“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is one of the most well known and oft quoted phrases from the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase gives these three examples of the “unalienable rights” which the Declaration says have been given to all human beings by their Creator, and which governments are created to protect. A majority of Americans now believe it is the our mutual responsibility — the government’s responsibility (“We The People”) to ensure all Americans have healthcare coverage, and according to a new national survey by Pew Research Center, a growing share now support a “single payer” approach to health insurance.
For now, the number of uninsured Americans is at an historical low thanks to the combined impact of workers’ health plans, strong Medicare and Medicaid programs, and the Affordable Care Act’s protections against unaffordable private health insurance. Yet still, too many people do not have health insurance. And yet, rather than allow the ACA to stand while they fix the open issues and improve on the system, the current administration is pushing an ill-conceived plan through Congress. If they succeed, millions of working people and retirees will be stripped of their health benefits, coverage will be far more expensive, workers’ health plans will be taxed and federal health care funding will be raided to give huge tax cuts to the very wealthy and corporations. We will continue to advocate for affordable health care for all Americans and to protect and strengthen the family protection programs that provide vital care to millions of children and seniors.