On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. Despite the threat of losing their jobs, participants took an unpaid day off to honor American workers and draw attention to grievances they had with employers.

And the list of grievances was long. During this time, the average American worked twelve hour days, seven days a week, just to make a basic living, with children as young as six toiling alongside adults.

As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later. A bloody strike by railway workers brought the issue of workers' rights to the public eye and provoked Congress to officially make the first Monday of September Labor Day.

Today, it's not uncommon to hear the phrase "Unions: The Folks Who Brought You the Weekend." And the saying is true: unions won the eight-hour day standard we all enjoy today. What many people don't realize is that workers and their unions had to fight for the eight-hour day for nearly 3/4 of a century (beginning in August 1866) before any national reform was enacted. The dream of an eight-hour work day finally became a reality in 1938, when the New Deal's Fair Labor Standards Act made it legally a full day of work throughout the United States.

The Struggle Continues

Although many Americans have now come to associate Labor Day as just a day off from work or the end of summer relaxation, it's important not to forget the sacrifices of our brothers and sisters, whose brave acts earned us the working rights we now possess. Unions have historically laid the groundwork for impressive grassroots campaigns to strengthen America's middle class and rebuild the economy in hard times. As we face the greatest recession since the Great Depression, unions continue to be at the heart of efforts to pass healthcare reform, restore economic balance and bring prosperity to all Americans.

This Labor Day, let's remind members of Congress just how many working families are still struggling to make ends meet under the strain of skyrocketing health care costs. Help send Congress back to DC with a mission to reform healthcare by joining us at send-off rallies across the country.

Events being held by SEIU and HCAN across the country on Labor Day, September 7th in Arkansas, Colorado, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Washington state are listed after the break.

When was the last time you got a paycheck for $9,600?

If it was last pay period, the health care reform bill in Congress may not be for you. But if you're one of the 98% of Americans who make less than $250,000 every year, you stand to save a lot of money.

The health care reform bill being voted on in the House this week will save you up to$2,200 per year. It would have people who make more than a quarter of a million dollars help pay for reform by rolling back Bush's tax cuts for the rich.

The bill is headed for a vote in the next 48 hours. Click here to write a letter to your representative and urge them to pass historic health reform so you can save money.

For decades, giant corporations have refused to pay their fair share of rising health care costs. All the while, workers, small business owners, and our families have picked up their tab.

We can change that. But we've got to act now. Click here to tell Congress it's time everyone - even millionaires - did their part to fix health care.

This bill guarantees us quality, affordable health care. It will cover the uninsured and significantly lower the costs for those of us who have insurance. Let's pass this bill, so we can lower ours.

When was the last time you got a paycheck for $9,600?

If it was last pay period, the health care reform bill in Congress may not be for you. But if you're one of the 98% of Americans who make less than $250,000 every year, you stand to save a lot of money.

The health care reform bill being voted on in the House this week will save you up to$2,200 per year. It would have people who make more than a quarter of a million dollars help pay for reform by rolling back Bush's tax cuts for the rich.

The bill is headed for a vote in the next 48 hours. Click here to write a letter to your representative and urge them to pass historic health reform so you can save money.

For decades, giant corporations have refused to pay their fair share of rising health care costs. All the while, workers, small business owners, and our families have picked up their tab.

We can change that. But we've got to act now. Click here to tell Congress it's time everyone - even millionaires - did their part to fix health care.

This bill guarantees us quality, affordable health care. It will cover the uninsured and significantly lower the costs for those of us who have insurance. Let's pass this bill, so we can lower ours.

"Let me be clear: if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we do not act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. These are the consequences of inaction. These are the stakes of the debate we're having right now." That was President Obama on Wednesday. Today, we got further proof of the cost of doing nothing. Just look at the table released this morning by the Center for American Progress. Within ten years, if we fail to address the rising cost of health care in America, the average health insurance premiums paid by families will nearly double, from $13,500 today to $22,400 in 2019. Oh but it gets worse - because in addition to rising premiums, Americans lucky enough to have health insurance still face increasingly burdensome co-payments and out-of-pocket costs - the kinds of costs that you can't haggle away when you're severe pain. In Nebraska, our premiums will increase from $12,453 in 2009 to $21,249 in 2019. Given that Nebraska faces additional hurdles, like the fact that premiums have already increased by 84% since 2000; that 30% of middle-income Nebraska families spend more than 10% of their income on health care; and that 10% of Nebraskans report not visiting a doctor precisely because of the cost, inaction in the face of economic danger is something we can ill afford - and yet, that's exactly what happens every day that we fail to act on this. Here's the thing: it doesn't have to be this way! The projections that CAP outlined don't have to come true. We can write a different story. We know how to "bend the curve" of increasing health costs. We can reform our health care system so that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. One way we're keeping the focus on reform is by joining with our friends at Fire Dog Lake in asking Nebraska's Representatives in Congress to stay and work on passing health care legislation like HR 3200, "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," over the August recess. Congress shouldn't take a three-week vacation when 14,000 Americans are losing their insurance coverage every day. That's nearly a third of the population of Grand Island here in Nebraska. Let's make this happen. Nebraska can't afford the cost of doing nothing any longer.

