New Haven becomes third CT city to endorse Medicare for All

In response to a community campaign seeking action to ensure high quality health care as a human right, the New Haven Board of Alders has unanimously adopted a resolution in favor of Medicare for All legislation. New Haven joins New London and Windham which passed similar resolutions earlier this year.

Recognizing the high cost of health insurance as a barrier to care for individuals and a burden for the city budget, the resolution “calls on our federal l legislators to work toward enactment of H.R. 1976, the Medicare for All Act of 2021, assuring appropriate and efficient health care for all residents of the United States.”

The resolution explains that the Medicare for All Act of 2021 “would provide universal single-payer 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 l long-term care without premiums, co-pays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs, and assure patients a free choice of doctors.”

The resolution was initiated by Medicare for All CT, New Haven Rising, Connecticut Working Families Party and the New Haven Peoples Center among others. Over 500 New Haven residents wrote letters of support.

“New Haven residents have been reaching out to us non-stop since this resolution was introduced,”
said Alder Darryl Brackeen, Jr. “We kept their voices and letters in mind when passing the resolution unanimously through the Health and Human Services Committee, and the entire Board of Alders.”

The resolution points out that “recent polls show that a majority of Americans support Medicare for All.” stating that “the $3.5 trillion US multi-payer is the most expensive in the world, yet has

left nearly 30 million Americans without health insurance and over 40 million

under-insured.”

In addition to support for national legislation, the resolution calls on state legislators to support “a state-level single payer in Connecticut to guarantee healthcare to all Connecticut residents.

The text of the resolution will be delivered to Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Sen Richard Blumenthal and Sen Chris Murphy.