SEIU's Americans for Health Care Making Reform Number One Issue

WASHINGTON, DC - With just over two months until the first voters in Iowa attend their caucuses to select a nominee for president, health care voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are pulling out all of the stops to ensure that health care is the number one domestic issue in the election.

In Iowa and Nevada, health care voters are holding mock caucuses to prepare voters to caucus on health care and pass a resolution on health care for all in their precincts.  In New Hampshire and South Carolina, health care voters are shadowing all of the candidates who visit and developing a comparison of the candidates' health care plans for primary voters.

"This election doesn't just matter to union members - it matters to all of us,"said Anna Burger, Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU.  "The next President will have the opportunity to finally fix our broken health care system; to make kids' health care the priority it needs to be.  Health care voters are making a difference in the early states and they will help ensure that the next president is a leader on this issue."

State specific information is as follows:

Iowa
Iowa for Health Care is working with nearly 30,000 health care voters across the state who have said that health care reform is their main priority in the election.  Health care voters are holding caucus workshops and preparing to introduce and pass a resolution on health care for all in their precincts.

New Hampshire
New Hampshire for Health Care is currently working with almost 70,000 health care voters, with a goal of mobilizing 30,000 more to vote on health care in the general election.  In early December, health care voters will travel the state in an RV to sign up other voters and collect health care stories to share with presidential candidates and elected officials.

Nevada
This Saturday, health care voters are kicking off a statewide RV tour in Las Vegas.  Over the course of 10 days, the tour will stop in 17 towns, holding mock caucuses and community discussions about the need for comprehensive health care reform.  More than 12,000 health care voters have already pledged to caucus on health care and pass a resolution on health care for all.

South Carolina
Health care voters in South Carolina are introducing resolutions on health care at the city and county level, as well as shadowing presidential candidates.  Close to 10,000 health care voters around the state have agreed to make health care the priority in the election.

More information can be found at www.AmericansforHealthCare.org .

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