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UNI Global Union is supporting US unions in their final push for the passage of a national healthcare bill that will expand coverage to 30 million of Americans who cannot afford it and stop insurance companies from making record profits by raising premiums and denying coverage.



“Healthcare is a basic human right and all Americans should have access to it. This bill will help fight some of the abuses of private insurers in the US and keep the lid on skyrocketing health care costs that millions of working families struggle to pay for in the US,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings.



The bill expands coverage to 30 million Americans who can't afford insurance by expanding Medicaid to low-wage workers who can't be classified as "poor" and subsidizing middle-income workers who will buy insurance on their own.



It cracks down on abuses by private insurance companies that deny coverage to Americans who have pre-existing medical conditions and/or discriminate against women, the old and the sick in their pricing of premiums.



While most industries felt the effects of the global economic crisis, in 2009 private insurance companies reported record profits due to their callous disregard for their customers. The companies are raising their prices even as they try to cut coverage. For example, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in California will raise health care premiums by as much as 39% this year for workers who buy insurance on their own.



The new bill will establish the principle that all employers must provide insurance or contribute to government funds established to help subsidize coverage for their workers if they do not sponsor an employer plan.



Unionised US workers will certainly benefit from the bill’s provisions to control sky-rocketing health care costs and to level the playing field between union and non-union employers, which will help union workers negotiate better wages at the bargaining table.



“We stand in solidarity with our colleagues and all American workers who have been waiting for this vital legislation for decades,” Jennings said.