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Nation's Staff RNs Call on Congress to Implement Public Health Care Option

Posted on: Wednesday, 24 June 2009, 14:00 CDT

United American Nurses Endorses Single-Payer Plan, Encourages Dialogue among Supporters of Universal Health Care

SILVER SPRING, Md., June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the eve of an unprecedented and historic health care reform rally on Capitol Hill (Upper Senate Park, 11:30 a.m., June 25), nurse members and leaders of the United American Nurses, AFL-CIO join with other groups in the Health Care for America Now! coalition to urge Congress to enact a public health care option that is available to everyone.

"Staff nurses see every day the implications of a health care delivery system that leaves out too many Americans at too great a cost," said UAN President Ann Converso, RN, who will join UAN members and thousands of others at the June 25 HCAN rally and nurse-doctor town hall meeting to follow. (The town hall will be held at 1:30 pm at the Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Ave., NW). "UAN nurses believe the best way to build a health care system that works well for everyone is to implement a single-payer solution. We also believe that it's important to continue to have an energetic, ongoing dialogue among all the players and perspectives within the universal health care movement, and we look forward to the opportunity to do that in Thursday's events."

UAN's National Labor Assembly endorsed a single-payer model, passing a resolution in 2007 that called on the union to work to build coalitions and ensure that RNs "are in the forefront of the single payer universal access health care movement" in the effort to win comprehensive universal health care for all Americans. (Resolution 12-07).

UAN has also endorsed AFL-CIO's health care reform principles, including coverage of preventive care, a choice in medical providers, cost control, no taxing of health benefits and the ability to choose a public alternative to private insurance.

"Anywhere health care reform is discussed, nurses should be at the table," added Converso. "By working together with our coalition partners and others in the health care debate to build consensus among our different viewpoints, we will achieve real, effective and lasting health care reform. Nurses believe that quality, accessible health care in this country is a right, not a privilege."

For more information on UAN's participation in the HCAN rally and the nurse-doctor town hall meeting or to set up interviews with UAN leaders, please contact Suzanne Martin at UAN.

The United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, represents nurses across the country in state nurses associations, collective bargaining programs and independent unions, uniting to work for change on issues important to RNs.

SOURCE United American Nurses, AFL-CIO

Source: PR Newswire

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