"Let me be clear: if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we do not act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. These are the consequences of inaction. These are the stakes of the debate we're having right now."

That was President Obama on Wednesday. Today, we got further proof of the cost of doing nothing. Just look at the table released this morning by the Center for American Progress.

Within ten years, if we fail to address the rising cost of health care in America, the average health insurance premiums paid by families will nearly double, from $13,500 today to $22,400 in 2019. Oh but it gets worse - because in addition to rising premiums, Americans lucky enough to have health insurance still face increasingly burdensome co-payments and out-of-pocket costs - the kinds of costs that you can't haggle away when you're severe pain.

In Colorado, our premiums will increase from $12,936 in 2009 to $22,073 in 2019. Given that Colorado faces additional hurdles, like the fact that premiums have already increased by 91% since 2000; that 24% of middle-income Colorado families spend more than 10% of their income on health care; and that 14% of Coloradans report not visiting a doctor precisely because of the cost, inaction in the face of economic danger is something we can ill afford - and yet, that's exactly what happens every day that we fail to act on this.

Here's the thing: it doesn't have to be this way! The projections that CAP outlined don't have to come true. We can write a different story. We know how to "bend the curve" of increasing health costs. We can reform our health care system so that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care.

One way we're keeping the focus on reform is by joining with our friends at Fire Dog Lake in asking Colorado's Representatives in Congress to stay and work on passing health care legislation like HR 3200, "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," over the August recess. Congress shouldn't take a three-week vacation when 14,000 Americans are losing their insurance coverage every day. That's nearly a third of the population of Grand Junction here in Colorado.

Let's make this happen. Colorado can't afford the cost of doing nothing any longer.

"Let me be clear: if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we do not act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. These are the consequences of inaction. These are the stakes of the debate we're having right now."

That was President Obama on Wednesday. Today, we got further proof of the cost of doing nothing. Just look at the table released this morning by the Center for American Progress.

Within ten years, if we fail to address the rising cost of health care in America, the average health insurance premiums paid by families will nearly double, from $13,500 today to $22,400 in 2019. Oh but it gets worse - because in addition to rising premiums, Americans lucky enough to have health insurance still face increasingly burdensome co-payments and out-of-pocket costs - the kinds of costs that you can't haggle away when you're severe pain.

In North Dakota, our premiums will increase from $11,624 in 2009 to $19,835 in 2019. Given that North Dakota faces additional hurdles, like the fact that premiums have already increased by 90% since 2000; that 23% of middle-income North Dakota families spend more than 10% of their income on health care; and that 7% of North Dakotans report not visiting a doctor precisely because of the cost, inaction in the face of economic danger is something we can ill afford - and yet, that's exactly what happens every day that we fail to act on this.

Here's the thing: it doesn't have to be this way! The projections that CAP outlined don't have to come true. We can write a different story. We know how to "bend the curve" of increasing health costs. We can reform our health care system so that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care.

One way we're keeping the focus on reform is by joining with our friends at Fire Dog Lake in asking North Dakota's Representatives in Congress to stay and work on passing health care legislation like HR 3200, "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," over the August recess. Congress shouldn't take a three-week vacation when 14,000 Americans are losing their insurance coverage every day. That's nearly a quarter of the population of Bismarck here in North Dakota.

Let's make this happen. North Dakota can't afford the cost of doing nothing any longer.

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/.

The Chamber of Commerce's veneer of unity on health care is beginning to fade.

In the latest blow to the Chamber's "Just Say No!" strategy on health care reform, Wal-Mart joined with SEIU and the Center for American Progress today in announcing support for an employer mandate on health coverage.

