If You're a Vermonter, This Concerns You

The Vermont Workers Center sent an email out last week and asked everyone to call the Sergeant At Arms and tell our Legislature that we want Universal Helthcare. The response was great. However, over the weekend, four amendments were proposed that would effectively bar UH from happening. These amendments were pushed by IBM's minions, insurance co.'s and other lobbyists for big business who don't pay taxes like we do...What do these amendments do? One of them attacks the projected financing of our future healthcare system so that it will not be universal and everyone will not pay into it. This is a direct attack on the viability of universal healthcare existence. The other three amendments give insurance companies more power by weakening the exchange in the years before we get a waiver.Taken together these amendments will threaten the possibility of creating a universal healthcare system in Vermont. Please contact Senate Health and Welfare Committee members NOW, as well as your Senator if they aren't on the Committee. We certainly cannot let this happen in Vermont where we should be leading the country and creating universal healthcare, and not giving in to insurance and other corporate interests.Tell them not to let a coalition of insurance companies and big business protecting their special interests prevent us from moving forward with universal healthcare.Call the toll free Sgt. at Arms at 1-800-322-5616 and ask them to send a message to your Senators. Tell them to deliver the message to your Senator that you support universal healthcare, that you are opposed to these amendments, healthcare must be treated as a public good, and ask them to support and strengthen H. 202, not undermine it.