This is a working draft of our proposed resolution for local governmental bodies in McLean County, Illinois, a statement of support for the Medical for All bills in the U.S. House and Senate.

Whereas, every person deserves access to high-quality, affordable health care as a human right; and

Whereas, the health insurance system in the United States does not provide adequate, universal coverage to its residents [1]; and

Whereas, despite being the only major country not to guarantee health care for all, the United States spends more per person on health care than any other nation in the world. U.S. health care costs are almost double those of comparable countries [2]; and 

Whereas, health care spending in the United States makes up almost a fifth of all spending in the economy [3]; and

Whereas, the current health insurance system’s reliance on for-profit companies diverts billions of dollars away from quality medical care to meet corporate financial goals – including profit-maximization, shareholder interests, and high executive pay; and

Whereas, the Medicare for All Act of 2023 (H.R. 3421) will establish universal health care coverage for all persons living in the United States, vastly improving quality of life for all United States residents; and

Whereas, the Medicare for All Act will establish comprehensive health care coverage for United States residents, covering all necessary primary and preventative medical care; prescription drugs, mental health and substance abuse treatment; emergency services; reproductive care; dental, hearing and vision care; and long-term care, from birth to death; and

Whereas, the Medicare for All Act of 2023 will provide this coverage without regressive copays, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs, and its implementation will eliminate wasteful bureaucracy, protect the doctor-patient relationship, and establish for patients a free choice of providers and hospitals; and

Whereas, Medicare for All would eliminate the waste and inefficiency caused by overlapping private and public bureaucracies administering a fragmented for-profit system [3]; and

Whereas, Medicare for All would establish effective bargaining power for Americans to control health care costs, countering the monopolization of hospital systems and the power of pharmaceutical companies [3]; and

Whereas, the current health insurance system in the United States, its provision largely based on employment, unjustly restricts worker freedom in the labor market. Medicare for All finally separates health insurance from employment; and

Whereas, the current employment-based system also disadvantages small and medium-sized business, in relation to large corporations, which impedes innovation in the economy; and  

Whereas, municipal governments are unduly burdened in providing increasingly expensive health insurance to their employees, when a Medicare for All program would rationalize and control costs and thereby benefit both municipal employees and taxpayers; and

Whereas, polls consistently demonstrate that a majority of Americans support Medicare for All;

Now, therefore be it resolved, that the [Name] supports the Medicare for All Act of 2023 (H.R. 3421 and S. 1655). Every person in McLean County – and in the nation – deserves access to high quality health care, provided by a rational and cost-effective system that prioritizes health and well-being. An enhanced and expanded Medicare-for All program would deliver that system. It would establish universal and comprehensive access to health care, not tied to one’s employment or socioeconomic status. And it would rationalize and control health care costs, saving our society billions of dollars every year and strengthening our economy by freeing people from the current profit-based, employer-provided health insurance system.

References

[1] The State of U.S. Health Insurance in 2022, The Commonwealth Fund.  See here. In 2022, 43% of working-age adults in the U.S. were inadequately insured. Included in that number, 9% had no insurance, 11% lacked coverage in the past year, and 23% couldn’t afford adequate coverage options

[2] OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en. In 2022, the United States spent $12,555 per capita on health care spending. In that same year, Canada spent $6319 per capita, France spent $6630 per capita, Japan spent $5251 per capita, and the United Kingdom spent $5493 per capita

[3] El-Sayed, A., & Johnson, M. (2021). Medicare for all: a citizen’s guide. New York, NY, Oxford University Press. See here at LibraryThing. In 2018, Americans spent $3.6 trillion. 18% of all money spent in the U.S. economy is for health care