Progressive Democrats of America Support Rep. Jayapal’s Medicare For All Act of 2019
photo: Healthcare expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy, while profiteering in the system creates perverse incentives that delay and even deny care even from people who believe they have adequate insurance. (Photo: National Nurses United/flickr/cc)
By Alan Minsky, Executive Director – Progressive Democrats of America | Common Dreams
Our Healthcare is a Human Right issue team has reviewed this legislation, and found it to be the best and most inclusive healthcare legislation in U.S. History
As the Executive Director of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), I am writing on behalf of our activists to urge all Americans to ask their member of Congress to cosponsor of Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All Act of 2019.
PDA was founded in 2004 to organize in favor of policies for all the people—not just the powerful—including expanded and improved Medicare for All.
Our Healthcare is a Human Right issue team has reviewed this legislation, and found it to be the best and most inclusive healthcare legislation in U.S. History. As part of the huge and growing national coalition working for health justice, we have learned that the Medicare for All Act of 2019 would guarantee the highest quality healthcare for all U.S. residents including all medically needed care with no premiums, co-pays, caps, or deductibles.
This platinum-standard legislation would eliminate disparities in healthcare by guaranteeing all necessary care and services: hospitalization, inpatient, outpatient, surgical, long-term, mental, dental, vision, hearing, rehabilitation, substance abuse, preventative, prenatal, family planning, testing, supplies, devices, pharmaceuticals, and all other care. We have long supported Medicare for All, and recognize that upwards of 70% of Americans agree. We appreciate the improved provisions in Rep. Jayapal’s legislation that would guarantee care to meet the needs of people with disabilities, older Americans, and even provide transportation for those who need help to get to the doctor, clinic, hospital, etc.
We’ve analyzed studies and reports that show expanded, improved Medicare For All would save 10,000s of lives each year; and trillions of dollars over ten years. This legislation will dramatically improve the quality of life for millions of Americans by eliminating barriers to care, and by eliminating medical bankruptcies. It would improve our national economy by getting the skyrocketing costs of for-profit health insurance and pharmaceuticals off the backs of patients, taxpayers, and businesses. The Medicare for All Act of 2019 would solve all of these problems.
Although the US spends far more per capita than all other advanced nations, the World Health Organization and other independent evaluators report that we suffer with mediocre results – with high infant mortality rates, and 10,000s of other preventable deaths each year. Millions of Americans remain uninsured, forcing them to seek care at emergency rooms—which are costly and ill-equipped to treat chronic illness. Healthcare expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy, while profiteering in the system creates perverse incentives that delay and even deny care even from people who believe they have adequate insurance. This is unjust, unsustainable, and unconscionable.
Millions of Americans remain uninsured and millions more remain underinsured as for-profit insurance companies delay and even deny care from people who have insurance to increase profits. The Medicare for All Act of 2019 puts patients first by removing profiteering from health.
Rep. Jayapal’s legislation would guarantee the special care needed by people with disabilities, older Americans, and those who need help with transportation to treatment, etc. Further, this legislation would save 100,000s of lives and trillions of taxpayer dollars over ten years, and stimulate economic prosperity by decreasing work-days lost to illness, and keep people able-bodied by treating, mitigating and/or preventing illness and injury, among other benefits.
For all of the above reasons and more, PDA strongly urges you to join with the majority of Americans supporting this policy by urging your member of Congress to cosponsor the Medicare for All Act of 2019. People can call their Representative at 202-858-1717.
My Rep. Joe Neguse is a cosponsor already and I am completely supportive. Where I need help is putting together a 30-second reply to those who ask, “How can we afford this?”