News from the National Education Association and Capital Hill

As Congress returns from the Memorial Day recess, health care reform will be front and center on the agenda.Health care reform is vital to the recovery of our nation's economy and is also a crucial ingredient for successful public schools.  The lack of necessary medical and dental services for children and students of all ages creates a serious impediment to the learning process. 
 
NEA supports health reform to ensure that every person in America has quality, affordable health care coverage.We believe health reform must guarantee a choice of health care plans and providers through a private health insurance plan (including one that employees may currently have through their employer) and a government sponsored public health insurance plan option. 
NEA opposes proposals being discussed in the United States Senate that would limit or cap the employee tax exclusion for health benefits in any way (tax employer-provided health benefits). Telling hard-working employees that benefits will be cut or that they will pay more taxes would unfairly penalize them - particularly when they have bargained those benefits and foregone wage (salary) increases in the past.  Taxing health benefits would also create incentives for employers to drop coverage for their employees altogether. 

Contact your Senators Today!

Tell the Senate to craft health care reform proposals that will ensure quality, affordable health care for everyone in America, to reject proposals to tax employer-provided benefits and to make a government sponsored public health insurance plan option available to all.

For information on NEA's position on health care reform visit the NEA website.