H.R. 676

PHNP reports in their e-newsletter that Representative John Conyer's office is reintroducing H.R. 676 or "The Expanded And Improved Medicare For All Act" in the next few weeks.  He is currently seeking cosponsors in Congress.

As of January 30th, there are 27 of the original 77 cosponsors from the 112th Congress: Nadler (NY), Schakowsky (IL), Pingree (ME), Grijalva (AZ), Ellison (MN), Hank Johnson (GA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), Tonko (NY), Holmes-Norton (DC), Lofgren (CA), Rangel (NY), Moore (WI), Chu (CA), Al Green (TX), Farr (CA), McGovern (MA), Welch (VT), Clarke (NY), Lee (CA), Nolan (MN), Pocan (WI), Doyle (PA), Engel (NY), Gutierrez (IL), Frederica Wilson ( FL), Cohen (TN ) and Edwards (MD ).

Please contact your representative to encourage them to cosponsor this historic and vitally important legislation, or to thank them if they already signed on.  Email contact through the House Of Representatives website here, or phone at the Capital Switchboard at 202-224-3121 (if they haven't turned their voicemail off), or both. 

The original H.R. 676 was found to be supported by 65% of the American public, 55% of the medical profession, hundreds of labor unions, and all of the major women's rights organizations.   The Congressional Budget Office found it was the most cost-effective way to provide quality health care to the entire country, research findings supported by numerous other studies around the nation. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."

Considering public events recently commemorating Dr. King's birthday, let's honor his life in actual deed, not just words, ceremonies, and photo ops, and pass The Expanded and Improved Medicare For All Act today.

Photo credit/courtesy of Next Left Notes/photographer: Bud Korotzer, NLN/Medicare For All or "single payer" advocates