Lynn, Massachusetts. The North Shore Labor Council is the one hundredth
Central Labor Council to endorse HR 676, single payer healthcare
legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).
Jeff Crosby, Council President, said: "We in Massachusetts have ample
experience with the fraud of health-care ‘reform' that claims to provide
universal coverage without containing costs. The Massachusetts bill is
collapsing as we speak. And the only way to contain costs is to go after
the drug companies and the insurance companies with a chain-saw. HR 676
does that best."
The North Shore Labor Council has 44 local union affiliates with 18,000
members. Crosby is president of IUE-CWA Local 201 at the historic Lynn GE
plant. He is also one of four regular bloggers on the AFL-CIO website
(http://blog.aflcio.org/category/diaries/?aid=22 [1]).
#30#
HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by
expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident.
HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical
care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient
services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental
health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for
substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676
ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by
eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance
industry and HMOs.
HR 676 currently has 88 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Co-sponsors
and bill text are here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00676 [2]:
HR 676 has been endorsed by 397 union organizations in 48 states including
100 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 33 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).
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: http://mailcenter.comcast.net/wmc/v/wm/4803C35F000AEEDF000026F922007507840E03CA0A040B0B0A?cmd=ComposeTo&adr=nursenpo%40aol%2Ecom&sid=c1 [3]
04/14/08