Brothers and
Sisters,
History is being made. For forty years, the
American Labor Movement has been losing the battle for
meaningful and comprehensive healthcare reform. But, today we
are on the cusp of achieving our goal. Within days, the House of
Representatives will vote on The Affordable Health Care for
America Act H.R. 3962, which merges and improves the three
previous bills passed by the House Education & Labor, Energy &
Commerce, and Ways & Means Committees. H.R. 3962 meets President
Obama's criteria of expanding access to coverage, providing
competition in the market, reigning in skyrocketing costs, and
demanding accountability from the insurance industry. The
unveiling of a bill that includes a national public plan option,
an employer mandate to either "pay or play", without placing a
burden to carry the cost of comprehensive healthcare reform on
middle class Americans is progressive and true reform.
Specifically, the inclusion of a Public Plan Option is a
key facet of the bill. And, the Public Plan Option component
will finally introduce real competition into the insurance
market. Such competition will reign in skyrocketing costs,
increase choice, steer quality improvements, and keep insurance
companies honest. The employer responsibility provision serves
to strengthen the new market dynamic by requiring employers to
pay their fair share, or pay a penalty for their irresponsible
behavior. These two key provisions, when enacted in conjunction
with other market and delivery reforms, will strengthen our
country even further by reducing the federal deficit by $30
billion over the next 10 years.
Additionally, HR 3962's
progressive financing of healthcare reform is both sensible and
responsible because only the wealthiest Americans are taxed,
instead of financing reform of the backs of the middle class.
TWU applauds Speaker Pelosi for releasing a healthcare
reform bill that provides real relief for working families and
builds a solid foundation for the future. As the Senate and the
House work towards moving the bills to a vote, we will continue
to work with Members of Congress to retain the critical
provisions included in "The Affordable Health Care for America
Act" (H.R. 3962) and to bring long-overdue reform to our
nation's healthcare system.
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