Washington, DC - Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern released the following statement on the Senate Finance Committee's introduction of the America's Healthy Future Act.

"We are closer than ever before in making health insurance reform a reality. Four out of five Congressional committees have drafted, debated, voted on and passed legislation to fix healthcare with strong affordability provisions, shared responsibility -- for individuals and employers -- and the choice of a public option. Now, the Senate Finance Committee is on the verge of taking us one step closer. We believe the Committee should use this process as an opportunity to amend the draft bill, so that it meets this same high standard.

"Senator Baucus has shown a strong commitment to reforming our broken healthcare system this year. And while he continued to push for bipartisanship, Republicans continued to just say 'no'. No to meaningful comprehensive reform. No to people like Pat Dejong, Roberta Howard, Dan Broderick, and the millions like them who have fallen victim to the skyrocketing costs of the status quo. Pat lost her family's ranch after mounting medical debt. Roberta lost her health insurance after losing her job and was diagnosed with cancer just seven days later. And Dan lost his wife Sharon after she was denied health insurance coverage because of a 'pre-existing condition' then developed cancer."

Like the Senate Health Education Labor and Pension Committee's bill and the House bills, the Senate Finance draft takes positive steps toward ending the insurance industry's stranglehold on our healthcare system: pre-existing conditions covered; no more dropping of patients because they're too sick; and an end to life time limits on benefits. But insurance reforms alone are not enough to ensure that Pat, Roberta, Dan, and all Americans have access to affordable quality care.

Key provisions that must be improved, include:

• Affordability: Affordability provisions -- out of pocket protections and tax credits to help low and moderate income families -- should be strengthened so that everyone has access to care they can afford.
• Employer Responsibility: While there is broad agreement on the need for shared responsibility among individuals, employers and government, the lack of real employer responsibility is a concern.
• Strong Public Option: It is unclear how the co-op model can truly compete with for-profit insurance companies - a strong public health insurance option would level the playing field and provide real competition, plus accountability.
• Fair Taxation: Like the President has said, this bill must be fully paid for in a responsible way; however, a tax on high cost plans will unfairly burden older workers and workers in high-cost states.

"While the Senate Finance Committee bill takes some good first steps, there are serious flaws the Committee must address," said Stern. "We are confident that when a bill goes to the Senate Floor, every American will be able to count on quality care at a price they can afford. For if we don't take up this challenge and improve the bill, we will have let down Pat, Roberta, and Dan and working Americans across this country who expect to see the change they voted for delivered."

With 2.1 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy.

President Obama indicated this week that he wants a health care bill that provides quality, affordability, and accessibility--and that the key to achieving all three of those goals is the public health insurance option. In a letter sent to Sen. Max Baucus (D-MO) and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), President Obama declared:

I strongly believe that Americans should have the choice of a public health insurance option operating alongside private plans. This will give them a better range of choices, make the health care market more competitive, and keep insurance companies honest.

The public health insurance option is important because it does three things:

• Lowers costs for individuals and families by competing side-by-side with private insurance plans
  
• Sets high standards for quality and accessibility that other plans will strive to meet
  
• Gives Americans more choice in their coverage by offering an affordable alternative to over-priced plans

We simply cannot afford to postpone health care reform any longer. This recognition has led an unprecedented coalition to emerge on behalf of reform -- hospitals, physicians, and health insurers, labor and business, Democrats and Republicans. These groups, adversaries in past efforts, are now standing as partners on the same side of this debate.

SEIU's Change that Works campaign is joining with Organizing for America and thousands of volunteers in hosting health care organizing kickoffs in their communities. Join us in beginning the last big push to fix America's broken health care system starting this Saturday.

Will you take part on June 6th? Click here to get involved: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/june6

(Read the President's letter to Sen. Kennedy and Sen. Baucus here)

Montana's time in the political sun continues, as Sen. Max Baucus' role in national health care reform takes shape. Late last week, Baucus told reporters that he was fairly certain that health care reform with a public insurance option was very likely to be signed into law this year. Baucus, chairman of the pivotal Senate Finance Committee, also said the reform must ensure that reform provided something close to universal coverage.

In a recent article by the Swampland blog for the online Times Baucus said a health care system for everybody is close:

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, speaking to reporters this morning at a breakfast sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, sounded extraordinarily optimistic about the prospects for bipartisan support of the health care reform bill that his committee will begin writing in mid-June. "Very high. Very, very high," he said, saying he puts the odds at 75-80%. ....

... Will the bill provide universal coverage? It has to come pretty close, Baucus said, if all the other reforms are going to work. Most health care experts agree. By "nearly everybody," Baucus added he was talking about something like 96% of all Americans.

