LAKEWOOD, OHIO: Today, Councilmember At-large Tristan Rader submitted a resolution for docketing supporting the Medicare for All Act of 2021. This crucial act would ensure that every person in the United States, regardless of age or ability to pay, would have comprehensive, universal health insurance, with no out-of-pocket expenses.
COVID-19 pandemic has led to record levels of unemployment, loss of employer-sponsored health insurance, a severely strained health care system, widespread illness, and taken a profound toll on our community’s mental health, all of which is placing significant demands on our already strained health care system. The aftermath is that even more than ever people are saddled with crippling dept.
According to the New York Times 1 in 4, or 79 million Americans currently struggle with medical debt, this includes 32% of all workers. With medical debt topping $81 billion dollars in 2018, it is no wonder that 62% of people filing for bankruptcy cite medical bills as a reason.
Medicare for All Act of 2021 would provide national health insurance for every person in the United States for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical and outpatient services; primary and preventive care; emergency services; reproductive care; dental and vision care; and long-term care with no co-pay and will allow everyone to keep their doctor.
With the passage of this act, the quality of life for the residents of Lakewood will vastly improve because they would be able to get the ongoing care they need, instead of waiting until they have a medical emergency that could upend their lives as well as further burden local resources.
RESOLUTION NO. BY: RADER
A RESOLUTION to support the Medicare for All Act of 2021.
WHEREAS, every person in Lakewood, Ohio deserves high-quality health care; and,
WHEREAS, the number of Americans without health insurance before the COVID-19 pandemic was still nearly 30 million, with more than 40 million Americans underinsured, despite important gains made since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act; and,
WHEREAS, the current COVID-19 pandemic has led to record levels of unemployment, loss of employer-sponsored health insurance, a severely strained health care system, widespread illness, and taken a profound toll on our community’s mental health, all of which is placing significant demands on our health care system; and,
WHEREAS, many people delay seeking needed health care due to an inability to pay, leading to a sicker and poorer population in the long run; and,
WHEREAS, such a population is significantly more likely to develop serious illness if exposed to COVID-19 and will subsequently face higher mortality rates from the disease; and,
WHEREAS, the ever-increasing costs of health care, which are further elevated due to the pandemic, may challenge our already strapped state and municipal budgets; and,
WHEREAS, COVID-19 related treatment could cost uninsured patients tens of thousands of dollars; and,
WHEREAS, in order to equitably and effectively address the health care burden of the COVID-19 crisis, we must urge the United States Congress to expand health insurance coverage to provide comprehensive coverage to every resident of the United States without any cost-sharing.
WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2021 would provide national health insurance for every person in the United States for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical and outpatient services; primary and preventive care; emergency services; reproductive care; dental and vision care; and long-term care; and,
WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2021 would provide coverage without copays, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs, and would slash bureaucracy, protect the doctor-patient relationship and assure patients a free choice of doctors; and,
WHEREAS, recent polls show that a majority of Americans support Medicare for All; and,
WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2021 will guarantee that all residents of Lakewood will be fully covered for health care without copays, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs, and would save millions in taxpayer dollars now spent on premiums that provide often inadequate health insurance coverage for government employees; and,
WHEREAS, the quality of life for the residents of Lakewood will vastly improve because they would be able to get the ongoing care they need, instead of waiting until they have a medical emergency that could upend their lives as well as further burden local resources.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO:
Section 1. Lakewood City Council urges Congress to enact emergency legislation to provide universal, comprehensive health coverage with zero cost-sharing for patients during this crisis and enthusiastically supports the Medicare for All Act of 2021 (H.R. 1976).
Section 2. This Council calls on our federal legislators to work toward its immediate enactment, assuring appropriate and efficient health care for all residents of the United States.
Section 3. It is found and determined that all formal actions of this Council concerning and relating to the passage of this resolution were adopted in an open meeting of this Council, and that all such deliberations of this Council and any of its committees that resulted in such formal action, were in meetings open to the public, in compliance with all legal requirements.
To be read at the June 18th, 2021 Lakewood City Council Meeting
