January 06, 2003
Labor to Push for Children's Health Care?
It seems from a wire service story from Sunday evening that I imagine will show up in Monday's newspapers that a rather interesting and unexpected development might be on the horizon:
With the Oregon Health Plan facing severe budget cuts, the Oregon AFL-CIO is "seriously considering" asking voters to approve a new plan guaranteeing health care for all of Oregon's children.
"It's already on the drawing board," said Tim Nesbitt, president of the statewide labor federation.
The fledgling initiative effort comes at a time when the state's money squeeze threatens the future of Oregon's plan to expand health coverage to more low-income people.
The plan would extend coverage to Oregonians aged 21 and under, and be "financed by a new payroll tax of 1.5 percent on businesses" with "[o]ffsetting tax credits ... for those businesses that provide health insurance for their workers' children."
This should be interesting. In the midst of budget battles over the education of Oregon's children, now the State Legislature will be put into a position of having to decide whether to reject a plan for the health care of Oregon's children. In essence the issue will be forced: Whatever the economic hardships of the adult world, do we at least provide for the well-being of kids?