Stern: Fight To Make Health Care Better Than The Senate Bill

SEIU President Andy Stern doesn't like the Senate health care bill. But he can't quite bring himself to oppose it. In a letter to members, after an emergency meeting of the SEIU executive committee yesterday, Stern has penned a letter to members highlighting both the good and the bad in the legislation, and urging a fight to improve it.

The good:

We talked about everything that makes this reform meaningful:

· The 30 million more people who will have healthcare they can count on;

· The people who will no longer lose their coverage if they get sick;

· All of us who no longer have to worry about being denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions;

· Women who will no longer be discriminated against just because of their gender.

The bad:

while it is not entirely clear what the Senate bill will look like, it is becoming clearer that:

· For many people, care will still be too expensive to afford.

· Some of you would face an additional burden because your health insurance benefits would be taxed.

· And the best way we saw possible to hold insurance companies accountable was no longer an option.

Stern's frustrations aren't just substantive, but political. In the letter he calls out Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in all but name. "[A]t the very moment that we saw real and meaningful changes within our grasp, one Senator came forward to say "no we can't." He can't let the Senate have an up-or-down vote on health insurance reform."

Frustrated? Yes. Hoping the more progressive House bill wins out in conference? But ready to kill the bill? Not just yet. You can read the entire letter here.