Union members attend town hall meeting

Service Employees International Union members planned to attend an Aug. 31 town hall meeting, hosted by Sen. Claire McCaskill, to highlight how health care reform benefits Missouri families.

Average family premiums in Missouri have risen 76.1 percent in the last nine years, 4.4 times faster than wages.

Meanwhile, insurance companies’ profits have risen 428 percent over the same time period.

In Missouri, two insurance providers controlled more than two-thirds of the health care market in 2008, providing little room for competition.

According to SEIU’s Web site, www.seiu.org, health care reform will benefit Missouri families in the following way:

• Federal health care feform will provide access to quality, affordable health care for an expected 374,000 Missourians who are currently uninsured by 2013 and up to 600,000 Missourians by 2019.

• 92,800 Missouri seniors will have access to comprehensive prescription drugs to help them stay healthy and active.

•  88,302 Missouri small businesses may be helped with tax credits and affordable options for health care for their employees.

• Health insurance reform will put caps on how much an insurance company can charge for out-of-pocket expenses, helping 35,100 Missouri households struggling with skyrocketing expenses.

• Health insurance reform also will put an end to denying coverage based on a person’s health, helping the 9 percent of Missouri residents with diabetes and the 29 percent with high blood pressure.

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