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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> singlepayernews-bounces@unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org [mailto:singlepayernews-bounces@unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Single Payer News<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, April 28, 2015 6:46 PM<br><b>To:</b> singlepayernews@unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org<br><b>Subject:</b> Illinois Central Labor Council Endorses HR 676<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Illinois Central Labor Council Endorses HR 676</span></strong><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>At its regular meeting on April 15, 2015, the <a href="http://www.il.aflcio.org/champaigncounty/">Champaign County AFL-CIO</a> unanimously endorsed <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/676/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22hr+676%22%5D%7D">HR 676, national single payer health care legislation</a>, sponsored by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Champaign County AFL-CIO President Matt Kelly of UA Local 149, Plumbers and Pipefitters, spoke with the All Unions Committee on the reason for the endorsement of HR 676: “Working people in general are struggling and anything that will help we are on board with.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>David Johnson, a retired carpenter, a host of the Central Illinois World Labor Hour radio program, and a delegate to the Champaign County AFL-CIO brought the issue of endorsing HR 676 to the attention of the council.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>At the meeting on April 15, Johnson passed out a copy of a resolution for HR 676 and a copy of the report about the Chattanooga CLC being the 150th CLC in<sup> </sup>the country and the 5<sup>th</sup> in Tennessee to pass it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>“I think the majority of the delegates thought that if five CLC’s in Tennessee have already passed it that we should definitely be doing something in Illinois,” said Johnson.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>There was some discussion of health care on the floor of the meeting prior to the passage. A delegate from the teachers’ union spoke of a student who could not get a vital prescription filled because of an inadequate insurance plan. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>The Champaign County AFL-CIO is the third labor council in Illinois to endorse HR 676. The other two are the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor in East Alton and the Springfield and Central Illinois Trades and Labor Council in Springfield.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>#30#<o:p></o:p></p><p><br>HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare to everyone residing in the U. S. Patients will choose their own physicians and hospitals.<br><br>HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental (including oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics), mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care and correction, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, podiatric care, and long term care.<br><br>HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.<br><br>In the current Congress, HR 676 has <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/676/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22hr+676%22%5D%7D">48 co-sponsors</a> in addition to Congressman Conyers.<br><br>HR 676 has been endorsed by 619 union organizations including 151 Central Labor Councils/Area Labor Federations and 44 state AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NY, NV, MA, RI, NH, ID & NM).<br><br>For further information, a <a href="http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/union_endorsers" title="http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/union_endorsers">list of union endorsers</a>, or a <a href="http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/tools/sample_resolution" title="http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/tools/sample_resolution">sample endorsement resolution</a>, contact:<br><br>Kay Tillow<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/" title="http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/">All Unions Committee for Single Payer Health Care--HR 676</a><br>c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)<br>1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218<br>Louisville, KY 40217<br>(502) 636 1551</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Email: <a href="mailto:nursenpo@aol.com" title="mailto:nursenpo@aol.com">nursenpo@aol.com</a> <br><a href="http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/" title="http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/">http://unionsforsinglepayer.org</a> <br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/unionsforsinglepayer" title="https://www.facebook.com/unionsforsinglepayer">https://www.facebook.com/unionsforsinglepayer</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>