USW Local 2-232

formerly PACE 7-232

Representing  employees at Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Strattec Security Corp. in Milwaukee, WI

Where will the next president stand on Health Care?

Will he support Making Health Care a Priority?

          Al Gore consistently has proven that he is committed to providing universal, high-quality, affordable health care to every single American. (World News Now, Nov. 11, 1999)

          Since George W. Bush became Texas governor in 1995, his aides admit "he has not made health care a priority." (The New York Times, April 11, 2000)

A Strong or Weak Patients' Bill of Rights?

          Gore backs a strong Patients' Bill of Rights, such as the one passed in 1999 by the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support that allows patients to hold health plans accountable and ensures access to emergency rooms and prescription drugs. (Democratic debate, Manchester, N.H., Jan. 26, 2000)

          Bush supports the weak Patients' Bill of Rights proposed by Senate Republicans that excludes 100 million people in "self-funded" health plans, gives health plans the final say on medical treatment decisions and lacks such important patient protections as access to specialists. As governor, Bush vetoed a patient protection bill because he said it placed too many new regulations on managed care organizations. (The New York Times, March 20, 2000)

Health Care for All Children or Just Some?

          Gore wants to insure every child in America. He seeks to expand the 1997 Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to include children in families earning up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four—or $41,750—and to enable all other families to buy into the program voluntarily. (National Association of Children's Hospitals survey, Jan. 8, 2000)

          Texas under Bush has the highest percentage of children without health insurance of any state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet Bush tried to restrict CHIP eligibility. Under Bush, Texas was one of the last states to take part in CHIP. (The Sacramento Bee, Aug. 29, 1999)

Check Their Records

          Longtime Champion of Health Care As vice president, Gore fought for the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which helps people keep their health coverage when they change jobs. He has been a strong advocate of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which was signed into law in 1993. He also fought for the $24 billion Children's Health Insurance Program. Since Gore became vice president, federal funding for breast cancer research, prevention and treatment has doubled.

Texas Ranks Last in Health Coverage

          Bush consistently has failed to make health care available in his five years as governor of Texas, where 200,000 children are uninsured and where fewer women have health insurance than in any other state. In April, Bush announced a tax credit program he described as a major health care initiative. In fact, the program would make health insurance more affordable only to a tiny percentage of people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid and whose employers don't provide it.