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| Fix America’s Health Care System |
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| Exploding costs are hurting our
employers and working families. |
| Health
care costs are rising 3 times faster than wages or inflation. Businesses
that offer health coverage are hobbled in a global marketplace and are
at a competitive disadvantage here at home. In addition, health care
costs are increasingly the crux of many union negotiations, and workers
simply can’t afford to pay higher premiums, deductibles and
co-payments—if they can afford such coverage at all. |
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| As costs rise, more people are
uninsured, which hurts all of us. |
| Of the 47 million Americans
without health insurance, 8.7 million are children. The government and
taxpayers picks up the tab for about one-third of the cost of care for
the uninsured. |
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| Insurance and drug companies are
profiting. |
| Profits for drug makers are
almost 20%, compared with 6.3% for Fortune 500 companies. Insurance
company profits have increased 1,084% in 5 years. Yearly compensation
for pharmaceutical CEOs average $4.36 million and for health insurance
CEOs it’s $8.75 million. |
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| Our government must play a
central role by supporting: |
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The continuation of well-designed health plans
offered by building and construction trades unions and their
employers, and requiring individuals and employers that currently do
not contribute to the health care system to do so.
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Affordable coverage and care for employers, workers
and retirees -- with premiums and out-of-pocket costs based on a
family’s ability to pay.
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A choice of health insurance plans, including the
right to keep your current insurance, choose another private plan or
join a public health insurance plan.
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A standard for comprehensive health benefits, with a
choice of providers that meet our families’ health care needs --
from preventative care to care for serious illness.
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Equity in health care access, treatment, research,
and resources.
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Rules and enforcement on insurance company practices
and charges, requiring them to put our health care before their
profits.
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Effective cost controls that lower administrative
expenses, invest in preventative care, treat chronic diseases,
actively managing disease, set standards for performance, reduce
medical errors, and use the public’s purchasing power to lower drug
prices.
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| Boilermakers’ Message to
Representatives: |
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We seek to find a solution in which all of us
-- individuals, employers and government -- share responsibility for
guaranteeing our families’ health and a healthy economy through
legislation that provides real health security, choice, and quality
affordable health care for all. |
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| Back to Politics Page |
| Information provided by:
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers · Department of Government
Affairs 703-560-1493 office ·
www.boilermakers.org |
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