SEIU Healthcare 2007 Federal Agenda

to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System

SEIU Healthcare is uniting healthcare workers across the nation to urge our elected leaders to fix our broken healthcare system.

We are demanding a healthcare plan from every Presidential candidate that covers every man, woman, and child in America; promotes quality, prevention, and patient choice; and is financed fairly by employers, government, and individuals. 

We are calling for a pledge from every Member of Congress to work with a new President in 2009 to co-sponsor and vote for a bill to make healthcare for all a reality.



SEIU Healthcare is urging Congress to take the following steps this year to build a bridge to healthcare for all:

Provide healthcare coverage to more children.  Nine million children remain uninsured in this country.  Congress has an opportunity to provide health care insurance to these uninsured children by reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with $50 billion in new funding.  Covering millions of uninsured kids would send a strong statement to America's working families that Congress is prepared to fix our broken healthcare system.  We are urging Congress to increase the tobacco tax to help pay for the new SCHIP funding.

Set minimum nurse staffing guidelines. Experts agree: higher staffing levels means better patient care, lower costs and fewer medical errors.  To improve care and reverse a growing shortage of RNs, Congress must pass legislation that empowers RNs as key decision-makers and sets minimum staffing guidelines based on safety and acuity.

Increase training and education for healthcare workers. To meet the projected shortage of more than one million RNs, Congress should fund comprehensive programs-jointly administered by unions, healthcare providers, and schools of nursing-that educate nurses and create a pipeline to nursing for incumbent healthcare workers already familiar with the healthcare industry. 

Help Fix Healthcare!