Screen Actors Guild Supports America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

Los Angeles (July 17, 2009) - SAG President Alan Rosenberg issued the following statement on July 17, 2009:

As we all know, the current path of American health care is unsustainable. Health care costs are out of control for even those with insurance, and most workers without coverage can’t afford the skyrocketing rates for even the barest minimal coverage. 

Health care reform packages have now begun to move through both houses of Congress. These proposals, with NO prescreening qualifications, seek to: cover 97 percent of all Americans, include penalties for employers who do NOT offer health care coverage to workers; provide subsidies for those who fall below the poverty line; and create a robust public insurance plan (in addition to what is currently offered by private insurers). 

We are moving toward a truly historic moment when Americans finally will have access to quality, affordable health care. All Americans have a right to health care, and we vigorously support current federal health care reform efforts.

Screen Actors Guild, representing more than 120,000 actors who work in film and digital motion pictures, television, commercials, industrials, video games, Internet and all new media formats, joins with the AFL-CIO and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney in support of America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.

For more information, follow this link: http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/fix.cfm

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About SAG
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents nearly 120,000 actors who work in film and digital television programs, motion pictures, commercials, video games, music videos, industrials and all new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at www.sag.org.

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