Re: response to Fitch on single-payer
Nathan Newman wrote:
SEIU resisted single payer plans as long as they were impartial and ignored immigrant worker needs, but then endorsed a single payer plan that covers them.
The SEIU’s health care project, Americans for Healthcare, says nothing about single-payer. They’re now pushing Maryland-style legislation, which is a pretty half-assed approach.
Here’s there “About us” page http://www.americansforhealthcare.com/about/, which is so mushy it almost slips off the screen:
Working Together for Affordable, Reliable Care
Americans for Health Care - a project of SEIU, the largest union of health care workers in the country - is uniting working families, small business owners, seniors, health care workers, community leaders, and policy makers to fight for affordable, quality health care that we can all count on. In states across the country, we are building broad-based coalitions of individuals and organizations in order to push for health care policies which ensure:
Quality, affordable health care for all, without gaps in coverage or access;
Care that is cost efficient and medically effective;
A core package of health insurance benefits with choices comparable in quantity and scope to those available to federal employees; and
Financing that is fair and includes employers, individuals, and the federal, state and local governments.
In New Hampshire and Iowa, we worked to make affordable, quality health care the central issue in the 2004 presidential election by demanding that presidential candidates provide solutions to America’s health care needs in real - not just rhetorical - terms.
In those and other states across the country, such as Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington our campaigns are currently working to:
Pass legislation that increases access to quality, affordable health care coverage;
Elect candidates who are committed to finding real solutions to the health care crisis;
Showcase good employers who provide coverage for their workers, and shine the spotlight on bad employers who don’t; and
Develop a nationwide voting bloc of millions of Americans who declare health care for all as their criteria for supporting specific candidates.
Learn about our accomplishments in Arizona, California, Connecticut, DC, Georgia, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Join Us in the Fight For Quality,
Affordable Health Care
The only way to find truly workable solutions to the health care crisis is through a broad-based, citizen-led effort that brings everyone to the table - working families, small business owners, senior citizens, health care workers, community leaders, and policy makers. Join the fight for quality, affordable health care by clicking here. If you are in a state that has a campaign, visit your state campaign and become a Health Care Voter today! If you are in a state where we don’t currently have a campaign, sign up to be a Health Care Voter to ensure that you receive updates from Americans for Health Care and are notified when a campaign becomes active in your state.