Advocates of universal health insurance gathered Thursday night (May 18) at SEIU Local 32B/J in Soho for wine, cheese, schmoozing, networking and strategizing. Sponsored by a pot pourri of left and labor groups, the organizers and speakers supported John Conyers’ proposal: HR 676 (which now has 68 co-sponsors. Does your Congress Member support the bill? See below.)

The speeches, by US Steelworkers president Leo Gerard and others were in memory of Sumner Rosen, a labor economist, progressive policy advisor and mentor to left activists over the last 40 years and more. There were ringing, but not very entertaining endorsements of the Conyers bill and of the hoped for chance of Democrats taking more control in Congress. The coordinating group in New York is an interesting think tank Rekindling Reform, -- http://www.rekindlingreform.org/ -- a coalition of labor and community groups led by many in the public health community who participated from the left in the last debate on health insurance (1992-4).

The gossip and schmooze focused on the differences between the Conyers proposal and the Working Families Party effort to enact its “Fair Share Bill” which would require retailers to provide health insurance to employees or pay into a state fund which would cover them. The WFP effort would cover 400,000 or so now uninsured workers and impose the costs of health insurance on Wal-Mart and other non-union businesses (which, not so by the way, would help their unionized competitors, compete.). The weaknesses of the Fair Share Bill are straightforward: many are not insured; employment-based insurance is not portable – lose your job, lose your coverage; costs are not controlled because it uses the existing health insurance scheme. The big strength of the Fair Share Bill according to the WFP is that it can be passed.

Similarly, the Conyers bill is straight forward: it provides universal, portable, affordable, quality health coverage for everyone. Its supporters speculate that large employers – like GM – staggering under the costs of their union health insurance plans, will jump at the chance shift to a universal, non-employer based scheme. The disadvantage is that the Bill seems to have no traction, and is not likely to get any so long as GOP control of Congress continues.

Lucky for us we do not have to pick one or the other. We can favor and take action for both the Fair Share Bill and the Conyers Bill.

The Fair Share Bill will be the subject of a legislative hearing in Albany on May 23, 2006. The Working Families Party and its supporters are organizing buses from NYC. Visit the WFP Fair Share website -- http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/WFP/petition.jsp?p... -- to reserve a spot on a bus and a place on the speakers list.

You can also write your legislators.

The Conyers Bill: HR 676 is the subject of City Council Resolution 75 introduced by G. Oliver Koppell on February 18, 2006. It calls for Congress to pass the Conyers Bill. The following Council members are listed as sponsors: Tony Avella, Gail Brewer, Louis Fidler, Helen Foster, Vincent Gentile, Alan J. Gerson, Anabelle Palmer, and James Sander, Jr.

Is your Council member missing in action? Call or write him/her. Ask him to sign on or tell you why not.

A number of Members of Congress have signed on to support the Conyers Bill including my own Elliot Engel. Several area Congress Members have not:

Among Democrats: Carolyn McCarthy and Nita Lowey have not yet signed on.

Among Republicans: Sue Kelly, Peter King, Vito Foscella and John Sweeney have not endorsed the Conyers Bill.

If you want to join in the discussion about universal health insurance consider attending the Tuesday, May 30, 2006 meeting at New York City’s Community Church, 40 East 35th Street 7PM- free; 6PM Reception $; --(bet. Park and Madison) where Paul Krugman will address a meeting sponsored by the New York Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program – http://www.pnhpnyc.org/ rsvp is requested.

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