Resolution on Healthcare Access

Approved by the Maine Library Association, 2005 MLA resolution regarding health care access:

WHEREAS:

Maine communities face skyrocketing health care costs, and

WHEREAS:

The rising cost of health insurance benefits to schools, libraries, and other public services drives up state and local taxes, thereby creating an undue burden to Maine taxpayers, and

WHEREAS:

The inability of employers to afford health insurance for library workers results in fewer opportunities for potential members of our profession, thereby threatening the well-being of libraries, and

WHEREAS:

The large numbers of Maine residents who cannot afford basic health care creates a health risk for all communities our libraries serve, and

WHEREAS:

State and local governments have disproportionately borne the cost of care for our nation's uninsured and vulnerable populations, and

WHEREAS:

The efforts of state and local governments to provide adequate health care are rendered ineffective by national conditions, and

WHEREAS:

The Maine Library Association has unsuccessfully sought ways to help association members afford basic health care, and

WHEREAS:

The current health care system urgently requires comprehensive reform,

WHEREAS:

That the Maine Library Association endorses the Health Care Access Resolution and such related measures as house concurrent Resolution 99 and senate Concurrent Resolution 41, directing congress to enact legislation by October 2005 that provides access to comprehensive health care for all Americans.

Resolution Approved by the Maine Library Association