Health care reform—how can workers get it?

The health care crisis facing workers in the U.S. is severe. Fifty million people lack health insurance and another 25 million are underinsured.

The federal government estimates that the country will spend $2.5 trillion on health care this year. That amounts to an average of $8,160 per person for a system that neglects to provide adequate care for one in four people. The right wing is digging in against even incremental reform with their opposition to pharmaceutical price controls and public plans that compete with private insurers.

Two of the country’s largest labor unions, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Service Employees International Union, recently announced their withdrawal from a major national coalition for health care reform. The coalition, known as the Healthcare Reform Dialogue, includes an eclectic mix of major drug and insurance companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, labor organizations and advocacy groups for patients, consumers and health care professionals.

The group was tasked with finding common ground on major changes to the health care system. The coalition is headed by the president of the American Hospital Association—an anti-labor industry group representing private hospitals and providers. AFSCME and SEIU withdrew after failing to gain support for modest proposals, such as requiring employers to contribute to the cost of coverage for workers.

Labor’s exit from this coalition shows that collaborating with the big pharmaceutical and insurance corporations responsible for the current crisis in health care is a dead end. Industry representatives are instinctively opposed to even moderate reforms because their pursuit of corporate profits demands the rationing of care based on a patient’s ability to pay. Labor must gear up for a serious fight if the interests of workers are to be represented in this most recent battle for health care reform.

President Barack Obama has announced Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as his pick for secretary of Health and Human Services. Obama’s announcement comes as his administration begins to roll out his plan for health care reform. The selection of Sebelius has been widely praised by the corporate media, while at the same time many activists have started to question her commitment to universal health care. Her appointment was welcomed by the insurance industry and Republicans who see her as a moderate pro-business Democrat capable of tamping down demand for genuine reform.

What’s in health care plan

The administration’s proposed health care plan is an endeavor to expand health insurance by expanding government programs while reining in costs. It represents an incremental approach that postpones universal coverage to an uncertain future date.

The plan prohibits private insurers from denying anyone coverage, regardless of medical history, and provides subsidies to help low-income workers purchase health insurance. The proposal would also allow people to buy into a new public insurance program instead of purchasing private coverage.

However, workers need a plan that provides quality care to everyone who needs it, regardless of their ability to pay—especially as more and more jobs are disappearing.

Physicians for a National Health Plan estimates that of the 50 million uninsured in the U.S., at least 15 million will go uncovered if Congress passes this version of health care reform. The fundamental flaw with the plan is that it seeks to solve the health care crisis by selling insurance.

A bill already exists in Congress to establish a single-payer system of health insurance. The legislation is popularly known as “Medicare for All” (H.R. 676). Passage of this progressive legislation is not a cure-all for the capitalist health care system, which is based on the medical industry profiting off illness, but it would represent a big victory for workers.

Every person living in or visiting the U.S. would be eligible for coverage under H.R. 676. The proposed program covers primary care, emergency care, prescription drugs, mental health services and long-term care. Dental and eye care, inpatient and outpatient care, and durable medical equipment are also covered. The patient is not charged any co-pays or deductibles, and private insurers are prohibited from selling coverage that duplicates the benefits covered by the act.

The April 3-4 national march on Wall Street provides an opportunity for labor to start engaging workers to build a broad fightback program. The march will demand that the government “bail out the people, not the banks” on the 41st anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The people certainly need health care more than the banks need another government handout.