Secretary-Treasurer Boland & Vice President Scarano Rally with BAC members and their families for health care reform

A message from President Flynn:

We are in the midst of one of the most serious campaigns for health care reform in our lifetimes. In June, roughly 10,000 union members and other concerned citizens rallied on Capital Hill to tell our lawmakers that we can no longer allow the insurance industry to call the shots when it comes to our health care.

For too long, the insurance industry has been allowed to: 

Charge you more if your doctor not in the insurance company's "network,"
Second guess your doctor when it comes to delivery of procedures and care;
Deny coverage due to the cost of a procedure, a pre-existing condition, or because a person did not accurately fill out the reams of industry paperwork.

All of these items have raised the cost of health care for every one of us, and allowed the insurance industry to pocket huge profits - all at our expense.

Since the 1940s when Harry Truman was in office, the "industry" has successfully beaten back efforts to reform our health care system. During the next 30 days, Congress will once again have the opportunity to decide if we will have real reform that helps our members - or a continuation of an insurance-dominated system with a few cosmetic changes that do nothing to rein in costs. If we don't win this time, working families are going to suffer and our economy will get dragged down further. That's how high the stakes are. That's why the insurance industry through many front organizations has pulled out all the stops to scare Americans into thinking they'll lose if President Obama's proposals for reform are implemented, to disrupt town meetings on health care so no meaningful dialogue can take place, and to go so low as to lied to our senior citizens about changes in their coverage if health care reform moves forward.

Those that like filling the insurance companies' bank accounts will side with them and oppose reform. But if you're tired of: seeing your health care costs go up; subsidizing the health care of our competitors who rely on public assistance and emergency rooms for health care instead of contributing to the system; watching friends and family being denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions; and having more and more of your hard earned wage increases diverted to cover the cost of health care - then the time has come to make your voice heard.

We need reform that:

• Meets President Obama's vision of health care reform and puts our members and their doctors - not the insurance companies - in charge of their health care.
• Stops the escalation of health care costs that are crushing the middle class. Think how much easier that will make contract negotiations.
• Will improve health care quality by curbing insurance company abuses, rewarding doctors for improving the quality of care instead of increasing the quantity of care.
• Has a strong public plan option that will make insurance companies compete fairly and drive waste out of the system.
• Will make nonunion companies pay their fair share instead of dumping their health care costs on the rest of us.

Is financed in an equitable manner - such as the mechanisms proposed by President Obama, rather than a tax on benefits as some have proposed.

If you agree, contact your Local officer to find out how you can be part of this historic fight to once and for all solve our health care crisis, and call your member of Congress today at 1-877-264-4226 to urge him or her to support health care reform that works for working families - not the insurance companies - reform that includes:

• A requirement that all employers pay into the system - regardless of their size.
• A strong public option to compete with the insurance companies who have enjoyed record profits at our expense.
• A fair financing mechanism that does not tax our benefits.
• Protections for pre-Medicare retirees.

In addition, send your members of Congress a letter by clicking on this link:

Tell Your Members of Congress to Support Healthcare Reform Now!
 
With your continued help and support we can and will enact Healthcare legislation that will bring needed relief to our plans and provided for the coverage of the millions currently without coverage. Thank you for your time and effort on this request and good luck to us all.

http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=bac&hotissue=8