Andy Stern Delivers SEIU Message at Senate Finance Roundtable Hearing on Health Care Reform

On May 5 2009, SEIU President Andy Stern spoke to the Senate Finance Committee on Health Care Reform. President Stern reminded them that all Americans should have the choice to get needed medical care at home. Out of 89 per cent of Americans, 50 percent want to remain at home as long as possible. Health Care needs to be improved for the chronically ill. Chronic care should be included in reform to promote more home and community based options under Medicare and Medicaid. Reform should include more coordinated care, especially for the most chronically ill, especially those who are both Medicaid and Medicare patients. Reforming America's broken health care system requires training and upgrading the health care system. Our new health care system must expand its reach and capacity in order to deliver cost effective, preventive and primary care to our rapidly aging population, uninsured, and under insured Americans who currently go without adequate health care. There are more then 116,000 unfilled nursing jobs in Americas hospitals and more the 25,00 unfilled nursing jobs in our nations nursing homes. To keep pace with projected demand , our health care system will grow by nearly three million workers by 2016. Overall the number of Americans who need long term care and services will increase from approximately 10 million today to 15 million in 2020 to 27 million in 2050. A significant federal investment in appropriate training and education of the non physician work force is also needed, along with training in new technologies, teams, and systems must be provided to both incumbent health care workers and new recruits. Support should be provided to recruit and train a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community it serves.