Forging Ahead for Medicare-for-All

I’m angry. My father got laid off (again). My 17 year old sister is beginning to look at colleges for an education I already know she’ll still be paying back in two decades. My friends – some of whom have masters and law degrees – can’t find steady employment. And now the Supreme Court has largely upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – with the notable exception of enforcing the Medicaid expansion for those who make between 100% and 133% of the poverty level. (Not to mention that the ACA will still leave 26 million people uninsured and requires most of us to purchase flawed, insufficient, and at times prohibitively expensive private health insurance.)

So I am angry. But I am also not alone – and that makes all the difference.

Being part of the single-payer movement – a movement of people who know that healthcare is a right and work relentlessly to bring humanity to the system – is what gives me hope. Because for every greedy corporate CEO, ignorant politician, and vitriolic pundit, there are countless more people like Bob.

Like millions of Americans, Bob’s and his wife’s health insurance premiums have been steadily increasing for the past decade – and this year they swelled by an exorbitant $543 a month. “I would expect this with my auto insurance,” said Bob. “That if I am a poor driver, my rates would go up. But we didn’t misbehave – we got sick.”

As anyone would be, they were angry. But instead of feeling defeated, they generously donated the same amount to Healthcare-NOW!. “It’s disconcerting to me, both personally and as a physician, that people say they have good health insurance,” said Bob. “Saying you have good insurance is like saying a drug dealer has good drugs… Something dramatic needs to happen.”

The struggle for Medicare-for-all forges on. We will continue to build our skills as organizers, gain more members and supporters, and flesh out our strategy on how we can best use our collective power to shift current power holders and win real universal healthcare. But we need the help of more Bobs to do so.

Donate today and Physicians for a National Health Program will match your donation. PNHP is graciously awarding Healthcare-NOW! a $5,000 matching grant, but we need to raise our half of the $5,000 first.

Can you contribute $200, $100, $50, or $30 today?

We need to raise these funds by the end of the month!

We are not beholden to any corporation, party, or organization – 56% of Healthcare-NOW!’s funding comes from individual members like you. Please donate what you can now, and help us continue to tell the private health insurance industry that we are far from being defeated.

In peace, health, and hope,

Francesca
Healthcare-NOW! Director of Organizing

P.S. Donate $30 or more today and receive a DVD copy of the 5 year SiCKO Reunion with Michael Moore and other folks from the film held in Philadelphia on June 30, 2012!