BALTIMORE, MD - The Baltimore City Green Party calls on our members of the U.S. House of Representatives to reject the private health insurance industry bailout provided by HR 3962 – the Affordable Health Care for America Act – and stand up for a universal, single-payer plan that provides health care to all Americans regardless of their ability to pay for private insurance.
"This bill is a recipe for failure," says Vince Tola, Treasurer of the Baltimore City Green Party. "The weak public option will end up being more expensive than private insurance. It’s unconscionable that Congress wants to force people to pay premiums that they will not be able to afford."
City Greens applaud Representative Elijah Cummings for his recent statement that "Health care is not a privilege – it is a right" and ask him to back up his words with a meaningful public statement and vote in support of HR 676 – the United States National Health Care Act – which he cosponsors. In 2007, Representative Cummings wrote that "All a single payer system would do is eliminate the insurance company middlemen, saving millions of dollars in paperwork and processing fees."
The Baltimore City Green Party asks Mr. Cummings and all our Congressional representatives to reject bills such as HR 3962 that protect insurance company middlemen by mandating private insurance for all Americans. Senator Obama opposed the so-called "individual mandate" during election-year debates with Senator Clinton, yet this has become a central feature of President Obama's bill.
According to the Centers for Disease Control nearly 90,000 Baltimore residents have no health insurance. The Green Party believes that many of these individuals - the most needy city residents - will not be able to purchase mandated coverage regardless of the subsidies provided by President Obama's reforms. "People making the choice between food, shelter, and health care will still have to make the choice between food, shelter, and reduced-cost health care," noted Brian Bittner, Co-Chair of the Baltimore City Green Party. "They are likely to pick food and shelter first, and will now be in violation of federal mandates for making this choice."
In relation to other countries, the United States spends more per capita on health care without improved health outcomes. In fact, Americans fall behind other countries on nearly every health indicator, according to the World Health Organization. American innovation in health care – pioneered by Baltimore institutions like Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Medical System – is meaningless when people cannot access it. Universal, single-payer health coverage – "Medicare for All" – is the only solution that truly addresses the crisis of our current system. A single-payer system cuts administrative costs, covers all Americans, and simplifies a complicated system filled with gaps and loopholes.
The Baltimore City Green Party believes that the people of Baltimore cannot wait any longer for a real solution to our health care crisis. We urge our Representatives Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, and Cummings to publicly state opposition to HR 3962 and promote real comprehensive health care reform through progressive bills such as HR 676.
The Baltimore City Green Party does not accept any contributions from business entities such as insurance companies or political action committees (PACs) such as the pharmaceutical or health insurance lobbies.
The Baltimore City Green Party can be reached at 443-876-8522 or baltimoregreens@gmail.com.
