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Democrats Abroad Endorses “Medicare-for-All” Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 20, 2017 – Democrats Abroad endorses the “Medicare-for-All" bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on September 13th by Bernie Sanders and co-sponsors including Sens Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris.
"The ‘Medicare-for-All’ bill is currently the best route to attaining the goal of universal health care and as such we endorse it." stated Julia Bryan, International Chair of Democrats Abroad, on behalf of the International Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad. "We invite those who favor other routes to put forward ideas that are as practical and thorough in attaining coverage for all.”
As Sanders explained in The New York Times Wednesday, the bill would mean that “every family in America would receive comprehensive coverage, and middle-class families would save thousands of dollars a year by eliminating their private insurance costs as we move to a publicly funded program.”
The endorsement from Democrats Abroad is the most recent push in support for universal health care from the organization, which has consistently maintained a stance that health care is a right, not a privilege. Americans around the world have advocated for an affordable healthcare solution for residents in the United States similar to what many have experienced first-hand overseas.
The organization is currently asking Americans abroad to share their perspective through http://democratsabroad.org/healthcare_stories.
“We consistently hear stories in support of universal health care, including many about 'health care refugees' - Americans abroad who can't return to the States because their health care would be cost prohibitive back home," added Bryan. "Health care should be a given, not a question mark, and it's time for U.S. policies to reflect that."
***Addendum: As an issue that impacts Americans across all demographics, additional quotes on this issue are provided below.
Ana Blackstad, Chair, Hispanic Caucus of Democrats Abroad: “Latinos face the highest uninsured rates of any racial or ethnic group within the United States. ‘Medicare-for-All’ would help Latino families access preventative care for illnesses that disproportionately affect the Latino community, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and asthma.”
Ann Hesse, Co-Chair, Women’s Caucus of Democrats Abroad: “Health care is absolutely key to a woman's well-being and economic stability, and we know that women are particularly discriminated against in the patchwork of health care plans currently available in the US. We believe that this bill provides the very best chance yet for our mothers and sisters back home to have the same access to high-quality care that we enjoy abroad.”
Salli Swartz, Co-Chair, Women’s Caucus of Democrats Abroad: “The Democrats Abroad Global Women's Caucus strongly supports the ‘Medicare-for-All’ bill introduced this week before Congress by Bernie Sanders. This Bill if enacted will protect women's' right to health care which is essential to protecting our rights to maternal care to pregnant women and children and reproductive health benefits."
Martha McDevitt-Pugh, Chair, LGBT Caucus of Democrats Abroad: “A health crisis can hit any community, and LGBT Americans know only too well the devastating consequences discrimination can have on the health of individuals and communities. The ‘Medicare-for-All’ bill would ensure access to care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and transgender people and provide a foundation of integrity for American society and our families.”
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Democrats Abroad is the official organization of the Democratic Party for United States citizens living permanently or temporarily abroad. The organization is given state-level recognition by the Democratic National Committee, with eight positions on the Democratic National Committee, and sends a voting delegation to the Democratic National Convention to select our presidential candidate.
For more information, visit http://www.democratsabroad.org.