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Access to Affordable Health Care Should
Be a Right, Not a Privilege in America
February 27, 2007
For Immediate Release

"Access to affordable health care coverage is the single biggest domestic crisis facing America today," Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) said as he re-introduced H.R. 1200, his single payer health care legislation. "The health care crisis gets worse every day and, because of it, more Americans get hurt every day."

McDermott cited recent data that shows within a decade, 20% of every dollar in the pocket of every American will go to a health care expense. "Americans already spend more money per capita on health care than any other nation and that burden will only get worse unless we act," McDermott said.

H.R. 1200 would not change the way health care is delivered, just the way we pay for it, according to McDermott. "We're already spending more than enough money to provide affordable health care coverage to every American," McDermott said, "but the system is so flawed that the American people are paying for health care they are not receiving."

Under HR 1200 the federal government would collect payroll taxes and pool all of these funds at the national level. Funds would then be disseminated to the States to establish their own program for providing health care, provided they ensure that every citizen gets at least a minimum benefits package. The legislation creates the American Health Security Board to determine a set of benefits that every American must be provided. This board would be comprised of health policy experts and providers.

McDermott noted that many states, including Washington, are trying to move forward on their own because the federal government has failed to act. "It's long past time for the federal government to meet its responsibilities," McDermott said.

"Access to affordable health care should be a right in this country, but the crushing financial burden on most Americans is making health care a privilege for the wealthy and that's wrong," McDermott added.

McDermott is a medical doctor who has advocated for universal health care coverage for over a decade in the House. McDermott said the time for a real effort to solve the health care crisis has finally arrived.

"For the last 12 years, a Republican controlled Congress talked around the issue and simply refused to address the real needs of the American people," McDermott said. "The health care changes that Republicans pushed through Congress amounted to disguised tax breaks for the wealthy, while the majority of the American people were ignored."

The latest data are a grim reminder of the devastating impact the health care crisis is having on the American people. Over 47 million Americans are without health care coverage. A recent Harvard study found that medical bills are a factor in half of all personal bankruptcies. As costs soar, more Americans are using credit cards to pay bills, resulting in a high-interest debt burden that will last for years. The number of employers offering a health care benefit continues to drop and the burden of financial responsibility continues to shift to the employee. Health security is no longer a guarantee for most working families.