Affordable Health Care for All
In the wealthiest nation in the world, it is inconceivable that anyone
could lack access to health care. Yet there are at least 44 million
Americans - including 11 million children - who are uninsured. Health
care for a family of four costs more than a minimum wage worker earns
in a year. That's wrong and it creates a burden on both working
Americans and the hospitals and doctors who treat them. It's clear
that our system isn't working, and Americans are suffering as a result.
Affordable health care should be a right, not a privilege, and it
is our moral responsibility to ensure that no American has to choose
between receiving the care they need and putting food on the table.
That's why I gave a speech at historic Faneuil Hall in Boston on
July 31st
to emphasize my commitment to affordable health care for
all and to offer solutions to our broken system.
Our first priority must be to cover all children, no questions asked.
My Kids First Act, which I submitted to the Senate last year, would
provide health coverage for every child in America through age 21.
By requiring the federal government to take over Medicaid, states
would
be free to expand coverage for children above the poverty line. This
proposal will save Massachusetts more than $219 million dollars a
year, and states across the country will save over $6 billion a
year. It's not only fiscally responsible; it's morally responsible.
Every American should have access to the same type of health care
plan that Congress gives itself. If it's good enough for Members
of Congress, then it's good enough for average Americans, and I would
provide tax credits to make it affordable for those who fall through
the cracks of our current system - the working class, small business
owners and employees, and people between jobs.
I know this plan sounds expensive, but it could be easily paid for
by repealing President Bush's tax cuts for those earning over $200,000.
It's a matter of priorities. What is more important to us - ensuring
affordable, quality health care for every American, or giving another
tax break to those who need it least?
Affordable health care should be a right, not a privilege, and I
will continue to fight in the Senate for health care for all.
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