Issue Brief: Healthcare
Health care in the United States is a tragedy; it does not assume the right to care and necessary medicines is a human right. Instead, health care has become a direct reflection of the amount of money we have or if we are fortunate enough to still be covered through our employer. Over 46 million Americans are currently without care, and that number is increasing daily.
Among those 46 million are 11 million children who are growing up without needed care. This tragedy is underscored by the fact that roughly 80 percent of the uninsured are from working families.
Where has our health care system gone wrong?
The massive number of uninsured is directly related to skyrocketing health care costs. In 2004, private employer-sponsored health plan premiums averaged nearly $10,000 for family coverage. Annual double-digit cost increases have become commonplace. Costs are so outrageous that the U.S. spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation in the world – fifteen percent of GDP, or $1.6 trillion, in 2002 (the most recent statistics).
With no mechanism for controlling costs in place, Americans are at the mercy of health care providers, which are often publicly traded companies whose only concern is returning profits to their investors. The fact that millions go without care does not weight into the business decision.
Prescription drugs are also just as out of reach for millionsns due to costs. The hundreds of industry lobbyists dispatched in Washington work to ensure the system of high profits for pharmaceutical companies stays in place. The President’s faulty prescription drug plan does nothing to reduce costs, but delivers an enormous price to taxpayers.
How are workers impacted?
With stagnant and falling wages prevalent across the U.S., health care costs have taken a toll on working Americans’ financial stability. Health care bills are the driving force behind one-half of all bankruptcy filings. In many of these cases, workers had health care when they first became ill. But, the sickness often led to the need to stop working, and then the bills mounted.
Rising costs are also taking a toll on our ability to negotiate with our employers. With health care costs soaring, less money is available for wage increases, increases in benefits and other improvements. In 2003, nearly one-half of all the 6,640 labor disputes handled by the Federal Mediation and conciliation Service were over health care issues, demonstrating the pressure health care costs generate at the bargaining table. Also, since the U.S. is the only industrialized country without a national health care program, our employers are at a competitive disadvantage.
To solve this problem, there needs to be a new solution that guarantees the right to healthcare for all Americans.
Some pictures from the National Rapid Response Conference
in Washington, D.C!
 Buril Smith & Joel Jones lobby outside the Capital |
 Paul Rausch & Joel Jones listen to rally speakers talk about trade issues. |
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 Go Steelworkers! |
 USW President Leo Gerard greets Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois.
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NOTICE OF LEGAL USAGE