An excerpt of the letter is below:

As the nation's largest private employer, the nation's largest union of health care workers with over one million members, and a think tank that has been a leader on health care policy...we are coming together to advance what we believe are important proposals that should be included in the current efforts to reform our nation's health care system.

[...] We are for shared responsibility. Not every business can make the same contribution, but everyone must make some contribution. We are for an employer mandate which is fair and broad in its coverage... Support for a mandate also requires the strongest possible commitment to rein in health care costs. Guaranteeing cost containment is essential.

Read the full letter here.

Read coverage of this letter, here. Praise from the White House Office of Health Reform on this strong support for health care reform--including an employer mandate--here.

When the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposed early versions of the healthcare bill Tuesday, we weren't surprised. This is, after all, the same group that colorfully told the Associated Press it was "time to unload the powder and fill the musket" in their fight against health care reform. Call us cynical, but we didn't think they were planning on using that $100 million "campaign to defend the free market" on tea parties and Civil War reenactments.

The fact is, America's healthcare system is broken and all the right-wing continues to do is champion the status quo and purposely distort the reality of what fixing healthcare will mean to millions of American families. The Chamber's assault on the current bill is simply the latest in a string of attacks on common-sense healthcare reforms during the course of their existence. Here's our "Top 10."

Top 10 Historical Chamber Quotes Against Healthcare

10. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Denounced Patients' Bill of Rights As Special Interest Giveaway To Trial Lawyers. Bruce Josten, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that 2001 of the Patients' Bill of Rights "should be called the Trial Lawyers' Right to Bill...adding new mandates and expanding liability will only serve to increase insurance costs and undermine employers' ability to offer this valuable benefit." [U.S. Chamber of Commerce Press Release, 6/12/01 ]

9. U.S. Chamber Spokesman Said OSHA Is a "Blatant Denial of Fundamental Fairness." When describing the structure of the Labor Department within the Executive Branch rather than the Judicial Branch of the government, Richard Berman, director of labor law for the United States Chamber of Commerce, said "This has a chilling effect on an employer's exercise of his right to appeal and is thus a blatant denial of fundamental fairness." [U.S. News & World Report, 11/24/75]

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vigorously Opposed Occupational Safety Regulations and "led the fight to defeat the 1968 bill." In an article written between the initial bill supported by President Johnson and the second bill, that passed, supported by President Nixon, the New York Times reported: "The first legislation providing for a comprehensive nationwide system of health and safety standards was proposed last year by President Johnson. Strongly supported by labor, the bill ran into immediate and vigorous opposition from industry, led by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States." [New York Times, 12/10/69; New York Times, 3/19/70]

8. U.S. Chamber President Called OSHA "An Abysmal Failure." In 1980, Richard L. Lesher, President of the U.S. Chamber of Congress, charged, "OSHA at best has been a major disappointment, at worst an abysmal failure." "To date, there has been no solid documentation that OSHA has yielded any gains in safety or health," said Lesher. [AP, 4/1/80]

7. U.S. Chamber Spokesman Compared Employer Mandates to Jumping on a "Runaway Train." In 1989, U.S. Chamber Spokesman Frederick J. Krebs was asked by the Washington Post about employer mandated coverage and said, "Health-care costs are out of control -- so being forced to provide these benefits is like being told to jump on a runaway train." [The Washington Post, 4/13/89]

6. Referring to Mental Health Parity Legislation, Chamber Officials Said Personal Tragedy is a "Poor Way to Make Legislation." Complaining that opposing Republicans on mental health parity legislation put them in an awkward position, Neil Trautwein, manager of health care policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said, "It's tremendous to have someone with the stature of Pete Domenici or Alan Simpson get up and describe these personal tragedies, but it's often a poor way to make legislation," says Trautwein. "An emotional argument late in the night is not the way to make policy." [The Washington Post, 6/19/96]

We thought we'd save the best for last, so: be sure to read the "top 5" quotes, 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.

The SEIU released a report about the true value of health care reform in the state of California. Read the excerpts below about public option and choice:

Increasing Choice and Portability while Reducing Costs
An essential part of any comprehensive health reform proposal must be to provide American families with more ways to attain quality, affordable health coverage. Providing Americans with a public option would increase options for Americans choosing their health care plans, and allow them to keep their insurance, even when they switch jobs. This new option could also help to remove many of the barriers placed between patients and their doctors by supplying healthy market competition against huge, often monopolistic insurance companies.

