Healthcare is a human rights. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Representative, stated in 2019 that "In the richest nation in the history our species, to not advance forward to adopting a Medicare-for-all system is to deny, i think, the common humanity our fellow citizens."
The United States social contract recognizes that the government is responsible for providing essential public goods and services to its citizens, such as roads, schools, and food. We can all agree that nobody should starve in a country like ours. But why is it that people can still die from lack of healthcare in the current system?
More than 80,000 Montgomery County residents were not insured before the pandemic. Another 100,000 people are still uninsured, despite the important gains made by Affordable Care Act. Our patchwork, employer-based system is a failure. This was evident by the unprecedented job losses and business closings that occurred during the pandemic. To ensure everyone has access to care, we must enact a new and improved Medicare system that covers all Americans.
Due in part to the lack of universal health care, people of color have suffered severe harm during this crisis. BIPOC residents in our county have felt the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic more than others. Montgomery County adopted a Racial Equity & Social Justice Policy, which requires it to take steps to address racial inequality. The Council should appeal to the U.S. in the spirit of this initiative. Senators and U.S. Representatives to adopt Medicare For All. This will improve health justice by providing all Americans with health coverage.
The public is increasingly supportive of a Medicare for All approach. A 2020 Pew Research Poll found that 63% of Americans believe the government should provide coverage for everyone's health. The Medicare for All legislation will be introduced by the 117th Congress in February. The Montgomery County Council should support this landmark legislation by passing a supporting resolution.
Nearly fifty local and county councils have adopted resolutions supporting Medicare for All. We are grateful for all the work that Montgomery County employees and the Council have done to address the financial, healthcare, and education needs of people affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. We would have had a Medicare for All system if the County's public agencies, public servants and non-profits had had more resources to help save lives and marshal a stronger public health response.
We, the Montgomery County residents, urge the Montgomery County Council and the Council to adopt a resolution calling for our U.S. President. Senators and Representatives, please cosponsor the effort to pass Medicare For All in Congress. This resolution will help us achieve our goal of making healthcare a human rights.
Americans spend more on health care than people in any other country in the world and 31.1 million people in the U.S. are still uninsured. Tens of thousands of uninsured people die each year due to lack of health insurance. Tens of thousands of uninsured people die each year due to lack of health insurance. And many people learn that the private insurance they have is inadequate when a true medical emergency arises. Because of this, medical bills contribute to more than 60% of all bankruptcies, and ¾ of that medical debt is for people with insurance. Some ideas for collecting signatures: Invite organizations that you know have endorsed Medicare for All to collect signatures from their members.
Instead of rich people profiting from other people's illness, Medicare for All would keep that money in our healthcare system to improve it. It would also lower costs for working people by eliminating corporate profits and reducing administrative costs, which account for 25% of hospital spending.
This plan would provide comprehensive healthcare as a human right to every person in Tippecanoe County, the state of Indiana and the United States, without fees, copays, or deductibles.
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