PRESS RELEASE from Center for American Progress Action Fund

December 21, 2006
Contact: Jennifer Palmieri
 

New Leadership on Health Care
A Presidential Forum

Saturday, March 24th, 2007
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF) will host the first presidential forum of the 2008 election focused solely on a critical issue facing all Americans: health care. The non-partisan forum will take place on Saturday, March 24th at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and all candidates for President are invited to participate.

"It's clear to everyone that our current health care system is broken. Working families sent a message this November that we've had enough rhetoric on health care – what we need now are real solutions. We look forward to hearing firsthand from candidates what their ideas are for ensuring access to health care for every man, woman and child in this country," said Andy Stern, President of SEIU.

"Health care is the most important domestic issue facing our country and the electorate deserves to hear how each candidate intends to address it," said John Podesta, President of CAPAF. Fundamental reform is needed to ensure access to quality, affordable health care for every American. It is our hope that holding this forum early in the 2008 election cycle will elevate the issue of health care and cement it as a key voting issue in the presidential campaign."

Health care is a top issue for voters across the country, with Americans stating that they want politicians, businesses and individuals to play a key role in reforming the system. The forum on health care is aimed at giving candidates a platform to talk about how they will address health care if they are elected president in 2008.

More details will be released as they are confirmed.
 

 


PRESS RELEASES from SEIU
 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2007  
 CONTACT
Stephanie Mueller
 

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO ADDRESS NATION’S HEALTH CARE CRISIS

Washington, DC – The Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced today the candidates who will appear at New Leadership on Health Care: A Presidential Forum.  The first presidential forum of the 2008 election focused solely on health care will take place on Saturday, March 24th at 9:30 a.m. in the Cox Pavilion at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Presidential candidates who have confirmed are: Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Barack Obama, Gov. Bill Richardson, and Gov. Tom Vilsack.  Invitations have been extended to every Republican and Democratic presidential candidate.

Karen Tumulty, National Political Correspondent for TIME, will moderate the forum and ask the candidates questions about the issue, giving them a platform to discuss how they will address our nation’s health care crisis.  With nearly 47 million Americans uninsured – including 9 million children – and millions more underinsured or facing bankruptcy due to medical costs, few issues will be as important to Americans in the 2008 presidential election as health care coverage.

“Working people all across this country want to know what the next president is going to do to make health care more affordable and accessible for their families.  The time has passed for incremental reform – what we need is an American solution to fix our broken health care system,” said Andy Stern, President of SEIU. “This is an opportunity for all of the presidential candidates to show voters that they will provide a new kind of leadership that gets results on health care reform.”

“Fundamental reform of America’s health care system is both a moral and economic imperative,” said John Podesta, President of CAPAF.  “The public debate is no longer focused on the question of whether or not we need universal health care, but what is the best way to achieve it.  It’s those answers we hope to discuss at this Forum.”

Press wishing to cover the forum must be credentialed.  Click here to request credentials - www.americanprogressaction.org/events/healthforum/mediareg.

Read the CAP (CAPAF’s sister organization) health care plan.  For more information on SEIU’s campaign to fight for quality, affordable health care, go to www.seiu.org.
 

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With 1.8 million members, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America. Focused on uniting workers in three sectors to improve their lives and the services they provide, SEIU is the largest health care union, including hospitals, nursing homes, and home care; the largest property services union, including building cleaning and security; and the second largest public employee union.
 
 


PRESS RELEASE from SEIU
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 08, 2007  
 CONTACT
Stephanie Mueller
 

REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF SEIU ASK GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO PARTICIPATE IN FORUM ON HEALTH CARE

Washington, DC –– Republican members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are publicly asking Republican presidential candidates to reconsider their refusal to participate in the first presidential forum on health care.  The SEIU members are part of a Republican Advisory Committee that represents the more than 300,000 members of SEIU who are registered Republicans.

New Leadership on Health Care: A Presidential Forum, is taking place on Saturday, March 24, at UNLV in Las Vegas, with support from SEIU and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

The letter states, "As you are doubtless hearing from SEIU members and others on the campaign trail, health care is one of the top issues working families worry most about, and the forum is the first for presidential candidates focused solely on solutions to the health care crisis.  We would welcome the opportunity to hear firsthand your ideas for real reform of our broken health care system."

"Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, the health care crisis affects everyone in this country," said Anna Burger, Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU.  "Voters want to know where all of the candidates for president stand on this issue."

To date, seven of the eight declared Democratic candidates for president have confirmed their attendance at the forum: Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Gravel, Kucinich, Obama, and Richardson.

In addition to the health care forum, SEIU has asked each Republican candidate for president to participate in its Walk A Day In My Shoes campaign.  For that campaign, candidates are asked to spend time on the job and in the home of a member of SEIU, to learn firsthand about the issues working families are facing. Democratic candidates who have agreed to participate are Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, and Richardson.  No Republican candidates have responded.

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With 1.8 million members, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America. Focused on uniting workers in three sectors to improve their lives and the services they provide, SEIU is the largest health care union, including hospitals, nursing homes, and home care; the largest property services union, including building cleaning and security; and the second largest public employee union.