Unions are now a leading voice in the fight for secure, high-quality health care for all Americans.

"This is the closest we've ever come to having comprehensive health care reform," said NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin.

Lawmakers in Washington are making steady progress toward compromise legislation. Senate leaders are still working to merge the Senate HELP — health, education, labor and pensions — and Finance Committee bills; the full Senate could take up health care reform by the first week in November.

Meanwhile, House leaders are waiting for a congressional budget office analysis of the proposal they would like to take to the floor.

"We're hearing their bill is almost certain to contain a strong public insurance option, an employer mandate and no tax on insurance premiums," Lubin said.

The House is also expected to take up their bill during the first week of November.

The union agenda

The national labor umbrella organization, the AFL-CIO, has outlined six goals for improving the current system:

• Provide comprehensive, high-quality care for all
• Control ever-rising, often irrational costs
• Give all families access to preventive care
• Ask the government to help restore balance to a system in which insurance companies hold the upper hand over consumers
• Lower employer costs and, in return, ask them to pay their fair share, along with government and individuals
• Use the best of American health care; draw from what works in other countries.

The current health care system is broken and drags down the rest of the economy, hurting everyone, Lubin said.

Unions have fought for health care for decades. When the nation moved to employer-based health care after World War II, union members — in industry and in the public sector — fought for the addition of health care benefits to contracts, raising the standard of living for tens of millions of union, and non-unionized, workers.

Unions are disconcerted by plans to tax what are mischaracterized as "Cadillac plans," many the type of plans NYSUT members currently have.

A report by the Communications Workers of America shows the proposed Senate Finance Committee excise tax "will have a dramatic effect forcing steep reductions in benefits, shifting costs to workers, and a significant increase in taxes on millions of middle-class families."

The insurance industry is further muddying the debate waters with last-minute scare tactics.

A recent industry report, prepared at their request by the Price Waterhouse Coopers accounting firm, was denounced a day later by the firm that produced it.