Democrats are feeling the heat to respond to the public's overwhelming demand for Medicare for All.
In February, Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2019 in the House with more than 100 co-sponsors. Along with Sen. Bernie Sanders' Senate bill, it is the only legislation that meets our principles for a truly democratic socialist single-payer system.
But with powerful donors lined up in opposition and prominent Democrats either cagily supporting Medicare for All or actively attempting to undermine it, we recognize how vulnerable the bill is to being watered down by corporate democrats. It's clear that we cannot trust either party to give the people what we overwhelmingly demand.
Our job is to make it clear that we will accept nothing less than a single-payer healthcare plan that meets our campaign's five underlying principles:
- It must be a single, public program — not a patchwork.
- It must provide comprehensive coverage — that includes dental, vision, hearing, abortion, and all other necessary services.
- It must be free at the point of use — no fees, copays, no deductibles.
- It must be truly universal — all residents must be guaranteed an equal standard of care, including the undocumented.
- It must include a generous jobs program — with severance, jobs training, and retirement assistance for all impacted workers.
To seize this opening, we're focusing our efforts on a strategic, coordinated campaign led by DSA members and chapters to build and maintain congressional support for the House Medicare for All bill. We've written a handy how-to guide to help chapters organize their campaign, which includes information on everything from building a local coalition with like-minded organizations to setting up and preparing for an in-person meeting with your representative.
Here's what you can do to get involved in this campaign:
- Tell your Congress member to support Medicare for All: 202-858-1717
- If you're part of a DSA chapter or M4A working group, sign up to get involved in the campaign!
- Read our campaign guide to learn about how your chapter might organize your efforts.