Last week, we posted a story on the blog about a Goldman Sachs exec quoting the Bible to justify their behavior. I didn't feel comfortable saying he was flat-out wrong, instead I just gave a few Bible passages for context and let people make up their own minds.

Then, on Sunday, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said in an interview that he and the team at Goldman are "doing God's work." I now feel completely comfortable saying that Goldman Sachs is not, in fact, doing God's work. (And I'm not alone.)

It isn't God's work to kick families out of their homes when they're struggling most. It isn't God's work to use other people's money to pay themselves obscene bonuses. And it isn't God's work to oppose health insurance reform because it's bad for the bottom line.

That's right. Goldman Sachs is now getting involved with the health care debate. From the Huffington Post:

A Goldman Sachs analysis of health care legislation has concluded that, as far as the bottom line for insurance companies is concerned, the best thing to do is nothing. A close second would be passing a watered-down version of the Senate Finance Committee's bill.

Forget fixing our health care system; according to Goldman's report, it's all about how to get big insurance companies rich(er). There is actually a graph included in the report that shows the number of dollars flowing to insurance companies rising as the number of lives insured drops.

We cannot let Goldman Sachs and the other big banks get away with this. People should be out in the street, demanding answers. And, on Monday, we will. SEIU President Andy Stern is joining National People's Action and hundreds of taxpayers from across the country in Washington, DC to rally outside Goldman Sachs' office on Capitol Hill.

We meet at 101 Constitution Ave. NW at noon. I hope to see you there.

Today, some time after 12pm ET, the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on an amendment to include a public option in their health care bill. Guess what - one of your Senators sits on the committee.

We can't lose this debate. Will you call your Senator? Dial 1-866-311-3405 and you'll be given talking points before being connected to your Senator's office. After you make the call, use this form to report-back.

The public health insurance option is a key component to meaningful reform. It will lower costs, introduce real competition, and serve as a check on insurance company greed. Without a public option, we'll be required to purchase health coverage from the same companies who brought us pre-existing conditions, unlawful rescission and denial of coverage.

Dial 1-866-311-3405 and urge your Senator to support a public option.

I know it's not the first time you've been asked to make a call, and it certainly won't be the last. But we can't grow bored of this fight. We can't lose sight of the goal - that every American has quality, affordable health care coverage.

The weeks ahead will be critical for winning provisions like a public health insurance option. Thank you for continuing to keep the pressure on - we can't afford to let up now.

Insurance industry executives from UnitedHealthOne, Wellpoint, Aetna, Humana and CIGNA Healthcare are on Capitol Hill today to testify before Rep. Kucinich's subcommittee on domestic policy. We'll be live tweeting from the hearing, beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET.

(refresh for latest)

Here in New Hampshire, even our youngest activists are fighting for reform.

Meet 14 year-old Doug Marino. Last Friday, at his request, Doug's father drove him 45 minutes from their house to Concord to phone bank for reform. Although he was only supposed to stay two hours, Doug asked to stay for the entire six hour phone bank.

Watch Doug tell his story here:

Sunday was Doug's birthday. His parents told our seacoast organizer, Israel, that they had tried planning a big birthday party for Doug, but he asked them to cancel it so that he could participate in our Sunday canvass. He said he would rather spend his birthday trying to win health care reform than eating cake.

Click here to wish Doug a Happy Birthday.

SEIU President Andy Stern appeared on MSNBC's The Ed Show last night to discuss health insurance reform and the politics in play in Washington. In the interview, Andy said, "In the end, it's time to take a vote. Leadership is just about making choices....The President says he wants a public option. The House is going to vote for a public option. Where are these Senators? Let em' take a vote."

When asked what the Senate should do if delay occurs in the Senate Finance Committee, Andy responded, "September 15th [the Senate Finance Committee] they said they were gonna start marking up the bill, that's it. Put it on the floor, let the Finance Committee vote, take it to the Senate."

Labor Day is a time to reflect on the achievements of the American worker and our nation's commitment to helping all families pursue the American Dream--especially now that many are facing difficult times, as the result of the recession and the anti-worker agenda carried out by the previous administration. In a short period of time, President Obama and the 111th Congress have made progress to undo many policies that have harmed our nation's workers; showing time and time again that they stand on the side of working families.

Here are some of the strides made so far on behalf of American workers:

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act: The first major piece of legislation President Obama signed at the end of January ensures that women and other workers who receive discriminatory pay have access to a remedy. The new law reversed the May 2007 Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear and restored prior law which treated each discriminatory paycheck received by a worker as a violation of the Civil Rights Act.

