Together We Fight for Decent Health Care

Guaranteed, Quality, Affordable: The Health Care Plan Our Country Needs

As union members, you probably have pretty good health coverage.  But how long will that last?

Every year the fight to maintain quality, affordable health care becomes more difficult. Companies shift costs to us. Cut health care coverage. Stop covering retirees. Our wage and cost-of-living increases are shrinking to pay for the higher cost of health care.

As we pay more, greedy insurance and pharmaceutical companies report record profits. Something has got to give. The system isn’t working for workers, retirees… and even our employers who increasingly can’t afford to provide quality coverage.

We need a U.S. health care system that guarantees quality, affordable health care for all Americans.  In order to get there, we must build the political will and desire before we can even begin debating the specifics of a plan.

That’s why IUE-CWA and CWA have put forth a statement of health care principles we can educate and mobilize around: so we can bring real change to our health care system by the year 2012.

We believe any health care reform must:

• Cover all Americans regardless of health, income or employment status.
• Have a fair financing mechanism that spreads costs throughout the economy and does not burden a few large employers - many of them union employers.
• Control costs by streamlining administration and reducing overhead. No insurance company should be able to increase profits by denying care.
• Improve health quality so we receive the highest quality care based on best practices, with a new focus on preventive care.
• Allow the government to guarantee coverage and help make it more affordable. This includes regulating insurance companies, negotiating prices with drug companies and other providers, and providing alternatives to private insurance.

If you want to join our fight for affordable health care, contact us today about scheduling a training session at your local.

For more information on health care, including the candidates’ positions, go to: healthcarevoices.org