Members of the Health Over Profit for Everyone steering committee sent the letter below to Senator Sanders urging him to introduce a Senate companion bill to HR 676 soon.

We understand that he is putting a bill together, but that it falls short of HR 676 in critical areas (as outlined in the letter below).

If you agree, please sign the petition, which will send an email to his staff, and share this letter widely.

[emailpetition id=”1″]

Senator Sanders:

We are writing you as long-time supporters of expanding and improving Medicare to ensure that every person in the United States has excellent healthcare coverage from cradle to grave.

The current backlash against the American Health Care Act (AHCA) is an opportunity to build support for National Improved Medicare for All. Millions of people are facing the loss of health insurance at a time when people in the United States have the expectation that everyone should be covered.

As the Senate considers a “repeal and replace” of the Affordable Care Act for months or even the remainder of the year, it is important that National Improved Medicare for all be part of the dialogue.

We are writing to urge you to introduce a Senate bill to make improved Medicare available to everyone so people can see that there is a positive alternative to whatever the Republicans are debating. There is no more important and timely moment to introduce your single-payer bill, than now.

And we urge you to make it the strongest bill possible – one that is implemented rapidly (within two years of passage) and is consistent with the standards set forth in HR 676. Critical elements are that everyone is included, that it is a single system with non-duplication, coverage is comprehensive, out-of-pocket costs are eliminated and investor-owned entities are phased out.

In order to build the urgently needed movement for improved Medicare for all we must move aggressively and not be delayed by a debate over the counterproductive Republican plan or the fatally flawed ACA.

Every year this law is delayed has adverse impacts on hundreds of thousands of people. We need to move quickly.

Please do not delay introduction of your expanded and improved Medicare for all bill while the Senate debates which inadequate market-based healthcare bill should be law. The answer to that debate is neither – market-based healthcare should be replaced with healthcare as a public good, a National Improved Medicare for All.

Sincerely,

The Health Over Profit for Everyone steering committee

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