Affordable Health Coverage for Laid-off Workers: A provision in the Recovery Act will assist 7 million people laid off in this recession with the cost of their health insurance coverage, who would otherwise face paying a substantial monthly amount to keep it. People who were laid off between from their jobs between 9/1/08 and 12/31/09 pay only 35 percent of their COBRA premiums and the remaining 65 percent is reimbursed to the coverage provider through a tax credit.

Increasing the Minimum Wage: On July 24th, the national minimum wage increased by 70 cents per hour--from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour-the final of three increases to take effect under legislation enacted by the Democratic Congress. "[The] minimum wage increase is an important step in strengthening our economy by putting $1,400 a year in the pockets of 13 million hardworking Americans who make the Federal minimum wage," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger.

Increasing Wage Theft Enforcement: As a result increased funding in the Recovery Act, the Department of Labor announced that the agency plans on hiring 250 investigators for its Wage and Hour Division. A Government Accountability Office investigation found many investigations of wage theft, in which workers are not paid minimum wages or not paid at all, were inadequately handled by the Bush administration's Wage and Hour Division, which had been starved of staff and resources.

Worker Protection Programs: In December 2008, the American Worker Project at the Center for American Progress released a report noting that "one of the hallmarks of President George W. Bush's administration has been its failure to enforce laws designed to protect ordinary Americans," particularly the Labor Department's "inadequate enforcement of important workplace protections." The Obama administration has pushed to clean up the mess, requesting a 10 percent budget increase for worker protection programs.

Stopping Last-Minute Bush Proposal to Weaken Worker Health & Safety Protections: The Department of Labor announced that they will withdraw a Bush era proposal that would have dramatically weakened future workplace health and safety regulations and slow their enactment. (Announced May 15, 2009)

Can you think of any Congressional accomplishments made on behalf of workers that I've left off this list? If so, please leave your feedback in the "Comments" section below.

A new TV ad airing in 12 states informs middle class families who have health insurance why healthcare reform is good for all Americans.

The ad, "Eight Ways Reform Matters to You" is the second in a series supported by the American Medical Association (AMA), FamiliesUSA, the Federation of American Hospitals, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the SEIU. More facts about reform at www.TruthAboutReform.org.

President Obama has said that in order to keep insurance companies "honest" and reduce costs, we must provide Americans with the option of a public health insurance plan. On Thursday, he reaffirmed his support for offering a public insurance option.

"I continue to support a public option; I think it is important," said President Obama during last week's national healthcare forum, which was viewed online by thousands of SEIU members and millions of concerned Americans from across the country.

Standing in front of a banner that read "Health Insurance Reform Now," President Obama asked supporters of reform to help "cut through the noise and misinformation." He described the public option as setting a benchmark for private insurers, who would then respond by shaping their own plans to be competitive.

Check out the full video here:

What if your employer told you that in order to keep your health coverage you and your spouse must submit to invasive health screenings from your insurer?

If you refused, you'd lose the health coverage you've always counted on. Oh, and the company is self-insured but they promise they won't use your private health information to decide whether to keep your coverage, hire you, fire you, or make your spouse go on a diet.

Unbelievable, but that's what my employer wants to force us to do! That's one of the reasons why more than 700 of us are on strike.

Tell our employer, Bemis Manufacturing company, that workers aren't lab rats.

My coworkers and I work in Terre Haute, Indiana. We make the flexible food packaging you see on your grocery store's shelves. Our company has been union for 52 years and is successful, with profits up more than 16 percent.

We did not make the decision to strike lightly. In an effort to avoid a strike we made an alternative offer to work without a contract while the bargaining continued but Bemis refused and actually lowered its offer. They even cut off insurance benefits which we had already paid for and demanded we accept low wage temp workers turning good jobs into McJobs.

Will you take a stand with us?

Tell Bemis to negotiate in good faith and respect its workers.

What would you choose - taking a vacation or fixing health care?

That is the choice facing the U.S. House of Representatives, who are nearing a vote on historic health reform legislation but are scheduled to go on vacation at the end of next week.

It seems obvious to us - health care is more important than vacation. Congress should keep working until they pass a health reform bill.

Our friends at Fire Dog Lake have launched a petition asking the U.S. House of Representatives to stay in session to pass health reform. Click here to sign the petition.

