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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04101990 - S.2 VOs � TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Supervisor Tom Torlakson Contra Costa DATE: April 10, 1990 County tn / REFER TO FINANCE COMMITTEE PROPOSED RESOLUTION ADVOCATING SUBJECT: NATIONAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDED ACTION: Refer to the Finance Committee and the County Administrator's Office for review and recommendation the attached resolution advocating a National Health Care program. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers International Union is requesting that the Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution supporting the establishment of a National Health Care Program. (Please refer to attached information. ) CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S) ACTION OF BOARD ON prl 10 , 1990 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AYES: NOES: AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Cc: County Admini.-trator ATTESTED April 10 , 1990 Health ServiceF Phil Batchelor, Clerk of the Board of Finance Committee - Supervisors and County Administrator aftWAM3e2/7-e3 BY DEPUTY • �ro� Martinez Local 1-5 OCAW �� 1015 Estudillo Street i s P.O.Box 268 Martinez,CA 94553-0134 Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers International Union, AFL-CIO March 9 , 1990 Honorable Tom Torlakson, Supervisor Contra Costa County , District #5 300 East Leland Rd. , Suite 100 Pittsburg, CA 94565 Dear Supervisor Torlakson : In recognition of the health care crisis facing all Americans both in cost and care delivery , and its impact on private and public employees and employers our membership adopted the attached resolution advocating a National Health Care Program. This proposition to establish a National Health Care Program is being put forward by our International Union to seek redress for a grave disservice being dealt to the American public , much as we sought a legislative solution to the problems of occupational safety and health in the 1960 ' s . We hope you will join us in the vanguard seeking a solution to this terrible crisis facing America. We have taken the liberty of enclosing a sample proclamation which we hope you will debate thoroughly and then adopt . Please feel free to contact this office if you have any questions or wish further information. Sincerely , � '� e J ffrev R Dodge Jim Payne Chairman , Political Legislative Secretary-Treasurer Action Committee JRD/JP : bc PROCLAMATION WHEREAS: The U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world, draining off 11 percent of our total national budget; AND WHEREAS: That same health care system is one of the least efficient, depriving 37 million Americans of any coverage at all and threatening another 53 million with financial disaster if a catastrophic illness hits their family; AND WHEREAS: All Americans are seeing their health insurance payments increase drastically as co-payments and deductibles skyrocket; AND WHEREAS: Older Americans do not get the coverage they need since Medicare covers only half of the elderly' s health care costs; LET IT BE KNOWN that this country needs a National Health Program that will provide free health care to all citizens . of do hereby proclaim the week of April 21-27 as National Health Care Week wherein all citizens are urged to make their voices heard in favor of a National Health Program that will provide medical care upon demand to all Americans , regardless of income. Signed: NATIONAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM RESOLUTION OIL, CHEMICAL and ATOMIC WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION, LOCAL 1-5 WHEREAS , there are the 37 million people - most of whom work for a living and have children but are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid - who have no health insurance ; and WHEREAS, government programs like Medicaid and Medicare extend health care coverage to only a portion of people who need it , and do not provide complete coverage : Medicaid covers only 37% of Americans living below poverty line , down from 65% a decade ago and , Medicare , designed for the elderly and disabled , covers less than half their health costs : and WHEREAS, there are the 53 million people , who having health insurance of some kind , do not have any coverage in the event of catastrophic illness ; and WHEREAS, there is the rest of the insured populations , watching as co-payments and deductibles skyrocket and, even when covered for catastrophes , still . face the possibility of bankruptcy because the coverage is insufficient ; and WHEREAS, because of lack of coverage and the high cost of health care , it is estimated that 14 million Americans did not seek needed medical attention in 1986 because they could not pay for it ; and WHEREAS, the lack of adequate health care coverage is connected to rapidly rising insurance premiums , causing them to go up by as much as 20 to 30 percent per year during the 1980s ; and WHEREAS, the typical employer ' s response has been to shift these rising costs to employees thereby causing a crisis in collective bargaining which was at the center of the Communications Workers strike against NYNEX, and the Machinists Union strike against Boeing , and which is a key issue in the strike of the United Mine Workers against Pittston; and WHEREAS, all of this defines the dimensions of a widely recognized growing crisis in the American Health Care System; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that this Local actively supports the proposal for a National Health Program which would provide all U . S . citizens with free health care on demand, including doctors visits to the physician of choice , hospitalization expenses , drug bills , and any other health-related expenses , but excluding any out-of-pocket expenses , and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Local actively supports the OCAW National Mobilization Week of April 21 through April 27 , 1990 , wherein all citizens will be urged to make their voices heard in favor of said National Health Program; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Local instructs its delegates to the central labor body to introduce a resolution to that effect ; and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this Local directs the President to select one or several National Health Program Educational Coordinators (NaHPEC ' s) to coordinate the dissemination of educational materials and programs about the Program within the Local Union and the community, and to coordinate the Local Union participation in National Mobilization Week, April 21-27 , 1990 .