United American Nurses Hails House Health Care R...( Measure Contains ...),Health

Measure Contains Critical Ingredients to Improve Health Care for Working Families

SILVER SPRING, Md., July 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- UAN President Ann Converso, RN, today applauded the "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," introduced yesterday in the House of Representatives. In particular, she cited the bill's inclusion of a comprehensive and robust public health care option as a key component in reforming our broken health care system.

"Our nurses see every day in our work the results of a health care system that allows far too many people to fall through the cracks at too great a cost," Converso stated. "The measure introduced yesterday through the hard work of Chairmen Rangel, Waxman and Miller and their committee members addresses that problem and offers a workable alternative. This is a proposal that gives Americans a positive choice of a public health care plan, while making available private options for those who want them and requiring employers to do their fair share in offering coverage.

"As Congress moves into debate over this bill and proposals circulating in the Senate, I and the 50,000 RNs of the United American Nurses strongly urge passage of this legislation in its current form. We must achieve health care for all now, including the choice of a robust public health care option to compete with private insurance, shared responsibility between employers, government and individuals and affordable, high-quality care for all Americans that does not penalize those who already have health care coverage.

"I eagerly anticipate nurses contributing to this discussion and sharing our health care expertise as we move forward."

The United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, represents nurses across the country in state nurses associations, collective bargaining programs and independent unions, u
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