So far, they've collected 28,000 signatures - let's help them get to 35,000. They'll be delivering your signatures to the U.S. House.

Some Members of Congress want three weeks of vacation before they tackle health care reform. But there is a real human cost for going on vacation. Three weeks in America without fixing health care means:

• 143,250 people will lose their health insurance coverage
  
• 53,507 people will file for bankruptcy because they can't pay their medical bills
  
• 1,265 people will die because they lack coverage

The House is so close to passing a health reform bill - they shouldn't take a vacation now when thousands are losing their health care or worse every day.

Click here to sign the petition and ask the House to stay in session to pass health care instead of going on vacation.

Fixing health care just can't wait. Let's join together and get this done.

Al Franken, like many ex-performers, knows when to arrive at stage right at the critical moment of a new play. Six months into the new Obama administration as we now get ready to pass for the first time in 223 years, a healthcare bill and in the coming months, the Employee Free Choice Act, Sen. Al Franken's presence and strong leadership in the Senate couldn't have come at a better time.

"He may have been a little slow in getting here, but we'll excuse him because he has a lot of catching up to do," joked Andy Stern, congratulating the newly-seated U.S. Senator of Minnesota on his victory last week at a rooftop reception held at SEIU's headquarters in the Senator's honor to welcome him to Washington, DC. Also on hand to welcome Sen. Franken to Washington, DC were fellow Senator Amy Klobuchar and SEIU members, staff, and leaders.

Upon his arrival to the reception, Sen. Franken had some warm words of praise for SEIU and the efforts the union made on his behalf during his campaign:

"What an amazing asset to America Andy Stern--and the SEIU--is. Andy has been right at the front of the healthcare debate for years, and [addressing Andy] I want to thank you for that work. I also want to thank Anna Burger and the members and leaders of SEIU..."

Being the strong supporter of workers' freedom to form unions and bargain that he is, Franken--who is a member of four unions!--also expressed gratitude for the opportunities and security being a union member has provided him, wife Franni and his family:

[...] I'm a member of four unions. If it weren't for unions, Franni and I wouldn't have [had] healthcare for the last three years.

The Senator for Minnesota also discussed his plans for the working people of this country, now that he's finally been seated [Franken's first legislative act as Senator was to co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act].

Now that I'm in the Senate, I guess I get their healthcare....and that's the healthcare that every American should get.

We're going to do that. I'm on the HELP committee, and we're going to do that. It's the first thing we're going to do. And we're going to do just a lot of great stuff...we're going to pass EFCA. We're going to make sure people have a level playing field to organize. We're going to create jobs in this country, and renewable energy...We need to do all these things--and I know we can. There are so many great possibilities ahead of this country. Our best days are yet to come. And I'm just so proud to be a member of the Senate.

Every single person who supported Franken by going out and voting for him made a big difference in the outcome of Minnesota's extremely close election, which, as Sen. Franken pointed out, he only "won by 312 votes...It was a really close election!"

"Through this union, ordinary people get to do extraordinary things--like elect Al Franken," said SEIU President Andy Stern.

In 2005, J Dilla was an influential hip-hop producer and rising artist whose promising life was cut short by complications stemming from his battle with Lupus. Without health insurance, the costs associated with his care reached triple digits. In the United States, 60% of uninsured Americans are self-employed or employed by a small business that does not offer health benefits.

This Wednesday, SEIU is hosting a discussion at our headquarters on how health care reform can prevent the kind of financial stress and hardship J Dilla's loved ones--the Yancey family--has endured due to the high cost of medical treatment.

WHO: Mr. Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor, member of A Tribe Called Quest & Diabetes patient; Ms. Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey, J Dilla's mother; Dr. L Toni Lewis, President of Committee of Interns & Residents/SEIU; Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Hip Hop Caucus; Casey-Rae Hunter, Future of Music Coalition

WHAT: Roundtable discussion about health care reform and its implications for individuals in the arts and beyond.

WHERE: SEIU International Headquarters
1800 Massachusetts Ave
Washington, DC 20036

WHEN: Wednesday, July 8th 1 - 2 PM

If you're interested in attending, please contact healthcareremix@gmail.com

Presented by SEIU, LFAGW & Hedrush Entertainment, the 4th Annual J Dilla Tribute & Fundraiser will take place that same night at Liv Niteclub in Washington, DC at 9pm. This is a free event, but donations are encouraged. To RSVP, visit http://dilladc09.eventbrite.com/.

