National Nurses United has issued a statement reaffirming its support for the Medicare for All Act.
The bill was reintroduced in Congress on April 29 by Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Debbie Dingell, according to the April 29 press release.
The union wrote that the legislation comes at a vital time, while Medicaid and VA benefits are at risk of being cut.
“Registered nurses and our allies don’t step back but step up, during pandemics, climate emergencies and authoritarian regimes,” Bonnie Castillo, RN, executive director of NNU, said in the release. “We won’t let them threaten public services like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security or try to eliminate federal workers’ protected union rights. As patient advocates, it is our duty to fight for a system that prioritizes people over profits. So even on our hardest days, we won’t stop fighting for Medicare for All.”
The act would expand Medicare benefits to allow primary care, vision, dental, prescription drugs, mental health services, home and community-based care and more to every person in the U.S.
Currently, 85 million people in America are either uninsured or underinsured.
“When we guarantee health care for all, corporations and billionaires will no longer be able to deny anyone the care that they need. In the richest country on earth, nobody should have to be forced to choose between taking their medications and putting food on the table,” Nancy Hagans, RN, NNU president, said in the release.
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