The United States is the only developed nation in the world that fails to provide universal health care to its people. The result: despite spending more per capita on health care than anywhere else, America has far worse health outcomes -- higher infant and maternal mortality, lower life expectancy, higher rates of suicide and higher rates of chronic disease. More than 27 million Americans were uninsured in 2018, and medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.
Health care is a human right -- and the failure of the United States to fulfill this basic need for millions is a stain on our country. At the Progressive Caucus, we’re fighting to pass the Medicare For All Act to guarantee health care to all people living in the United States. It’s past time to remove the profit motive from health care and ensure that every person has access to the treatment and care that they need.
At the Progressive Caucus, we also recognize that the greed of Big Pharma is a public health crisis with life-threatening implications for millions of families. Nearly one in four Americans report struggling to afford a prescription drug. This is a national public health crisis caused by the greed of Big Pharma. Congress must act to rein in the price-gouging in the pharmaceutical market, require the direct negotiation of drug prices between pharmaceutical companies and the federal government, ensure robust competition in the marketplace, and institute critical safeguards to prevent any lifesaving drugs from being removed from the market.
Lastly, at the Progressive Caucus we believe that reproductive freedoms are a critical part of any universal health care system. We must permanently end the discriminatory Hyde Amendment, which prevents countless low-income women and women of color from accessing their constitutional right to reproductive health care. And given the unprecedented attacks on Roe v. Wade, Congress must act to codify Roe and make it clear that women’s reproductive freedoms are not up for debate.
More on Universal Health Care
| Date | Title |
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| 7/1/20 | Congressional Progressive Caucus Condemns Gilead's Price-Gouging of Remdesivir |
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| 6/29/20 | Congressional Progressive Caucus Applauds Improvements to ACA Expansion Bill to Include DACA Recipients |
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| 5/6/20 | Congressional Progressive Caucus Holds Remote Hearing on Racial Disparities in the Coronavirus Crisis |
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| 3/4/20 | Congressional Progressive Caucus Sends Letter to Pharmaceutical CEOs Seeking Information on Potential Drug Supply Chain Shortages During Coronavirus Outbreak |
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| 2/27/20 | Congressional Progressive Caucus Marks One Year Anniversary of Medicare For All Introduction |
