Healthcare Advocacy - Today's News & Actions

May 16, 2023

Happy Tuesday Healthcare Advocates

Today May 16th Universal Healthcare will be reintroduced into both houses of Congress by Rep. Jayapal (WA) and Sen. Sanders (VT.)

Please enter requests for research using the comment button at the bottom. Topics in work:

What effect do the new single payer bills have on rural healthcare
What types of reform are needed in prison healthcare
1. Quality of care
2. Copays driving down access
3. Mental health support (suicides are high)

Universal Healthcare Now

Reposting data from PNHP about Universal Healthcare in Congress.

You can read a brief summary of the House bill HERE, and the Senate bill is forthcoming. The bills would of course provide free and comprehensive health coverage to everyone in the country, with no premiums, co-pays, or deductibles, and absolutely no restrictive networks.

There are also two extremely important additions to this bill that are to me as a healthcare advocate. All reproductive health care, including abortion care and contraception, are explicitly covered under this legislation, and the same is true of all gender affirming care. That will help stem the attacks on women and the LGBTQ+ community in this country and these bills deserve support from all of us.

I know we do this all the time but remember that people who answer the phone for your representatives keep track of the number of comments, not necessarily who they are from.

ACTION

Contact your Representatives and Senators using the message form which can be found HERE, or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Demand that they sign on to this legislation to ensure that their constituents can freely access the care that they deserve.
- Text can be this simple: I am your constituent in [zip-code] and I want you to cosponsor and support the Single Payer Universal Healthcare Legislation being introduced by Representative Jayapal and Senator Sanders. A majority of Americans support this and I want you to do it.
- For RESISTBOT you can text SIGN PUWBRW to 50409 for the same message.
For DC-area members: Senator Sanders will be hosting a town hall at the Capitol Visitors Center for health care workers and patients on Tuesday, May 16. If you are able, please attend the town hall and wear your white coat and/or scrubs to show your support! RSVP HERE. The event starts at 7:30 PM Eastern, but please arrive between 6:15 and 7:15 PM

You may watch the livestream of the town hall HERE. I will.

Reproductive Healthcare

Tomorrow, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will hear oral arguments in a case filed by anti-abortion extremists attempting to block the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA)'s approval of mifepristone—one of two drugs used in medication abortion. Mifepristone remains available while the case is being heard. The case is likely to be sent up to the Supreme Court no matter the ruling.

On the positive side Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington just signed legislation that allows 30,000 doses of mifepristone on hand in the Washington Department of Corrections to be made available publicly as needed.

The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a new lawsuit on behalf of abortion providers in three states – Virginia, Montana, and Kansas – to protect access to mifepristone.