There's a simple standard that SEIU uses to measure the success of the health care system: how does it work for our members--like for Pat DeJong and her family? By that standard, without a doubt, our current system is failing. Fortunately, we have a president who agrees that healthcare reform is critical for this country and says he is confident of passing healthcare reform.

Tonight, Obama will continue his health care push with a primetime nationally televised event in the White House called "Questions for the President: Prescription for America," which will be moderated with ABC's Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer. Home care aide and SEIU Healthcare 775NWmember Pat DeJong has been invited to participate in the ABC News special event, to discuss health care reform with President Obama. The president will answer questions offered by audience members from all walks of life "selected by ABC News who have divergent opinions in this historic debate," and Pat will most likely be the only home care worker present.

Here is just a small excerpt of Pat's story. This is why ABC News asked her to participate in the event:

Pat and her husband Dan were ranchers in Montana, 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 two years later, Pat still does not have health insurance.

Reflecting on what it has been like to live without health insurance - and keeping in mind what she and her husband went through - she said, "I have been without [health insurance] for so long, I have just put it out of my head."

One thing is clear: families like Pat's pay the ultimate price for our broken healthcare system. Her story--like so many other Americans without adequate coverage--stands as one more reason we cannot accept the obstructionist politics of those who wish to file hundreds of amendments to "just say no" to healthcare reform, and purposely distort the reality of what fixing healthcare means to millions of American families.

Watch the ABC News special "Questions for the President: Prescription for America" tonight, June 24, at 10:00 p.m. (EST). The healthcare conversation will be continued at 11:35 p.m. on Nightline.

Read Pat's story--told in her own words--after the break.

In the past few days, our allies in Congress have made serious gains in health care reform. But one thing is still uncertain - whether we'll see a strong, immediate public health insurance option.

President Obama last week indicated that, in order to keep insurance companies "honest" and reduce costs, we must provide Americans with the option of a public health insurance plan.

Now it's time to convince Congress; and the strongest proof that our current health care system is broken is probably sitting on your kitchen table - your medical bills.

What are you spending on health care? Generate your own medical bill online, and send it to Congress: http://medbill.seiu.org

Today, the Senate is working on a plan for health care reform. The public health insurance option needs to be a part of it 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

Congress needs to understand what we're paying for health care. Use our tool to generate a medical bill and send it to your Senators: http://medbill.seiu.org/

After 80 years, we finally have the solution to this health care crisis in our sights. Thanks for joining us in our summer-long sprint to the finish line.

Laid-off workers can get much of their healthcare insurance paid for through a new law, reports the Metro Washington Council's Community Services Agency (CSA). "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides for premium reductions and additional election opportunities for health benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 -- commonly called COBRA -- for folks who have lost their health insurance coverage due to lay-off," reports CSA Executive Director Kathleen McKirchy. "Those eligible pay only 35 percent of their COBRA premiums and the remaining 65 percent is reimbursed to the coverage provider through a tax credit," adds McKirchy.

This new law will help many people getting laid off who want to keep their health insurance, who would otherwise face paying a substantial monthly amount to keep it. Family health coverage can cost on average about $1,000 a month, according to Families USA, a national nonprofit, and the average monthly COBRA premium for individual coverage is $388.

The Speaker of the House has released a report outlining the key points of the compromise the House and Senate have reached on the Economic Recovery Act. There's lots of good news for health care.

Here are the highlights:

The Economic Recovery Act is expected to go up for a final vote by the end
of this week.

Yesterday, health care advocates nationwide celebrated a major victory for our movement. President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) into law. President Obama characterized the bill as a "down payment" on winning quality, affordable health care for all Americans, not just our children:

"[This] bill is only a first step. The way I see it, providing coverage to 11 million children through CHIP is a down payment on my commitment to cover every single American. And it is just one component of a much broader effort to finally bring our health care system into the twenty-first century. That's where the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that is now before Congress comes in.

"Think about this - if Congress passes this recovery plan, in just one month, we'll have done more to modernize our health care system than we've done in the past decade."

The AP provides some great highlights of the legislation:

• Continues coverage through 2013 for 7 million lower income children.
  
• Expands coverage for another 4.1 million uninsured children.
  
• Requires states to offer a dental benefit.
  
• Allows states to offer SCHIP dental coverage to children whose private medical insurance does not cover dentist visits.
  
• Allows states to extend SCHIP and Medicaid to newly arrived legal immigrant children and pregnant women.

The march toward quality, affordable health care continues. Next stop: including critical health care provisions (health IT, COBRA expansions, etc) in the economic recovery package.

