State Lawmakers this session will debate a single payer health care insurance program.
State Senator Sam Bell and State Rep David Morales say healthcare is a fundamental right and needs to be changed because it is ineffective.
“Healthcare is a human right,” said Representative Morales (D-Dist. 7, Providence). “It should not be exclusive, expensive or accessible only to the fortunate. Despite our country’s wealth, thousands of working people and families lack the medical care and treatment they need. For too long, we’ve accepted the ineffective status quo and all the harm it has caused to Rhode Islanders. It is time we radically transform our health care system and establish a single-payer Medicare-for-all health care system that guarantees comprehensive health care coverage to all Rhode Islanders free of out-of-pocket expenses or co-payments, regardless of socioeconomic status.”
Senator Bell says, “The resources that we currently invest in health care are all too often being hoarded by the for-profit entities involved in this broken system, creating inflated costs and placing care out of reach for many. We need a bold shakeup that uses our health resources for health, not corporate profits. With our small size and compactness, Rhode Island could effectively provide fertile ground for the growth of a more efficient way to fund and deliver health care.
And they say that what money is spent on health care is too often hoarded - their words-by the healthcare giants.
“Far too many of our neighbors face gaps in their health insurance coverage to no fault of their own,” said Representative Morales. “It’s unfair that our state forces thousands of our lower-income seniors to pay out-of-pocket for critical medical services, such as dental care and prescription medicine. Oftentimes, Medicare coverage is not sufficient, especially for seniors on a fixed income, therefore, this is an issue of basic fairness."
No timetable for the bill has been released.
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