The 2008 Health Care for America Survey results are in, and the findings expose a health care system that costs too much, covers too little, leaves too many behind and is getting worse. The results deliver a mandate for health care reform to everyone who wants the support of working families in this year’s elections.

* One-third of respondents to the online survey, sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America, report skipping medical care because of cost, and a quarter had serious problems paying for the care they needed.

* 95 percent say they are somewhat or very concerned about being able to afford health insurance in the coming years.

* Almost half overall (48 percent) and 60 percent of Latinos say they or a family member has stayed in a job to keep health care benefits when they would have preferred changing jobs.

* 95 percent of respondents say America’s health care system needs fundamental change or to be completely rebuilt.

* 79 percent say health care is a very important voting issue, and 97 percent say they plan to vote in the November elections.

Please take a moment to read the full survey results and health care stories. Learn how working families can win secure, high-quality health care for all in 2009 if we make the 2008 elections a mandate for health care reform.

Over a period of seven weeks, more than 26,000 people took the online 2008 Health Care for America Survey sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America. Most are insured and employed. Most are college graduates. More than half are union members.

These are the people, it would seem, most likely to have positive experiences with America’s health care system. Instead, their responses tell a sobering story about the breadth of the problems with health care in America. They say our system has fundamental problems that must be fixed.

And they’re ready to vote about it.