A coalition of over 325 unions and other organizations, including UE, has released a letter warning against letting “skeptical health care policy wonks” keep working people from demanding “the boldest possible reform” of our healthcare system, Medicare for All.
Addressed to Congress and other politicians running for office, the letter states that “The American people are hungry for bold ideas that reform fundamental institutions that have failed them for too long. And they are looking for leaders who will take on powerful interests and fight for working people.” It further notes that “Billionaires and their cronies have already begun their attacks against Medicare for All, and that speaks to the power of this issue and its ability to rally everyday Americans.”
Sixty-three percent of all voters, and 90 percent of Democratic voters, support Medicare for All. But despite the popularity of this simple and bold policy, think tanks aligned with corporate Democrats have been pushing a variety of half-measures to “make health care more affordable” or create “a patients’ bill of rights.”
While no one would argue that making health care more affordable or protecting patients’ rights would be a bad thing, all of these proposals would leave the basic problem of our healthcare system — private, for-profit insurance — in place. As long as for-profit insurance companies, with their insatiable greed for profits, are running the system, costs will continue to rise and patients will continue to have their rights to healthcare violated.
The coalition also notes that the failure of our political leaders to embrace bold and popular solutions like Medicare for All have led to the rise of a fascist agenda which “redirects people’s rightful anger at our system’s failures to unjustly place blame on immigrants, low-income people, and people of color. It’s time to acknowledge that failing to provide transformational policies and hope to the working class has allowed fascism to rise and hold on to power. It’s time to challenge the corrupt CEOs who profit off despair. To show people real solutions that can work.”
The letter concludes, “We urge members of Congress to stop listening to the political consultants and start listening to the people. Americans understand we must get corporate greed out of our health care system once and for all.”
The letter was issued by a group of organizations led by National Nurses United and Public Citizen, both close UE allies. Several other major unions have signed onto the letter, including the United Auto Workers, the American Postal Workers Union, and the Association of Flight Attendants. The full text can be found here
Ways to take action for Medicare for All TODAY:
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Sign the petition. National Nurses United and the Labor Campaign for Single Payer have launched a new petition together with other UE allies demanding that Congress act on the bold promise of a guaranteed system of truly comprehensive health care that every person in the United States deserves.
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Join the June 10 National Organizing Call at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 6pm MT / 5pm PT.