• Insurance Monopolies Come Between Patients and Their Doctors.
• Lack of choice and competition in the health insurance market is coming between California patients and their doctors. According to the American Medical Association, consolidated insurance markets "systematically undermine" the physician's role, by giving large insurance companies too much power.

• 94 percent of United States health care markets are considered highly concentrated, meaning that one company or a small group of companies control a great deal of the market. In California, the top two insurance providers control 58 percent of the health care market share.

The Public Option Introduces Real Choice. The Current Health Care System Provides False Competition.

• Consumers Are Left To Fend For Themselves In Current System "Competition today takes place on a restricted terrain, with each plan cutting its own deal and costs shifted back and forth across plans and providers. Patients-- the ultimate "consumers" of care--generally do not have much choice of health plans and, in many cases, even of providers, and they are often left to go it alone in dealing with the complicated and sometimes harmful practices of other players in the system."

• Introducing Public Health Insurance Plan Will Provide Real Competition, New Choice For Consumers "Healthy competition requires not an endless array of choices--indeed, the evidence suggests that too many choices can impair consumer judgment. Rather, it requires a reasonable number of meaningfully different choices. One of the key reasons for public plan choice is that public plans can offer a set of valued features that private plans are generally either unable or unwilling to provide."

• Competition Drives Down Costs for Consumers. Competition between public and private plans will drive down costs for consumers by forcing private plans to cut costs to compete. "It is the competition between private plans and public health insurance, with its distinctive cost control advantages, that presses both public and private plans to provide more for less and ensures that the goal of affordable quality coverage can be maintained over time at a price the nation can bear."

• The Public Health Insurance Option Would Enhance the Insurance Market By Providing
• Stability to Consumers. Consumers would be less vulnerable to fluctuations in premiums, would have steady access, and a more stable insurance environment with the addition of the public option. "One of the key reasons for public plan choice is that public plans can offer a set of valued features that private plans are generally either unable or unwilling to provide. Stability, wide pooling of risks, transparency, affordability of premiums, broad provider access, the capacity to collect and use patient information on a large scale to improve care--these are all hallmarks of public health insurance that private plans have inherent difficulties providing."

Read the entire Value of Reform in California report here:

The Center for Tax Justice has released a report called "Progressive Revenue Options to Fund Health Care Reform," which SEIU and Health Care for America Now are supporting. The report describes progressive revenue options to pay for healthcare reform and the amount of revenue they are likely to raise.

Everyone--individuals, businesses, government--should the burden of healthcare costs in the effort to reform our system, without resorting to measures such as taxing employer-based health benefits. The proposals described in the report would accomplish three objectives:

1. raise the revenue necessary to implement meaningful reform,
   
2. simplify the tax code, and
   
3. ensure a continued progressive structure of the federal income tax.

"The revenue options presented by Citizens for Tax Justice do not upend the current process for employees to receive healthcare from their employer like other proposals floating around Washington. These options prove it's possible to guarantee access to quality, affordable healthcare for everyone and to do it without creating an extra burden on taxpayers or our economy," said Bruce Colburn, Campaign Manager for SEIU Healthcare. Download the report here  

Today, SEIU's Change that Works campaign released a report on rising health care costs and the value of reform in Maine. The facts speak for themselves - in a state like Maine, health care reform is not just about improving the health and safety of Americans, it's also a bottom-line, balance sheet issue. Government, families and businesses large and small stand to save trillions from fixing health care. It will strengthen Maine's businesses, help us retain jobs, and provide greater access and choices to Mainers in need of care. Below are highlights from the report:

• In 2007, Maine's economy lost as much as $413 million because of the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured. That equates to $3,600 per uninsured Maine resident. This year, Maine faces a $265 million projected state budget deficit. This represents 8.6% of state spending. As a result, Maine has already cut or frozen reimbursements to health care providers for Medicaid or SCHIP beneficiaries, and cut funding for homeless shelters.

A snapshot of Maine's uninsured:

• More than 48,000 Maine women were uninsured as of 2007.
• 16,770 uninsured children
• 280,000 non-elderly Mainers uninsured between 2007-2008
• 19.702 of the uninsured adults in Maine are between the ages of 50 and 64, meaning that more than 7% of Maine's aging adults lack health insurance.

On spending:

• 321,000 non-elderly Mainerss spend more than 10% of their pre-tax family income on health care costs in 2008.
• Health insurance premiums rose by 89.7% from 2000 to 2007, while median earnings only increase a mere 16.8%
• In 2007, premiums grew 5.4 times faster than wages
• By 2016, projections show that Maine families will have to pay $30,000 for health care annually.
• If current trends continue, family premiums would spend over 59% of median household income. This represents a 104% increase over 2008 levels.

