorse in this resolution the bill that many of our local affiliates have endorsed - that is the Conyers legislation - because we're specifically talking about using some of the proposals that are now in Congress and expanding those and fully developing them to base the system on Medicare."

More than 240 union organizations, including some state AFL-CIo federations and Central Labor Councils have endorsed the Conyers single payer universal health care bill. But Shea says that the method of health care delivery must also be reformed. The AFL-CIO will conduct a broad education campaign on universal national health care, recruit employers to support universal health care and challenge the presidential candidates to come up with concrete, comprehensive health care proposals.

AUDIO story here: http://www.laborradio.org/files/lo/winsheadlines.ram

[bread_and_roses]

1. Omaha, is there a transcript?

I'd like to read the story. Thanks. And thanks for keeping us up on Union news.

[Omaha Steve]

2. Here it is....

Almost: http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/

There is plenty there to keep you busy.

[librechik]

3. That's my husband's union! Good for them!

:kick:

[helderheid]

4. rec 1