Congress must have the courage to deliver

Washington, D.C. - Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern released the following statement marking the final seventy-two hours before the House of Representatives' vote on health insurance reform:

Five years ago, 20,000 SEIU members shut down San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge to deliver a message: our nation could wait no longer to solve our growing healthcare crisis.

"Nurses, doctors, home care aides and other healthcare workers marched. They marched united to bridge the undeniable gap in healthcare services. They marched to demand better for the millions of American workers who lack health insurance or went broke trying to afford care.

"They marched behind Lisa Scott.

"Lisa's daughter died when she was only 18 years old. Cause of death? A treatable, undiagnosed illness that would have been caught if her daughter had health insurance.

"No mother, no father and no country should lose a child just because the price of care is out of the reach of everyday working people. No American should die because an insurance company denies needed care.

"That is what health insurance reform is about. And, that is why health insurance reform cannot wait another day.

"At this historic crossroads, the path Congress chooses will fundamentally change the lives of millions of Americans. But only if Congress has the courage to stand up to the insurance companies and deliver for working families.

"Deliver reform that guarantees insurance companies cannot deny coverage because of preexisting conditions. Reform that means millions of Americans have access to the exact same insurance choices that members of Congress have. Reform that means hardworking people will never be forced to give up all they hold dear at the expense of healthcare.

"Democrats hold their own fate and the futures of millions in their hands. Now is the time to stand up for them - for every American - and march with them toward the historical passage of health insurance reform."

With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers -- not just corporations and CEOs -- benefit from today's global economy.

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