News from USWA: USWA Welcomes Governor Taft's Cooperation in Providing Affordable Health Care...

Business Editors

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 2003

The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) today said that the Union appreciates the work the Taft Administration has done to help launch the federal Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC), which will provide approximately

"I would like to thank Governor Taft for his commitment to fairness and justice for Steelworker retirees who have been injured by unfair trade," said David McCall, USWA District 1 Director.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Act, signed into law by President Bush in November 2002, establishes the Health Care Tax Credit, which provides advance payment of 65% of the insurance premium for eligible individuals.

Although the HCTC is a federal tax credit, individual states must sponsor the program by working with insurance companies to develop qualifying plans. The Taft Administration worked out acceptable qualified plans for Ohioans with both Anthem and Kaiser Permanente.

"Yesterday's announcement was the first step in a long struggle to restore health insurance benefits to approximately 200,000 USWA retirees nationwide who lost their health care coverage because of unfair trade, bankruptcies and industry consolidation," McCall said.

McCall, Governor Taft, Ohio Department of Insurance Director Ann Womer Benjamin, Ohio AFL-CIO Industrial Unions Representative Patricia Tutoki, Steelworker retirees and representatives from Anthem and Kaiser Permanente participated in a brief press conference at the USWA district office in Warrensville Heights on Tuesday afternoon for the announcement.

Advance payments under the HCTC begin nationwide on August 3, 2003.