SEIU PRESIDENT: BURWELL'S CONFIRMATION AS TOP HEALTHCARE OFFICIAL IS GOOD NEWS FOR WORKING FAMILIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, offered this statement of congratulations on news that Sylvia Mathews Burwell today was confirmed by a vote of the U.S. Senate to serve as the next secretary of Health and Human Services:

"We congratulate Sylvia Mathews Burwell on becoming the nation's health secretary and SEIU member nurses, doctors, child care providers and homecare workers will work with her to build a new American Middle Class by strengthening the pillars of our healthcare system -- the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid and Medicare. "

"Quality, affordable healthcare plays a pivotal role in the everyday lives and aspirations of working people and we and other brave workers will stand with Director Burwell to: extend the promise of the Affordable Care Act to millions more hard-working Americans, invest in the future health care workforce; implement Medicare and Medicaid effectively; and ensure access to early childhood education programs such as Head Start."

"We trust Director Burwell's extensive healthcare experience will make her a strong champion of brave working families who are still uninsured because of the Republican Medicaid blockades in their states or who still face the human and financial perils of pre-existing conditions."