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Labor, liberal groups press for national health plan
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Related Topics: BALTIMORE
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - A coalition of close to 100 labor, liberal and progressive groups on Tuesday launched a $40 million national campaign called Health Care for America Now to push for federal action to guarantee quality, affordable medical insurance.
On July 1, Maryland expanded Medicaid coverage to families with incomes below $20,500. But Health Care for America Now is trying to reach working people like Delores Cheatham, a full-time nursing assistant for a temporary agency in Baltimore.
“I cannot afford to purchase health care,” said Cheatham, who was going to be charged $600 a month. She lost her health coverage due to a pre-existing condition — a severe case of gastroesophageal reflux disease that required several surgeries.
The groups are asking candidates for Congress to support a health coverage that includes a choice of insurance plans, standard comprehensive benefits and premiums based on the ability to afford it. The group does not suggest how much the federal initiative would cost or how it might be paid for.
“This is the year for affordable health care, or we’re going to have the same old thing,” said Elbridge James, president of Progressive Maryland, at a small rally at the State House. Similar events were being held in 36 other state capitals and other cities around the country.
Maryland groups supporting the effort include unions such as AFSCME, SEIU, UFCW, MSTA (teachers) and the Maryland-DC AFL-CIO and community and political groups such as Maryland ACORN and MoveOn, and the Health Care for All coalition.
Glen Middleton, Maryland executive director of AFSCME, the government employees union, complained about “excessive profits in the pharmaceutical industry” and excessive salaries for executives in for-profit health care companies.
The group says that over the next five months it will spend $25 million on paid media and have 100 community organizers around the country to keep the issue alive in campaigns for Congress.
llazarick@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
9:13 AM MST on Thu., Jul. 10, 2008 re: "Labor, liberal groups press for national health plan"
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Examiner Reader said:
Wait a second....40 million dollars to "roll" out a National Campaign and an additional 25 million over the next five months? Wouldnt 65 million dollars be better spent on providing health care to those who truly need it. Typical liberal program
7 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Health Insurance companies don't have to answer to anyones questions about there practices! They are mean people!
6 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The high cost of health care is a symptom that something is wrong. Attempts to reform the system have failed because insurers drive regulation and company rating practices are un-constitutional. In Michigan, the smallest entities, those companies that provide coverage with only one person covered pay an additional 25% of premium. This violates the Law of Large Numbers and the purpose of insurance, which is to provide economic security for random illness and accidents. The smallest entities are bearing the greatest economic burden. Insurance companies are also failing to manage catastrophic risks. We need to talk about the issues and their impact. Things like abortion consequences and applied reproductive technologies that result in catastrophic claims, which can cost $200,000; $300,000 or more.
8 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Another push for a socialistic society.
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Examiner Reader said:
It is the health insurance industry that is the problem. It's a private club for those that can afford it.Health care is expensive because of them!They are stealing us blind and nobody seems to get it!Universal health care is not for everybody.Because you will have those that are exempt from it because they work for the goverment.
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Shelley Trazkovich MD said:
I did some of that pulling myself up by my bootstraps and forgoing vacations and all the things that premed students and medical students and interns and resident doctors do. That other reader can call me lazy, but I work harder now just to survive some of the minutes in my days. I am a disabled doctor who knows that the US ranks 37th in health care quality measures. Unless you are a CEO of a health insurance company, you haven't worked enough to pay your medical bills if you get seriously ill in this country. I want a health care plan in this country that covers everyone comprehensively with quality medical care. I want health security for you and me and I want to stop having our health care dollars being drained away by the wasteful insurance companies that save money by denying health care as much as they can get away with it. Our health insurance is cruel to those who are ill. We need to open our eyes and look at what is working in the other industrialized countries around us.
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Examiner Reader said:
I do not want universal health care, and I don't want it forced upon me. What about working two or three jobs, foregoing vacations and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps? Instead of crying "give me, give me, give me," be responsible for your miserable self and put in an honest day's work seven days a week. There are more of us doing that then you lazy people realize.
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Examiner Reader said:
I dont know about you people, but I love paying an arm and a leg for the worst healthcare of most civilized nations.
11 agree | 8 disagree
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Ron George said:
We appreciate your interest in "Healthcare Gaming Coming of Age" (May 13, 2008), but please be aware of several errors of fact in your story. * BreakAway did not recently win a contract with Texas A&M. BreakAway was hired by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2005 to produce Pulse!! (two exclamation points). * The Medical College of Georgia has nothing whatever to do with the development of Pulse!! but has recently contracted BreakAway to produce a product derived from Pulse!! technology, which has been licensed to BreakAway by the Texas A&M System, which owns the Pulse!! intellectual property. MCG is a BreakAway customer not a developer of Pulse!! * Pulse!! was conceived and is designed, so far, to provide medical education for physicians. There are no Pulse!! cases in development for nursing education. Your news product would be more credible without these misleading errors of fact.
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Examiner Reader said:
The hispanic population grew and 99% of that growth is probably attributed to illegals. Let's reward them for breaking the law by giving them health care. Great idea.
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Examiner Reader said:
There are only 21 products meeting the CCHIT 2007 criteria - even fewer actually implemented products. Back-up data on a simple hard drive like the i-book - a terabyte (million million) of storage costs less than 300 dollars at Costco! The practice is less likely to burn down since there aren't so many paper files... and less paper cuts... and less lifting of heavy boxes of paper records... and let's just get with the program and stop dragging our feet - and make it work!
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