April COPE Political Roundtable Focuses on Health Care

On Thursday, April 17^th, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO held its monthly COPE Political Roundtable meeting. As April is National Health Care Month, the meeting focused on national and statewide health care policies, the current crisis, and possible solutions. Bill Hauenstein of the AFL-CIO analyzed the results of the National AFL-CIO's health care survey which asked the views and opinions of 27,000 people, both union and non-union. The survey showed a widespread desire for health care reform. Jamie Willmuth of SEIU 1199 and the Commonwealth Health Connector led a discussion on how to address the challenges faced on a state level.

The Massachusetts/New Hampshire 2008 Coordinated Campaign is also participating in health care month. The two state federations are educating their members about Senator McCain's anti-worker record on health care. They are joining forces to participate in a Labor to Labor walk to inform New Hampshire members that Senator John McCain wants to tax our health care benefits. The walk is on Saturday, May 17^th, and will launch from the New Hampshire AFL-CIO office in Hooksett, N.H.

Massachusetts AFL-CIO staff Chrissy Long, the Political and Legislative Coordinator, and John Drinkwater, the Organizing and Mobilizing Coordinator, delivered a presentation outlining Senator John McCain's health care record and proposals. Senator McCain has voted to cut funding for Medicare and Medicaid, eliminate the incentive for employers to offer health care benefits, raise the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67, and leave retirees without any guarantees of coverage. To view the presentation, click here.

Bill Hauenstein of the National AFL-CIO spoke about the results of the health care survey sponsored by the AFL-CIO. The results truly showed how discontent the American people are with the current health care system. In fact, the majority of those questioned said that the system needed to be completely redeveloped. Of the 27,000 people questioned, nearly half were union members, and even those people said they were unsatisfied with their health care coverage. Complaints cited include rising costs, lowered coverage, insecurity, and outrageous prescription costs. Something needs to be done about health care in America to ensure that working people have access to affordable health care. In a brief overview of Senator McCain's stance, Hauenstein stated that of the three candidates, Senator McCain is the only one who will not look out for working people's health concerns.

Finally, Jamie Willmuth of the Commonwealth Health Connector presented an in depth view of the comprehensive health coverage programs in Massachusetts. He went over the many plans that people can chose from to best suit their health care needs and their costs to employers and employees. He also detailed the process through which people can chose the best insurance and sign up for it, and how low-income families can qualify for various state-wide programs to ensure that everyone is covered. Willmuth also spoke about the current attempt to redistribute the costs of health care benefits of public sector workers in Massachusetts. There is a proposal to have public employees bear a greater portion of their health care coverage costs, which the Massachusetts AFL-CIO is working to block. Health care costs, as Willmuth explained, are expensive enough already and on the rise, so we cannot subject our public employees to further increases in health care premiums.

Health care reform is one of the most important challenges working families face today, and the question of reform will be increasingly at the forefront of public discussion as the election nears. For this reason, there will be many opportunities for health care activism in the upcoming months as we educate and mobilize our members to vote for candidates that stand for sensible, comprehensive health care reform. Stay tuned for upcoming events and volunteer activities!