Even as the scheduled date for the introductions of bills gets close, specific elements of Baucus' reform package have remained somewhat elusive. His office produced a white paper late last year. Since then, health experts and an anxious public have hung on every word from Montana's senior senator.

Earlier this year, Baucus said a public health insurance option was on the "edge" of the table, suggesting that he was considering, but not endorsing, an idea that is embraced by the public and experts but which the insurance industry has argued vehemently against.

Last week, though, Baucus changed his stance, saying he supports "a version" of a public, or government-run health insurance plan.

"I do support a version" of a public option, he told the Washington Times adding that's it's a "hot-button" issue.

Many experts agree that a public health plan option will provide more choices and control health care costs.

Just as Baucus is doing his part, we need to do ours and let him know that supporting a public health care plan option must be a critical part of health care reform. Attend our pancakes breakfast and let Senator Baucus know you care about health care.

An article in last week's Des Moines Register expressed hope that the public health plan option for the upcoming health care reform legislation is still within reach:

Health care legislation taking shape in the Senate is expected to be a mix of expanded public and private insurance plans, despite strong Republican resistance to a new government-run program, leaders of a key committee said after a marathon session Thursday.

Democrat Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the committee's ranking Republican, expressed optimism that compromise remained within reach. They held a joint briefing after an eight-hour, closed-door meeting of the committee, at which members aired concerns about coverage options.

According to report recently released by Senator Charles Schumer and Health Care for America Now, a public health care plan option is integral to keeping the price of private insurance reasonable, and ensuring the greatest amount of choice for consumers. In our fight to fix our broken health care system, we must work towards legislation that offers the greatest amount of coverage and choice, for everyone.

Your support can make a difference. Senator Grassley is listening, and your voices are being heard.

Write Senator Grassley in support of the public health plan option today:
http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/HCgrassley

Sitting among the insurance executives, business leaders, and Washington lobbyists in the audience of yesterday's roundtable on health care reform were a handful of frontline caregivers from SEIU. They came from across the country to be on Capitol Hill yesterday, and they served as a powerful reminder of the people the debate over health care reform is really about - patients and their caregivers.

Two SEIU Healthcare leaders - Dr. L. Toni Lewis, MD and Cathy Stoddart, RN - took notes on their time in Washington and offered to share their perspective as caregivers. For Dr. Lewis, the importance of yesterday's hearing set in before she even arrived on Capitol Hill:

On the way to the Senate, we were talking about health care reform - sharing our thoughts on how we KNOW it's happening this year because so many people are so committed to it. Our cab driver, Germaine, asks if he can share his story. He tells us that he is 64, works more than 12 hours a day and still can't afford health care - Germaine has diabetes, and the cost of his supplies, medications and follow up are overwhelming. Mind you, Germaine is not upset - he understands hard work and appreciates that - he is glad to tell us his story. Germaine believes that we are getting ready to get this done - so he gives us an encouraging smile as we leave the cab and enter the Senate building.

In the hearing, Cathy Stoddart was encouraged by many of the senators' serious commitment to fixing health care:

Senator Menendez rocks! He did not mince words, which I think the American public are tired of. He asked straightforward questions and focused on the fact that the time is now - and that no one assembled was against reforming health care.

Senator Schumer was right on, too. He talked about the playing field for a public health insurance option vs. present private insurance plans. He talked about the lack of trust Americans have in private insurance companies and how they have been the gatekeepers of access to care; they are, in essence, rationing care for my low and middle income patients.

The discussion left Dr. Lewis excited that we're finally talking about true health care and not the "sick care" that our current system promotes:

I loved the fact that there was a discussion not only on coverage, but also on oral health, home care, end of life care, prevention and wellness, and primary care. We're actually talking about comprehensive coverage!

Both Toni and Cathy agreed that the people who need to be leading the movement to fix health care aren't the ones in Washington - it's the caregivers at the bedside. Cathy summed it up well:

There is something about returning someone to health so that they, too, can contribute to a better society. It feels good; it's a legacy to be proud of. It is what people deserve and it is why I become a nurse. We have a big role to play in this movement. We've all got to put our hand in and steer it in the right direction.

SEIU President Andy Stern was on Capitol Hill yesterday to testify in the second of a series of three roundtables on health care reform. The roundtables, convened by Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus, are the last official opportunities to provide input on health care reform before a final piece of legislation is drafted next month.

In addition to the statistics and numbers we've heard over and over again, Stern's testimony was built on the stories of everyday Americans affected by the health care crisis - many of which were submitted by SEIU members online. One of those Americans is Pat DeJong, an SEIU home care aide in Libby, MT:

Pat and her husband Dan were ranchers, but had a hard time finding affordable coverage, and were uninsured when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000. The medical bills piled up for Pat and Dan, eventually forcing them to sell the land they loved and that had been in Dan's family for generations. Dan succumbed to cancer, and Pat remains uninsured. We can and must do better for hardworking families such as the DeJongs.

