Labor pushes health care to presidential-election front

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20080709/CAPITOLNEWS/807090344/-1/capitolnews

By Bill Cotterell • FLORIDA CAPITAL BUREAU POLITICAL EDITOR • July 9, 2008

A coalition of labor and civic groups began a campaign Tuesday to make universal health care the top issue of the presidential race and congressional campaigns across the nation.

"In 2009, we will either have a guarantee of quality, affordable health care we can all count on, or we will continue to be at the mercy of the private health insurance industry that is charging us more, giving us less and putting company profits before our health," said Rich Templin, a spokesman for the Florida AFL-CIO.

Cindy Hall, state president of the AFL-CIO, said health insurance often supplants wages in labor-management negotiations. She said employers have to cut back expenses to cover rising insurance costs, or shift an increasing part of the cost to employees.

The coalition is not endorsing any candidate or specific health-care plans, Templin said, but has set three national goals — to make health care the top issue of the campaign, mobilize voters to learn candidates' positions on the matter and push Congress and the next president to pass major reforms next year.