Since Congressman John Yarmuth was elected in 2006, he has cosponsored HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All bill, that would cover all of us under national single payer legislation.
HR 676 was based on the Physicians’ Proposal for a National Health Plan and would remove the private insurance companies, thereby applying the savings to assuring excellent coverage for everyone cradle to grave. Everyone covered, costs reined in, problem solved!
Rep. Yarmuth signed on to the bill six times, in each of six Congresses since he was elected. Rep. Yarmuth has spoken publicly and eloquently for single payer health care and has affirmed support for HR 676 on his website.
But, according to recent news reports in The Hill and Insider Louisville and to radio interviews on March 15, 2019 on WFPL and on March 26 on LEO radio, Rep. Yarmuth has shifted his position.
He now expresses concern that there would be no private insurers, and he voices disapproval of unlimited health care on demand with no contribution. Yet there were never any private insurance companies nor any copays, deductibles, nor premiums in the HR 676 that he cosponsored.
Rep. Yarmuth now criticizes the inclusion of long term care in the single payer plan, even though long term care was always in HR 676, the bill that he supported.
Yarmuth now expresses concern that the cost of Medicare for All would be irresponsible, yet countries across the world spend on average, per capita, about half of what the US spends by using the cost savings of a single payer system. And those countries have longer life spans, lower infant and maternal mortality—better outcomes—than we have in the US. We can’t afford NOT to go to single payer!
Yarmuth must hear from the people so that he will know the sentiment in his district. If you believe that Improved Medicare for All, a national single payer system, is the right thing—then encourage Rep. Yarmuth to do the right thing, to boldly stand up for it once again.
You can email him from his website:
You can send letters:
Romano Mazzoli Federal Building
600 Martin Luther King, Jr. Place, Suite 216
Louisville, KY 40202
600 Martin Luther King, Jr. Place, Suite 216
Louisville, KY 40202
OR
402 Cannon House Office Building
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
You can call him:
502-582-5129 or 202-225-5401
1. The Hill: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/432074-key-dem-chairman-voices-skepticism-on-medicare-for-all-bill
2. Insider Louisville: https://louilink.com/2019/02/26/https-insiderlouisville-com-government-liberal-democrats-want-medicare-for-all-yarmuth-is-not-convinced/
3. March 15 WFPL Interview: https://wfpl.org/u-s-rep-john-yarmuth-on-trumps-budget-the-green-new-deal/
4. March 26 LEO interview: https://www.leoweekly.com/2019/03/leo-podcast-76-u-s-rep-john-yarmuth-dsa-talk-healthcare/
2. Insider Louisville: https://louilink.com/2019/02/26/https-insiderlouisville-com-government-liberal-democrats-want-medicare-for-all-yarmuth-is-not-convinced/
3. March 15 WFPL Interview: https://wfpl.org/u-s-rep-john-yarmuth-on-trumps-budget-the-green-new-deal/
4. March 26 LEO interview: https://www.leoweekly.com/2019/03/leo-podcast-76-u-s-rep-john-yarmuth-dsa-talk-healthcare/
Issued by Kentuckians for Single Payer Health Care, (502) 636-1551, nursenpo@aol.com, www.kyhealthcare.org,