By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

The Consumers Union urged congress Wednesday to pass comprehensive health care reform this year in response to findings from a recent survey the Union conducted that revealed a high level of consumer dissatisfaction with the current health care model.

In a press conference on Capitol Hill, Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) welcomed Consumers Union president Jim Guest to speak on what he described as an urgent need for health care reform.

Guest said the magazine Consumer Report’s, published by CU, recently did a consumer survey and found sobering inadequacies in the current health care system.

“Early this week consumer reports released a poll… nearly 73 percent of respondents said they worry that an illness or accident would be financial devastating to them, an equal number said they worry if they got sick they will be denied care or their care would be rationed by health insurance companies… those are devastating numbers,” Guest said. “51 percent in the last year said they didn’t go to the doctor, didn’t get a follow up treatment or procedure, didn’t fill a prescription they couldn’t take care of their own health because they couldn’t pay for it.”

Guest said CU is serious about health care reform because it is in the best interest of the American public.

CU, a historically nonpartisan organization, announced last week that it would run a TV ad in Washington, D.C. for two weeks that urged consumers to put pressure on Congress to pass health care reform this year. According to CU, this is something the organization has never done for any other cause since its founding in 1936.

Harry Alford, CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, says its “B.S.” that consumers will bare and absorb the costs that arise from Cap and Trade legislation. “Costs are always carried onto the consumer,” Alford adds. “It’s economics 101.” (0:46)

 

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Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Mich.) says that the Car Allowance Rebate System will help create savings for consumers, improve the environment, and create jobs for families that depend on the auto industry. (0:43)

 

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A discussion on trade remedy laws was sponsored by the Women in International Trade (WIIT) Charitable Trust. Vivian C. Jones, specialist of international trade and finance at the Congressional Research Service, talked about the definitions, procedures and outcomes of antidumping and countervailing duty. (more…)