FIGHT THE SHRINKING HEALTH CARE "REFORM" DEBATE
The Senate Finance Committee recently passed a bill that will continue to leave millions uninsured, offer no protections for affordability, and ensure there is not even a public option to compete with the private industry for cost and accountability. The original hope for true health care reform has nearly evaporated.
Continuing to advance the single payer option in the House and the Senate is one way to keep the
current discussion as broad as possible as well as lay the groundwork for future change. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council calls upon Mobilizer readers to contact their Members of Congress and urge them to support single payer health care reform!
Within a few weeks, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will issue a cost scoring on H.R. 676 (Expanded and Improved Medicare for All) and Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) will introduce an amendment that would replace the major health care reform legislation in the House (H.R. 3200) with single payer health care reform. This amendment marks an historic moment, as it is the first time single payer has come to the floor of Congress for a vote.
When the health care reform legislation comes to the floor for a vote in the Senate, long-time single payer proponent Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), will introduce an amendment that substitutes the reform bill with the state-based single payer plan. Supporting both of these amendments serves to focus the discussion on wider reform measures, and strengthens a fallback plan for a public option compromise.
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