News Briefs
AFT blasts Senate health care bill
Oct 29, 2009 12:07 PM
The health care reform bill that the U.S. Senate Finance Committee passed on Oct. 13 “has serious defects that could jeopardize insurance affordability for both the insured and the uninsured,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Weingarten criticized the bill for lacking a public option that would provide competition to private insurers and make health care more affordable and accessible.
“The subsidies available in the bill’s health insurance exchanges for the uninsured are inadequate, making the cost of health insurance out of reach for many families and individuals,” said Weingarten, adding that the bill would increase the tax burden on middle-income workers with employer-provided coverage.
Weingarten noted that affordability is an issue not only for the uninsured, but for those who, through union negotiations or otherwise, have employer-provided coverage.
“The AFT will continue to fight for true health care reform, and we urge members of Congress to vote only for a bill that provides it,” she said.
AFT LeaderNet, Oct. 13
