Testimony of Lori J. Pelletier, Secretary-Treasurer, Connecticut AFL-CIO before the Insurance and Real Estate Committee

February 8, 2007

Good Morning Senator Crisco and Representative O’Connor and the Members of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee I am Lori Pelletier and I serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, I am here on behalf of our 900 affiliated local unions from all across this great state who represent 211,000 working men and women, and I appreciate the invitation to address this committee.

Last June at our statewide convention nearly 500 delegates on a unanimous vote supported a resolution calling for Universal Health Care to be our number one priority at the legislature this year. I’ve attached a copy of this resolution to my testimony here today. In addition to that unprecedented commitment, the members of our Executive Board took an added step to support a “Single Payer-Medicare for All” type system.

Every day our members are faced with the crisis in our health care system. This becomes especially true when we are at the bargaining table. We’ve witnessed over the past decade the erosion of benefits and the transfer of fiscal responsibility away from the employer and onto the backs of our members and their families. It doesn’t matter what job you work at affordable, accessible, quality, and sustainable health care health care is paramount to our members needs.

Whether it’s our members in the Building and construction trades who accept little or no increases in their weekly wages because of the increases in the cost of their health care, or our members in the retail food business who are forced to compete with large employers who place all of the costs of health care on their associates backs, are members need relief and Universal Health Care, Single Payer is the answer.

The health care system in Connecticut is in critical condition and the prognosis is grave, unless we take bold action this year. Piecemeal will not work, revamping our current system will not work, and leaving it the way it is now will most definitely not work.

Many of the bills you have before you today we will support and they are listed below. Ultimately however, the time has come to put our bold ideas into a piece of legislation that will deliver the needed results for all the residents of this great State.

Proposed S.B. No. 70 AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE NUTMEG HEALTH PARTNERSHIP INSURANCE PLAN.

Proposed S.B. No. 2 AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH CARE INSURANCE REFORM.

Proposed H.B. No. 6655 AN ACT PROVIDING UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS.

Proposed H.B. No. 6281 AN ACT ENSURING FUNDS FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR ALL CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS.

Proposed H.B. No. 6661 AN ACT ESTABLISHING UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE INSURANCE IN CONNECTICUT.

Proposed S.B. No. 131 AN ACT CONCERNING STATEMENTS MADE IN APPLICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE POLICIES.

Proposed H.B. No. 5152 AN ACT CONCERNING INITIAL REVIEW OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE.

Proposed S.B. No. 72 AN ACT CONCERNING THE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN.

Proposed H.B. No. 5496 AN ACT CONCERNING REGULATION OF LIMITED BENEFIT MEDICAL PLANS.

Proposed H.B. No. 6652 AN ACT MAKING HEALTH CARE INSURANCE MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS.

Proposed H.B. No. 6666 AN ACT CONCERNING MUNICIPAL HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS.

Again I want to “Thank” this committee for their attention to the important issue of health care. If you have any

questions I’d be glad to address them at this time.