There's a simple standard that SEIU uses to measure the success of the health care system: how does it work for our members - for Pat and her family? By that standard, without a doubt, our current system is failing. Miserably.

It is that same bar, Stern explained, that we've used to layout our vision for what health care should be. Here's what it will take to make health care work for Pat, our members, and all Americans:

1. Build on what works - but also build new alternatives for a changing economy.
About 160 million Americans get their coverage through their employer and, for many of them, it's a system that works well. But, for many others - especially small businesses, students, and retirees - employer-provided insurance isn't an affordable option. We need a public health insurance option that lowers costs across the board and gives everyone a path to affordable care.

2. Share responsibility for financing health care and promoting good health.
Employers, individuals, and government must all do their part to make sure we have a sustainable and affordable health care system that works for everyone. That included protections and tax credits for small businesses to help them remain competitive.

3. Establish a national standard for meaningful coverage.
Too many Americans find out the hard way that the real limits of their health coverage are buried in the fine print. Exemptions for chronic illnesses or catastrophic circumstances leave them without care when they need it most. Establishing a national standard of meaningful coverage would mean that every American would have the confidence of knowing their insurance affords them their right to adequate care.

4. Long-term services and supports must be covered for those who need them.
The safety net we provide to America's aging and disabled population is weak and full of holes. The very men and women whose hard work and ingenuity built this country deserve meaningful care in the twilight of life. Providing access to affordable care upfront will not only better serve our aging population, it will also save us money in the long run.

It's easy to get lost in the weeds when we start looking at facts and figures and budget outlays. Our health care system is huge, with lots of moving parts. Stern's testimony was an important reminder to step back and think about Pat - and all the real people whose everyday lives depend on what sort of future we write for health care.

Today, SEIU President Andy Stern joined with a panel of health care advocates, insurance industry reps and other stakeholders at Sen. Baucus' second roundtable on health reform--the topic, reforming health care coverage.

During the hearing, Sen. Chuck Schumer, who's been tasked with leading the Committee's work on a public health insurance plan, played a dramatic counterweight to insurance industry representatives. (And this comes on the heels of an agreement by insurance companies to stop charging women higher premiums than men. Wonder if they're considering paying back women customers for the difference all these years?)

Schumer essentially dismantled arguments against the public health insurance plan, challenging folks squarely on the issue of transparency and competition. Ezra Klein sums up Schumer's points nicely:

Schumer went on to argue that opposition to the public plan is predicated on a high-functioning insurance market that doesn't now, and hasn't ever, existed. Private insurers, Schumer exclaimed, can't even tell you what a given treatment costs. They won't release their data on either quality or prices. This is not an elegant market that should be protected from further competitive pressures. This is a mess in desperate need of new players with new incentives. "To not have a public plan and let it compete the way [Senator Baucus] outlines in his white paper is, in my view, closeminded," said Schumer. Then he paused, and smiled, looking out over a crowd think with industry representatives. "In my view," he continued, "it may even be a little self-interested."

Schumer went on, "The bottom line is you need somebody who is not a private insurance company to be in the mix and there are many of us who feel very strongly about that... It would be giving all of you in the insurance industry an unfair advantage not to have a public plan."

SEIU President Andy Stern hammered home the fact that--despite insurance industry claims--consumers do not currently enjoy choice and competition. Stern spoke about the lack of "choice" for workers in Maine and New Hampshire, for example, who have higher costs than public workers in other states, but similar coverage.

From Andy's Twitter feed: "Senator Schumer aggressively fights for public plan. Go Chuck! Discussion on employer responsibility [sic] missing."

(And as President Stern alluded to in his tweet, stay tuned for SEIU's continuing work on shared employer responsibility. )

When I think about what's wrong with health care, I think of Jacqueline.

It's one thing to talk about our broken health care system, but Jacqueline lives it every day. For 19 years, she's worked as a nursing home CNA in Wisconsin. Short staffing in her unit means skipped treatments and longer waits for her patients. And a lack of equipment and supplies puts the strain on the entire facility when things get busy.

Unbelievably, while Jacqueline spends her life providing care for her patients, she can't afford it for herself or her family. The coverage her employer offers costs too much on her salary.

This has to stop. Congress needs to hear how this crisis is affecting real people. Share your story: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/memberstories

Next week, I'm going to Capitol Hill for a Senate roundtable on fixing health care. It's one of three roundtables that Senator Max Baucus is holding to hammer out the final details of a health reform bill.

