The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), meeting in September, 2011 in
Orlando, Florida, for its 16th Biennial Convention, voted to
“wholeheartedly renew its endorsement of HR 676, Expanded and Improved
Medicare for All.” CLUW first endorsed HR 676 at its 2003 Convention,
leading the way for many unions to join in pushing for national, single
payer health care.

“Workers, their families and their unions are still waging an increasingly
difficult struggle to win or to keep good health care coverage,” states
the CLUW resolution. “Almost every union at every contract deadline must
battle and sacrifice merely to sustain health care benefits. The rising
costs of health insurance are blocking workers’ progress in wages and
other areas.”

The resolution was submitted by Vera Newton, President of the Derby City
Chapter of CLUW and a member Local 862 UAW which represents workers at two
major Ford plants in Louisville, Kentucky.

Helen Ramirez-Odell, RN, of Chicago, Co-chair of national CLUW’s Women’s
Health and Wellness Committee, commented on the resolution:

“CLUW has a long record of support for health coverage for all with single
payer being the most efficient way to provide it. CLUW believes that
health care is a basic human right and that quality health care must be
accessible to all, not only to the wealthy or those able to afford an
expensive insurance plan.”

The CLUW resolution points out that “More employers are forcing high
deductible plans onto workers, resulting, according to Dr. Steffie
Woolhandler, in a $1,000 annual pay cut for women due to the higher
average health expenditures of women.”

The resolution notes that “About 50 million people in the U. S. are
currently without health insurance and the high cost of premiums,
deductibles, and co-pays forces even the insured to go without needed
care.”

CLUW states the “a single payer program as provided by HR 676 is the only
affordable option for universal, comprehensive coverage” and commits “to
mobilize our members, our unions, and our communities at the grassroots to
encourage other members of the House to sign on as co-sponsors of HR 676.”

On September 15, 2011, Representative Terri A. Sewell of Alabama’s 7th
Congressional District signed on to HR 676, bringing the number of
co-sponsors to 66 in addition to the sponsor, Congressman John Conyers.

The full CLUW Resolution is at the CLUW website here:
http://tinyurl.com/3b5avnk

HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a
greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.

HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including
prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and
preventive care, emergency services, dental (including oral surgery,
periodontics, endodontics), mental health, home health, physical therapy,
rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care and
correction, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable
medical equipment, palliative care, podiatric care, and long term care.

HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of
billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the
private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In the current Congress, HR 676 has 66 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers.

HR 676 has been endorsed by 585 union organizations in 49 states including
138 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state
AFL-CIO’s (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO,
MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI,
MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).

For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample
endorsement resolution, contact:

Kay Tillow
All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care–HR 676
c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
Louisville, KY 40217
(502) 636 1551
Email: nursenpo@aol.com
http://unionsforsinglepayer.org
10/05/2011