Dr. Martin Luther King famously said “Of all forms of discrimination and inequalities, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.” He also believed that healthcare is a human right. 

The social contract of the United States accepts that the government has a responsibility to provide for the welfare of its people. Goods and services such as schools, roads, and libraries; as well as access to food and transportation are things on which we can rely from the public sector. In a country with our wealth and resources no one should lack healthcare; it should be treated as a public good and service. 

In Prince George's County many residents are still underinsured despite important gains brought by the Affordable Care Act. The unprecedented loss of jobs and business closures during the pandemic illustrates all the shortcomings of our patchwork employer-based system.  We need a better system and Medicare For All would provide such a system. Under the Medicare For All Act of 2021, H.R. 1976, every American no matter their age, employment status, location, health condition or situation would get health coverage, free at the point of service.

The plan is especially important for people of color who  have experienced great harm during this public health crisis. The effects of the Coronavirus pandemic have been felt disproportionately by our county's BIPOC residents. It's time to remove barriers to healthcare and this legislation will begin to accomplish that.

The public strongly supports this approach. According to a 2020 Pew Research Poll “63% of U.S. adults say the government has the responsibility to provide health care coverage for all.”  More and more business leaders, public health advocates, unions, and faith leaders support the creation of a universal healthcare system using Medicare For All. Fifty city and county councils across the nation have passed resolutions in support of this federal legislation. 

We appreciate all that the Council as well as our County staff and agencies have done to meet the many healthcare, housing, education and financial needs people have faced and continue to face during  pandemic. If we had a Medicare for All system in place during this time the County's public servants, agencies and non-profits would have had more resources and capacity at their disposal to marshall an even stronger public health response to protect and potentially save more lives. 

For all of the above reasons, we the undersigned Prince George's County residents urge the Council to pass Resolution CR-27-2021 calling on our U.S. Senators and Representatives to co-sponsor and lead the effort in Congress to pass the Medicare For All Act of 2021. Help our country realize the goal of making healthcare a human right and pass this resolution.