AFL-CIO Backs Universal Health Care Built on Success of Medicare

The AFL-CIO adopted a concrete plan to provide comprehensive, universal health care to all Americans, built on the 40-year success of the Medicare program.

Medicare has "guaranteed coverage, made health care more affordable, included a form of shared financial responsibility, and significantly reduced administrative costs compared to those of private plans," the AFL-CIO Executive Council said in a statement.

The AFL-CIO called on congressional leaders to support the updating and expansion of Medicare benefits "to fit the working population and children, as well as negotiating prices with physicians and providers that families and the country can afford."

Under this plan, "employers' responsibility for health care financing would be broadly and equitably shared, substantially reducing burdens on all businesses and reducing disadvantages currently faced in the global marketplace," the statement said. 

There is no question that the current system is broken, with 47 million people uninsured, tens of millions more worrying that they will lose the coverage they have if they change or lose their jobs, and American businesses that provide adequate health care at a significant disadvantage compared to companies that provide little or no coverage, the AFL-CIO pointed out.

CWA has expressed strong support for legislation introduced by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) to extend the benefits of coverage of the Medicare program to all Americans.

In other actions, the AFL-CIO called on President Bush to set a timetable to end U.S. involvement in Iraq. "If the president refuses to act, Congress must use its powers under the Constitution and act," the AFL-CIO said.

The AFL-CIO also outlined a six-month timetable of candidate forums, discussions, online surveys and other ways for workers to evaluate political candidates on issues important to working families for the 2008 election season.