U.S. Health Care Bill Twice the Cost Other Nations Pay

U.S. Health Care Bill Twice the Cost Other Nations Pay

by Mike Hall, Jan 14, 2008

The annual $2 trillion bill for American health care is twice the combined cost for other developed countries that provide health care for all—countries that, not coincidentally, also have higher rates of unionization.

Speaking to a Center for American Progress gathering on the nation’s health care crisis, Communications Workers of America (CWA) president Larry Cohen told the group:

“We need a collective approach and a collective strategy. We need to create a social and political movement in this country to deal with health care, and that’s what we’re doing.”

The conference focused on the issue of retirees younger than 65 who don’t have—or could lose—employer-paid health insurance and could be years away from qualifying for Medicare.

Much of the discussion centered on the use of Voluntary Employee Benefit Associations (VEBAs). Cohen praised the UAW and GM, in particular, because their VEBA agreement includes $15 million from the company to create a National Institute for Health Reform that will work to find solutions to the health care crisis. But Cohen added that VEBAs are not a long-term solution.