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As we prepare to celebrate Labor Day and Rep. Matheson, D-Utah, heads back to Washington, we are closer than ever in our lifetimes to passing major health care reform. But we must stay focused on the needs of working families in order to get the job done.
Labor Day traditionally honors the contributions of workers -- whose labor is the backbone of our economy and the engine for growth. But Utah workers are facing uncharted territory and threats to their livelihood. We are experiencing high unemployment and working families are struggling with rising health care costs and stagnant wages.
The economic problems we face today are a result of the corporate greed of the past decade that put profits above the health and stability of our economy. Today this same culture of greed and recklessness stands in the way of providing quality, affordable health care.
Specifically, we have seen a huge misinformation campaign designed to discredit the merits of a public insurance plan option and health care reform in general. Much of this misinformation comes from those who would like to maintain the status quo -- the status quo where insurance company profits rise relentlessly while families pay more and more out of our own pockets.
The health care myths and outright lies being spread by the insurance industry and other special interests do a disservice to working families, who are by no means feeling secure in the current system. Working families tell us
Throughout the August recess, we've seen a lot of political gamesmanship as people in Utah discuss the state of our health care system. Some are concerned and that's not a surprise. But the normal anxiety about change has been inflamed by deliberately false statements.
The fact is that we cannot continue along the current path. We can no longer maintain a system where health care spending eats up more and more of our family budgets, as well as federal and state budgets. Out-of-control health costs -- the product of non-competitive insurance markets where insurers represent the interest of the health care industry more than of purchasers and consumers -- are pricing care out of the reach of the insured and uninsured alike. Skyrocketing costs make us less competitive in the global market and deprive us of resources that could be used to create new jobs and grow our economy.
As a country, we can do better.
In November we elected strong leadership in Congress and the White House that promised to put working families first and create an economy that works for everyone. Many of those promises could be fulfilled by the health care legislation moving through Congress.
Through legislation that has already been passed by three House committees and one in the Senate, we can look forward to a day when Americans have a choice of a public insurance plan option and coverage they can count on. Out-of-control costs will be tamed and working families will have the security and stability of knowing they can't be denied coverage just because they were sick in the past or are now sick. Those who have health care they are satisfied with won't lose anything.
And health care reform will help doctors, nurses and health care providers take better care of you, ensuring that they can do their jobs without having to make financial decisions about how much care you get.
I think we can all agree that these reforms are not just common sense -- they're also urgently needed. So let's move beyond the politics and send a message this Labor Day that the surest way to honor the contributions of workers and their families is to pass real health care reform now.
John Sweeney is the president of the AFL-CIO. The AFL-CIO is the country's largest labor federation and represents 11 million members. Jim Judd is the president of the Utah AFL-CIO.
