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Health Care Crisis Demands Action Now
More than 50 million Americans are likely to be without health insurance within three years without a major overhaul of the nation's costly and inequitable health care system, according to a new report by a unique coalition of business, labor, consumers and politicians.
The CWA-supported National Coalition on Health Care isn't yet proposing a specific solution, but is calling on Congress to grasp how critical the situation is, and how much worse it stands to get without reform.
"Our nearly 100 member organizations employ or represent 150 million people and they recognize that the cost of inaction-of not making the systematic changes that are necessary-will be far greater than the cost of action," Henry Simmons, a medical doctor and coalition president, said at a May 19 news conference that released a report, "Charting the Cost of Inaction."
CWA President Morton Bahr represented the AFL-CIO at the briefing, noting that 1.4 million Americans lost their health coverage last year, bringing the number of uninsured to nearly 45 million.
The problem is dire for both the private and public sector, he said, with companies facing increased competition from new firms that offer workers no benefits, while state and local governments are squeezed by lower tax revenues.
"The scenario is repeated across union and nonunion companies, indicating the depth and breadth of this problem," Bahr said. "It has resulted in employers looking to save money by either cutting the level of benefits or shifting more of the cost to their workers."
Speaking alongside Bahr, SBC President Bill Daley said his company - which employs more than 100,000 CWA members - has seen its health care costs grow by 50 percent, to top $2 billion in the past three years. He expects costs to rise another billion dollars over the next three years.
"This issue is bigger than any one company," Daley said. "We need solutions. We don't have all the answers, but we know something must be done. At SBC we take pride in providing health care benefits to retirees as well as employees. We want that to continue."
The coalition's goals are health insurance for all, improved quality of care, cost containment, equitable financing and simplified administration. The report calls health insurance for all "an essential social policy goal."
If costs can be controlled and fairly distributed, "necessary health care services can be made universally available with the reach of all," the report states. If not, "the negative implications and outcomes for our country will be enormous."
In addition to CWA and SBC, those involved with the coalition include many unions, pension funds, consumer groups, churches and such large employers as Verizon, AT&T, BellSouth, Qwest, Kellogg, and Safeway.
Former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, honorary chairmen of the coalition, released a letter in connection with the report.
"We have a single focus: To work together to bring about significant health care reforms that will help to solve the problems of rising costs, decreasing coverage of individuals and uneven quality of health care," the former presidents wrote. "The members of the coalition are challenging America's elected officials to lead a search for workable answers."
For more information about the report and the coalition, go to www.nchc.org.
The CWA-supported National Coalition on Health Care isn't yet proposing a specific solution, but is calling on Congress to grasp how critical the situation is, and how much worse it stands to get without reform.
"Our nearly 100 member organizations employ or represent 150 million people and they recognize that the cost of inaction-of not making the systematic changes that are necessary-will be far greater than the cost of action," Henry Simmons, a medical doctor and coalition president, said at a May 19 news conference that released a report, "Charting the Cost of Inaction."
CWA President Morton Bahr represented the AFL-CIO at the briefing, noting that 1.4 million Americans lost their health coverage last year, bringing the number of uninsured to nearly 45 million.
The problem is dire for both the private and public sector, he said, with companies facing increased competition from new firms that offer workers no benefits, while state and local governments are squeezed by lower tax revenues.
"The scenario is repeated across union and nonunion companies, indicating the depth and breadth of this problem," Bahr said. "It has resulted in employers looking to save money by either cutting the level of benefits or shifting more of the cost to their workers."
Speaking alongside Bahr, SBC President Bill Daley said his company - which employs more than 100,000 CWA members - has seen its health care costs grow by 50 percent, to top $2 billion in the past three years. He expects costs to rise another billion dollars over the next three years.
"This issue is bigger than any one company," Daley said. "We need solutions. We don't have all the answers, but we know something must be done. At SBC we take pride in providing health care benefits to retirees as well as employees. We want that to continue."
The coalition's goals are health insurance for all, improved quality of care, cost containment, equitable financing and simplified administration. The report calls health insurance for all "an essential social policy goal."
If costs can be controlled and fairly distributed, "necessary health care services can be made universally available with the reach of all," the report states. If not, "the negative implications and outcomes for our country will be enormous."
In addition to CWA and SBC, those involved with the coalition include many unions, pension funds, consumer groups, churches and such large employers as Verizon, AT&T, BellSouth, Qwest, Kellogg, and Safeway.
Former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, honorary chairmen of the coalition, released a letter in connection with the report.
"We have a single focus: To work together to bring about significant health care reforms that will help to solve the problems of rising costs, decreasing coverage of individuals and uneven quality of health care," the former presidents wrote. "The members of the coalition are challenging America's elected officials to lead a search for workable answers."
For more information about the report and the coalition, go to www.nchc.org.