STOP SEN. HAGAN’S PROPOSAL TO EXCLUDE FARMWORKERS FROM HEALTH CARE COVERAGE AND HEALTH CARE REFORM
Written by Bruce Goldstein Friday, 10 July 2009 08:45
Sen. Hagan (D-NC) introduced Amendment 200 for the health care reform bill being discussed in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, called the "Affordable Health Choices Act."
Hagan's amendment would exclude from the definition of "employees" any "temporary or seasonal agricultural workers . . . for the purposes of determining the size of an employer." Agricultural employers of seasonal farmworkers would not be required to participate in the system because they would be considered to be too small. Seasonal farmworkers would be denied health care coverage.
Seasonal agricultural workers earn an average of $12,500 to $15,000 per year . They put food on our table by cultivating and harvesting fruits and vegetables, raising chickens, herding sheep, cutting flowers, and harvesting our Christmas trees. They work in the second or third most dangerous occupation. They cannot afford health insurance. It's morally wrong -- and it's counterproductive economically -- to exclude farmworkers from the plans for a reformed health care system.
Call the Capitol Switchboard and ask for Sen. Hagan's office, 202-224-3121.
Ask Sen. Hagan to withdraw her amendment number 200 to the health care reform bill because farmworkers and their family members need health care coverage and health care reform.
Please also call your Senators on the HELP Committee. Ask them to oppose the Hagan amendment in the Senate HELP Committee to the health care reform bill, amendment number 200, that would deny seasonal farmworkers coverage under the new health care system. It is unfair, immoral and economically counterproductive.
You may call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
HELP COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Democrats by Rank
Edward Kennedy (MA)
Christopher Dodd (CT)
Tom Harkin (IA)
Barbara A. Mikulski (MD)
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Patty Murray (WA)
Jack Reed (RI)
Bernard Sanders (I) (VT)
Sherrod Brown (OH)
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (PA)
Kay Hagan (NC)
Jeff Merkley (OR)
Republicans by Rank
Michael B. Enzi (WY)
Judd Gregg (NH)
Lamar Alexander (TN)
Richard Burr (NC)
Johnny Isakson (GA)
John McCain (AZ)
Orrin G. Hatch (UT)
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
Tom Coburn, M.D. (OK)
Pat Roberts (KS)
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http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2009/07/13/hagans-farmworker-amendment-still-objectionable/
As the above analysis shows, protecting small farmers cannot be the real rationale behind the amendment, since all small employers, including small farmers, are already shielded from the health mandate by the general exception for small businesses. “True small farmers will never exceed 25 employees and will always remain within the same protections that cover other small business owners. This amendment will only end up protecting the large agricultural operations that bring in large crews of workers during the growing season”
The real reason for this amendment is simple – the powerful influence of the North Carolina Growers Association.
Universal health care means EVERYBODY. This is the richest nation in the world. It is shameful to exclude anyone. Karen Hochman, MD, Decatur, GA 30030