Health Care Reform Fight Moves Back to House

Meeting late today in person and by conference call, CWA's Executive Board issued a call to locals across our union to step up the fight against the excise tax on our health care plans. The focus now shifts to the House of Representatives, then to consideration of conference legislation.

The Senate will vote on its health care bill that includes the excise tax next Thursday. This proposal would have disastrous consequences for the majority of CWA members and retirees under age 65 beginning in 2013 and escalating dramatically every year after that.

The Senate and House then have to work out conference legislation that both bodies must pass before sending it to the President for approval.  The House version has NO excise tax and 188 House members have signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi saying that there can be no excise tax in the final version.  CWAers across the country must rally around those 190 members, particularly those that face tough elections in 2010.

Taxing the health plans of 30 million Americans in the first ten years of the tax is a huge mistake for members of Congress.  CWA released a national poll last week which found that three-quarters of all respondents are less likely to vote for any member of Congress who supports the excise tax on health care plans.