I would like to begin by thanking our distinguished panels of witnesses for appearing today. We appreciate that they have taken time out of their busy schedules to share their expertise and experiences with us. As a physician, there is one certainty I hear from my former colleagues – the status quo in health care is unacceptable. So today, we are at a crossroads. Our broken medical delivery struct... Read more »
America is facing a crisis in our health care system. Costs are spiraling out of control, leaving families, employers, and taxpayers to shoulder the burden. Health care spending today accounts for approximately one-sixth of our economy — more than any other industry. That’s up from 13.8 percent of GDP in 2000 and 5.2 percent in 1960. Millions of Americans have limited coverage or no coverage at al... Read more »
The controversial card check scheme continues to draw bipartisan opposition, and for good reason. Its forced government contracts – compulsory interest arbitration, in government-speak – are drawing particular scrutiny, with serious questions being raised about their impact on workers, businesses, and the economy. Today’s Roll Call contains an essay from R. Theodore Clark Jr., a senior partner at ... Read more »
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, joined the leaders of seven other congressional committees to demand a full, fair, and open debate of pending climate tax legislation. “The Democrats’ plan imposes a national energy tax through their cap-and-trade scheme. It’s a recipe for economic disaster at a time when our economy is reeling,” said Kline... Read more »
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee’s Senior Republican Member, today sharply criticized the latest health care overhaul released by congressional Democrats, arguing that millions of Americans could lose their current coverage even as taxpayers face a sea of new red ink. Kline issued the following statement: “The more we learn about the Democrats’ proposed health c... Read more »
They say that timing is everything, and now is a really bad time to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. The Associated Press reported today that eight – count ‘em, eight – states saw record unemployment rates in May. “The Labor Department says 48 states and the District of Columbia saw employment conditions deteriorate last month. The fallout from the longest recession since World War II was the wo... Read more »
In this era of government-run banks, insurers, and car companies, it is unfortunately not a surprise that another government bailout may be in the offing. An editorial in today’s Washington Examiner looks at the looming pension funding crisis among multi-employer pension plans and speculates about how pending card check legislation could put taxpayers, workers, and businesses in the position of ba... Read more »
The Republican Health Care Solutions Group today unveiled a health care reform plan that will make health care more affordable, reduce the number of uninsured Americans, and increase quality at a price our country can afford. The GOP plan makes sure that Americans who like their health care coverage can keep it – a stark contrast with the Democratic plan, which the Congressional Budget Office has ... Read more »
Over GOP objections, Democrats on the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee today approved a pair of partisan proposals that would impact Americans’ ability to save for retirement by making 401(k) plans more complex and costly while reducing workers’ access to individualized investment advice. “Republicans share the goal of improving retirement savings options for workers. Unfortuna... Read more »
Cesar Chavez is an icon of the American labor movement for successfully organizing farm workers in the 1960s and 1970s. But how did he become so successful? One of the reasons may have been his insistence on the right to form unions by secret ballot – a right many workers would be denied under the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, a bill better known as card check. When California lawmakers intr... Read more »
