UFCW -Crisis to Catastrophe
07/03/08 | Comment (0)
By Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)
The state of our health care system is moving from crisis to catastrophe while our representatives in Washington, D.C. remain paralyzed by partisan politics and gridlock. It is past time to break the gridlock on health care reform.
The 1.3 million members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) regularly bargain with their employers for better wages and benefits, and health care is always the most difficult issue to resolve. UFCW members know better than anyone how health care affects us all—business, community members, and workers. That’s why UFCW members have consistently been at the forefront of the push to reform health care in the U.S.
In 2003, Congress mandated the formation of the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group. I was honored to serve as a member of the Working Group. For nearly two years, the Group held an unprecedented nationwide dialogue with the American people on our health care system.
In 2006, the Working Group reported its findings to the President and Congress. The report documents a remarkable consensus from the American people on health care reform. Americans want affordable, quality health care coverage for all—and they want it now.
Now fast forward to 2008. Congress is still stuck in gridlock and partisan bickering. The Bush Administration has ignored America’s plea for better health care. Nothing has been achieved. Costs remain out of control while access to quality care is diminishing.
Americans can’t afford to wait another day for health care reform.
The UFCW is proud to be a part of Health Care for America Now. The partisan bickering in Congress will only end when the American people demand that our representatives do the hard work of reforming our system. We need solutions—not bickering—we need health care for America now.
