National Nurses United

A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 1 9 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 9 Medicare for All supporters attribute much of their recent success to adoption of updated models of organizing, sometimes called "distributed" organizing or "Big Organizing," that build grassroots support by reaching and galvanizing people who never before considered themselves health care activists, but who have a very deep passion for and investment in radically transforming our failed health care system. It's that grassroots pressure that has pushed key lawmakers into signing on in support of H.R. 1384. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, chair of the Health Subcommittee of Ways and Means, and Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Luján are two such figures. And nurses agree with Budget Committee Chair Rep. John Yarmuth when he stated during that hearing that "It is no longer a matter of if we will have a single-payer health care system in our country, but when." Even with state insurance exchanges and expansion of Medicaid in some states under the Affordable Care Act, 30 million people in America are uninsured while 44 million are underinsured. The United States has the most expensive health care system in the world, spending more than $10,000 per capita, yet reports some of the worst outcomes among industrialized countries. A recent Reuters-Ipsos poll showed 70 percent of respondents support Medicare for All, with 85 percent support among Democrats and 52 percent of Republicans supporting. "Health care is a human right," said Rep. Jayapal. "We will need every single person in the country to help us, to stand with us, to organize, and to fight for this, because the industry lobby is going to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into killing this bill, saying it costs too much, scaring you into thinking you're giving up something, pitting the healthy against the sick, and the young against the old. It's time to ensure that health care is a right and not a privilege, guaranteed to every single person in our country. It is time for Medicare for All." The historic hearings vaulted Medicare for All into the spotlight. Barkan, who was invited to the first Rules Committee hearing to testify about the need for Medicare for All, set the tone and framed the public debate as an urgent moral issue for the country when he described his decline due to ALS and the indignity of fundraising more than $9,000 per month to cover around-the-clock care expenses related to his illness that his fami- ly's relatively good private health insurance won't cover. His testimony was a pivotal moment in the campaign and video of his remarks quickly went viral. Barkan urged lawmakers to not give into passing half- measures or taking small steps. "Some people argue that although Medicare for All is a great idea, we need to move slowly to get there," said Barkan, talking through his computer because he can no longer physically speak. "But I needed Medicare for All yesterday. Millions of people need it today. The time to pass this law is now." At the Budget Committee hearing, testi- mony from Congressional Budget Office (CBO) staff confirmed what nurses have been saying for years: A single-payer Medicare for All system will not only save lives, but will also save money at the same time. Medicare for All is clearly the best way to achieve universal health care and guaran- tee a quality, single standard of care for everyone. The only groups opposed to Medicare for All are the ones profiting off of the current crisis: insurance companies, Big Pharma, and the lobbyists who carry out their industry agendas. "We urge Congress to ignore these corpo- rate special interests that have a vested inter- est in the status quo and side with the people to guarantee safe, therapeutic health care for every person in the United States," said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN and an NNU president. Medicare for All Act of 2019 highlights include: • The most comprehensive list of services covered, of any bill to date, including primary care, hospital care, women's repro- ductive health services, dental, vision, mental health, substance abuse treatment, prescription drugs, long term service and supports, the cost of transportation for disabled and low-income patients, and more. • Guaranteed, universal coverage for every resident of this country. • Real choice; no narrow networks, and you can keep your doctor, hospital, and other providers if you move or lose your job. • No copays or deductibles for any part of the program. • Long-term care for the disabled and elderly, with prioritization of home and community-based services and supports. • A two-year transition period. In the first year after enactment, everyone over 55 and under 19 would be fully covered by Medicare, and two years after enactment, all Americans would be covered. • Drug pricing reforms to drastically reduce the outrageously high costs of prescription medications in the United States. • A focus on improving health care in rural and underserved communities through providing a special projects fund devoted to the building and staffing of new health care facilities in rural and under- served areas. "Our patients are paying for our current, broken system with their life savings, and their actual lives," said Jean Ross, RN and also an NNU president. "One-third of all GoFundMe donations go to pay medical expenses. It's time for an end to the uncon- scionable choices patients are forced to make between paying for rent, food, or medical care. The mass surge of public support for Medicare for All we've seen recently says that people across the country want real reform, now. Together, we will get this bill across the finish line." —Staff report

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