Nearly 47 million Americans lack health insurance. Health care premiums have jumped 87 percent over the last five years. The United States spends more on health care per person than any other country, yet Americans on average die at a younger age compared to the average age of death of comparable nations. The American people are sick of paying more and getting less—71 percent believe our health care system is in a state of crisis. Today, in a “case of America’s health care crisis creating strange bedfellows,” Wal-Mart, Service Employees International Union, the Center for American Progress, and other businesses and nonprofit organizations are launching a campaign to tackle a health care crisis that neither businesses nor workers can afford. In addition, next month the Center for American Progress Action Fund and SEIU will host a non-partisan forum focused on health care to highlight this issue within the 2008 campaign.
Health Forum 2007
Watch the Press Conference
- Introductory remarks
- Lee Scott, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores remarks
- Andy Stern, President, SEIU remarks
- John Podesta, President, Center for American Progress remarks
- Howard Baker, Founder, Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee remarks
- Carl Camden, President and CEO, Kelly Services remarks
- Larry Cohen, President, Communications Workers of America remarks
- James Cicconi, Senior EVP, AT&T remarks
- Charles Kolb, President, Committee for Economic Development remarks
- Q&A with journalists
All video provided in MPEG-1 format, courtesy of SEIU.