Download the full report here: http://action.seiu.org/MaineReport

The second video in our series features Kathy Peterson, from Hastings, NE.

With unemployment skyrocketing across the state, the health care crisis is becoming even more pronounced, especially in the rural areas of West Tennessee, where the unemployment rate has reached 27% in Perry County. For most people - especially in rural areas - losing a job means losing health insurance.

Jerry Callis, a truck driver from Trenton in Gibson County weighs in on the new realities he's facing since he's become unemployed:

At the present, I don't have a job and I don't qualify for any aid. If I have to go to the doctor, I have to pay full price for the service. If the charges went through an insurance carrier they would only have to pay the doctor a small fraction of what my charge would be. Where a doctor may charge me $100 for a service, they will only charge a provider about $25. Why should I have to pay $75 more just because it's out of my pocket instead of the provider's pocket?
My last visit to my cardiologist was about a 15 minute consultation for him to tell me that he thought I might have a blockage in an artery on the bottom of my heart and he wanted to schedule me for a stent; but he wasn't sure that I would need one. That 15 minutes cost me $190. I had no insurance at the time to cover that. Two and a half years ago, I had open-heart surgery. After the dust settled, I was still over $3000 in debt and that's with me paying a provider about $400 per month for coverage. Now I am out of work and I have no coverage. If I were to have another heart attack I would be stuck with the entire bill for services rendered and because of my history, it would be hard for me to even get the coverage that I need.
People die every day because they don't have the coverage or the money to take care of an illness. People who have always had everything they need would never understand that. Come live my life for a year and survive on my income and see how long it will take them to change their minds about the current healthcare system.

Do you have a health care story to tell us about? Click here to add your voice to the health care debate.

Today, SEIU is joining a diverse group of organizations at the White House, unveiling a plan to reduce the cost of health care and jumpstart the drive toward real reform. The groups ­ AHIP, AMA, AHA, PhRMA, SEIU and AdvaMed are teaming up with the Obama administration to curb health care costs through improved efficiency and higher quality of care.

The basic premise of the plan is simple: even small changes in how we deliver health care add up when applied across the board. All told, the changes we're implementing will reduce spending growth by 1.5% for the next 10 years. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it means a saving of $2 trillion over the next 10 years; that's $2,500 in savings for a typical American family.

Last week, the National Journal invited health care advocates and industry experts to weigh in on whether health care reform was still possible in 2009. They also asked, "Does health care reform have to be bipartisan in order to move forward?" and, finally, "Does it still make sense for the next nominee for HHS secretary to also head the White House Office on Health Reform?" SEIU President Andy Stern's response is below:

"Fixing health care isn't just possible this year - it's absolutely necessary. Every day, people are losing their jobs and their health care. The swelling ranks of uninsured threaten to put more strain on state programs and push the entire system to the breaking point. If health care isn't fixed, the risk is a growing catastrophe on top of the ones we already face. The unemployment rate is now 7.6% --- up from 4.9% a year ago. For every 1 percentage point rise in unemployment, another 1.1 million people lose their health coverage. Clearly, the time to act is now. As President Obama put it: "In order to fix our economic crisis, and rebuild our middle class, we need to fix our health care system, too."

"Health care reform can happen this year if lawmakers, business, labor, health care providers and activists come together to advance a common goal: quality, affordable health care where everyone pays their fair share. It can happen if we agree to build on existing coverage arrangements instead of disrupting them - the current system of employer-sponsored coverage and public programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP. Reform should also include ending discrimination by insurance companies, offering financial assistance, and rewarding providers and insurers for quality instead of quantity of services provided. We know that when everyone participates, shared accountability works.

"The future Health and Human Services Secretary will no doubt be a partner in the movement to fix health care. But, real change comes from the ground up. It comes from workers saying enough to surging health care costs and shrinking benefits. It comes from doctors and nurses saying enough to a system that puts profits ahead of patients. The reauthorization of SCHIP and inclusion of health information technology in the recovery act are already significant downpayments on broader health care reform. Let's not stop now. All across the country, voters sent a clear mandate this fall to make the American Dream affordable again - and put an end to Washington's bickering-as-usual. A health care system that works for everyone is essential to building an economy with lasting strength."