WASHINGTON, DC - "Today, Congress took a first and important step to rebuilding the American Dream," said SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger as Senators from both parties worked together to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). "Leaders of both parties worked hard to craft this bipartisan bill. It delivers peace of mind for more hard-working parents that the health of their kids will not keep them from affording to put a roof over their family's head.

"We applaud the Senate for strengthening the children's health insurance program and ensuring no child must wait for care. Congress' job is just beginning. We urge Congress to include key health care provisions in its economic recovery package. Let these measures be the start of a broader effort to finally fix our broken health care system."

SEIU, the nation's largest union of health care workers, is helping its 2 million members and community leaders contact their members of Congress. In addition to comprehensive health care reform, members are continuing to talk to their elected officials about the need to pass a large economic recovery package that invests in state and local government to preserve essential services and invests in infrastructure and human services to save and create jobs.

"Our economy is in serious trouble and if we wait to pass health care reform or President Obama's 'American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan' things will only get worse. Congress cannot stop now, they must move forward on delivering help and hope to working Americans and local communities. Only by building a new economy and health care system can we build a new American Dream."

With 2 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.

Tonight, after three days of debate on a series of amendments to the bill, the Senate passed the bipartisan Children's Health Insurance Program.

When President Obama signs this bill into law, it will mark day one of changing America's broken health care system. Day one of working together, across the aisle, to implement changes that will have long-lasting effects on the health and well-being of our nation. Day one of shifting focus toward solving the health care crisis--once and for all.

This program will ensure that millions of children, many of whose parents have lost their employer-provided health care coverage through layoffs and cutbacks, will be able to receive doctor check-ups, dentist visits, and preventive care.

But it's also an important day for all of us who've joined together in support of fixing health care. It's evident today that we're building a real, grassroots movement. SEIU's online activists alone banked more than 1,000 calls to Congress in support of the reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program. We called 87 senators - many of them multiple times. Reports even came back from our callers that receptionists seemed "flustered," and "puzzled" by the number of calls they were receiving.

We also learned a lot about what to expect as we continue our movement. Activists like Rose in Indiana discovered that senate offices who opposed us were reluctant to be forthcoming about it on the phone. Rather than discuss the issue directly, they claimed to have no knowledge of the bill.

That didn't stop us, though; and we sent a signal loud and clear: we're paying attention, and we expect results.

We don't have time to waste. It's clear that if we don't find solutions to our ailing health care system, the financial burden placed on Americans will continue to grow.

You can tell President Obama that children's health is just the first step in our movement to fix health care - click here to send him a letter.

Just as we didn't let our setbacks stop us from improving access to health care for kids, we can't let our early victories stop us from winning health care for everyone. Senator Olympia Snowe called this bill "a critical first step towards greater health reform." More than ever, we're ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work - and we expect Congress to do the same.

Cross-posted from the National Journal's health care blog. The Journal posed this question:

Would it really do much good to extend the length of COBRA health insurance coverage as part of an economic stimulus package? Would people really sign up? Does COBRA ever really work well?

Yes, make COBRA easier to get and easier to use. People are losing their jobs and losing their coverage, so there's no time to waste. With unemployment at a 16-year high, expect the ranks of the uninsured to swell, putting more strain on state programs that help those in need. COBRA - if made to work - can literally be a lifeline.

Part of the problem with COBRA is that many workers don't qualify as it is - if their employers don't offer coverage in the first place or if their employers go out of business.

What's more, COBRA is unaffordable even to those who are eligible, as the Families USA report makes clear. People who are unemployed are often barely able to pay their mortgages, much less the full cost of a health care premium. Even 20% of the premium would be a financial strain on most unemployed workers, given that the cost of an individual premium is more than $4,000 and family coverage exceeds $12,000.

The solution:

- Allow workers who don't have access to COBRA the opportunity to enroll in Medicaid with a small premium contribution - no more than 5% of their income.

- Provide COBRA-eligible workers with a subsidy or tax credit that covers 80% of the premium.

- Expand the time period for COBRA eligibility - currently 18 months in most cases - to 36 months, given the severe economic downturn. Older workers in particular may have the hardest time finding another job.

Rising unemployment is making our health care crisis even worse, highlighting the need for comprehensive reform. We can't get the economy back on track without fixing health care, and workers can't get back to work if they're sick or have lost their homes due to medical debt. Let's fix COBRA now, so the downturn doesn't push more families into financial ruin.