National labor leaders back Gov. Blagojevich’s Illinois Covered healthcare plan

Source: Illinois Government News Network

WASHINGTON D.C. – Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today talked with national labor leaders and former Congressman Dick Gephardt in the nation’s capital at a meeting sponsored by the non-profit advocacy group, America’s Agenda: Health Care for All, to address the current healthcare crisis that has caused millions of Americans to be without health coverage. Leaders praised the Governor’s efforts in Illinois to expand access to affordable health coverage and to bring down healthcare costs for businesses and working families. The leaders committed to helping the Governor push for passage of “Illinois Covered,” an innovative comprehensive healthcare plan that would benefit the 1.4 million uninsured adults in Illinois and generate savings for Illinois households and businesses estimated to be greater than $15 billion over the next four years.

“The number of people without health insurance in our country is growing at an alarming rate. The employer-based system we’ve relied on for decades is eroding away because of skyrocketing healthcare costs. In fact, about twenty percent of working people nowadays are uninsured. And those who do have it are afraid of losing it,” said Gov. Blagojevich.

“We have to reverse the trend -- and that means reforming our healthcare system so we can bring down costs for businesses and families, and it means expanding access so everyone has options for obtaining affordable coverage. That’s exactly what the Illinois Covered plan will do. I appreciate the Labor movement’s commitment to helping us pass Illinois Covered and setting the stage at the national level for far-reaching health care reform,” the Governor added.

Today, national leadership for the AFL-CIO, SEIU, UFCW, Bricklayers, Laborers, and Teamsters, among others, met with Gov. Blagojevich to discuss his plan. After meeting with the Governor, the national labor leaders, along with former Congressman Dick Gephardt, announced their support for “Illinois Covered” and committed to working with the Governor to pass the plan into law in 2008.

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