Federal legislation supported by National Nurses United (NNU) had a banner week in May when nurses participated in a town hall in support of Medicare for All with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. Nurses were also in attendance at press conferences when Sen. Sanders, Rep. Jayapal, and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced Medicare for All legislation in Congress on May 17 and when the FAMILY Act was introduced, guaranteeing paid family and medical leave to all workers.
“Tens of millions of Americans have no health insurance or are underinsured,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and a member of NNU’s Council of Presidents. “The pandemic underscored the dire costs when people cannot access quality, therapeutic health care. This is why we need Medicare for All.”
The Medicare for All bill has 112 original cosponsors in the House and 14 original cosponsors in the Senate. NNU has long supported Medicare for All in order to achieve guaranteed health care for every person living in the United States.
“In my 35 years working as a nurse, I’ve seen a lot of patients suffer because they didn’t have health insurance,” said Hagans at the Medicare for All town hall. “I’ve seen a lot of people forced to choose between taking their medications and putting food on the table. The current system discriminates based on your ability to pay, what kind of job you have, or if you have a job at all. It’s a disgrace. As a nurse for more than three decades, I know without any doubt — we must have Medicare for All.”
“The American people understand, as I do, that health care is a human right, not a privilege,” said Sanders, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. “As we speak, there are millions of people who would like to go to a doctor but cannot afford to do so. That is an outrage.”
“We live in a country where millions of people ration lifesaving medication or skip necessary trips to the doctor because of cost,” said Jayapal. “[The] solution is Medicare for All — everyone in, nobody out.”
“Nurses strive to provide safe, therapeutic care at the bedside, but this is made increasingly difficult by our country’s broken health care system,” said Deborah Burger, RN and a member of NNU’s Council of Presidents. “Under our current system, the basic health needs of tens of millions of people go unmet, while large insurance, hospital, and pharmaceutical corporations soak up billions of health care dollars. Congress must pass the Medicare for All Act, and finally guarantee health care as a right to everyone.”
The FAMILY Act, sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Rosa DeLauro would establish the first national paid family and medical leave program in the country, ensuring that every worker has access to paid leave for every serious medical event, each time it is needed. The bill calls for 12 weeks of paid leave. The Healthy Families Act, sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, allows workers in businesses with 15 or more employees to earn seven job protected paid sick days each year.
“Nurses want what is best for patients, and that’s why our union supports paid sick and family leave for all workers,” said Jean Ross, RN and a member of NNU’s Council of Presidents. “Nobody should have to choose between their own health or the health of their loved ones, and their livelihood.
Chuleenan Svetvilas is a communications specialist at National Nurses United.