I cannot overstate how important these roundtables are for the future of health care. Senator Baucus plans to use the input he gets from these hearings to craft a health reform bill next month.

I've been given the honor of speaking at next week's roundtable and I want to use your voice to tell the real story of this health care crisis. Will you take a moment to share your health care story? http://action.seiu.org/page/s/memberstories

We've been given an invitation to literally write the future of health care in America. Let's use our voice to turn the page on this crisis and fix health care once and for all.

Note: Mike Kingsbury is an RN and a Grassroots Lobbyist through SEIU's Change That Works campaign. You can read more about the program here.

The crowd spilled into the overflow room Monday, as the Senate Finance Committee, Chaired by Montana Senator Max Baucus, began the process of, at last, making health care reform a reality in this country. The tone was mostly bipartisan and cooperative, with everyone agreeing that we spend too much in this country for extremely disappointing results - not the least of which is 47 million uninsured Americans.

The task before Congress seems daunting, and so was Monday's hearing; there were 12 witnesses representing every group from insurance companies, to nurses, to women and families. Plus, 23 senators were in attendance, with questions and statements of their own.

Senator Baucus did a good job of maintaining order, but the hearing was conducted as more of an informational roundtable conversation than a formal proceeding. There seemed to be the beginnings of agreement in some key areas that left me hopeful:

First, it is cost efficient to keep people well! Nurses have known this for a long time, but having a witness from a corporation that is both a provider and insurer back it up was good to hear. A representative from a provider/insurance company talked about how they have geared their business to first provide the care necessary to maintain health and also provide care to chronically ill patients that keeps them from constantly returning to the emergency room. He referred to it as "giving concierge care to the sickest not the richest." It was good business sense support for one of nurses' oldest common sense arguments.

Second, we need to move quickly. A lot of the conversation was at the 35,000 foot level, and we know the devil will be in the details, but there was real progress on health care happening. That was exciting for everyone.

Third, health care professionals need a seat at the table! I was glad that there was at least one nurse at the table, even though she was a researcher and not a bedside caregiver. Still, it was clear that, if RNs and other health care professionals are willing to make their voices heard on this issue, Senator Baucus and other members of Congress are willing to listen

Finally, I was excited to see that the public health insurance option is still a key piece to health care reform. Senator Baucus said yesterday that it absolutely "must be on the table" as the discussion over how to fix health care progresses.

We still have so much work to do in our movement to fix health care. But Monday's hearing was another encouraging sign that we're on the right track.

Look out Washington; there's a new sheriff in town.

The Journal News is reporting that Senator Max Baucus has added another link to the united front that will be pushing health care reform through Washington this year:

[Senator Charles] Schumer said this week he's been asked by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus to serve as the panel's point man supporting the administration on the issue [of a public health insurance option].

"If competition works, why not have a public entity?" said Schumer, a Democrat and New York's senior senator.

Multiple polls have confirmed that the vast majority of Americans support a public health insurance option as part of the plan to fix health care. The benefits to consumers would be substantial:

· Patients would see the exact same doctors for the exact same procedures, but at a much lower cost. By introducing a competing plan to the health care market - as well as the millions of new consumers who would be able to afford coverage for the first time - the public health insurance option would drop costs across the board almost immediately.

· Americans with pre-existing conditions would finally have access to affordable coverage. For decades, one serious illness or chronic condition has sentenced Americans to a lifetime without health insurance. Introducing a public health insurance option into the market would allow those with pre-existing conditions to buy good coverage at a price they could afford. Studies have shown that the cost of insuring those "high risk" individuals would be offset by the millions of young, healthy Americans also purchasing health insurance for the first time. It's the same principle that allows big corporations to pool their insurance risk together and pay much less per employee than their small business counterparts.

· We'd have more choices for health care - not less. Lots of anti-reform groups like to scare Americans into believing that a public health insurance option amounts to a government take over of the health care system. They tell you that, if you have good health care, you're going to lose it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Under the new plan, if you have health insurance that you like - you keep it. Period. The only change you'll see is lower premiums as the increased competition drives down costs for all consumers.

So, if a public health insurance option is a win-win-win for consumers, why is it still controversial on Capitol Hill? The answer, not surprisingly, is money. There's big money to be made in a system that overcharges for health care. And that money is paying for lobbyists that are working around the clock to protect the status quo.

That's where Senator Schumer comes in. During the coming months, as the plans for health care reform unfold, his job is to make sure Congress is looking out for patients and not profits by including a public health insurance option into the mix. Backing him up will be President Obama and the soon-to-be-Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. And, of course, all of us.

A plan that creates more competition, lower costs, and better care - it's so simple and straightforward, only in Washington could it be controversial.