Sample Local Resolution
Below is some sample language for a relatively simple local resolution that includes reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as some additional potential “whereas” clauses that you may decide to include based on your community’s circumstances. Feel free to adapt and/or write your own resolution based on what makes most sense for your local jurisdiction. The exact content of the resolution matters less than affirming the general principle that your local government affirms the need for guaranteed health care for everyone through Medicare for All.
Resolution in Support of the Medicare for All Act of 2021
WHEREAS every person in [CITY/COUNTY] deserves high quality health care; and
WHEREAS the number of Americans without health insurance before the COVID-19 pandemic was still nearly 30 million, with more than 40 million Americans underinsured, despite important gains made since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act; and
WHEREAS the current COVID-19 pandemic has led to record levels of unemployment, loss of employer-sponsored health insurance, a severely strained health care system, widespread illness, and taken a profound toll on our community’s mental health, all of which is placing significant demands on our health care system, and
WHEREAS many people delay seeking needed health care due to an inability to pay, leading to a sicker and poorer population in the long run; and
WHEREAS, such a population is significantly more likely to develop serious illness if exposed to COVID-19 and will subsequently face higher mortality rates from the disease; and
WHEREAS the ever-increasing costs of health care, which are further elevated due to the pandemic, may challenge our already strapped state and municipal budgets; and
WHEREAS,COVID-19 related treatment could cost uninsured patients tens of thousands of dollars; and
WHEREAS in order to equitably and effectively address the health care burden of the COVID-19 crisis, we must urge the United States Congress to expand health insurance coverage to provide comprehensive coverage to every resident of the United States without any cost sharing.
WHEREAS the Medicare for All Act of 2021 would provide national health insurance for every person in the United States for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical and outpatient services; primary and preventive care; emergency services; reproductive care; dental and vision care; and long-term care; and
WHEREAS the Medicare for All Act of 2021 would provide coverage without copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs, and would slash bureaucracy, protect the doctor-patient relationship and assure patients a free choice of doctors; and
WHEREAS recent polls show that a majority of Americans support Medicare for All; and
WHEREAS the Medicare for All Act of 2021 will guarantee that all residents of [CITY/COUNTY] will be fully covered for health care without copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs, and would save millions in taxpayer dollars now spent on premiums that provide often inadequate health insurance coverage for government employees; and
WHEREAS the quality of life for the residents of [CITY/COUNTY] will vastly improve because they would be able to get the ongoing care they need, instead of waiting until they have a medical emergency that could upend their lives as well as further burden local resources;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the [CITY/COUNTY COUNCIL] urges Congress to enact emergency legislation to provide universal, comprehensive health coverage with zero cost-sharing for patients during this crisis and enthusiastically supports the Medicare for All Act of 2021 (H.R. 1976 and S. 4204) and calls on our federal legislators to work toward its immediate enactment, assuring appropriate and efficient health care for all residents of the United States.
**If there is a relevant state initiative**
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the [CITY/COUNTY COUNCIL] expresses its enthusiastic support for the [STATE SINGLE-PAYER INITIATIVE NAME] and calls upon our state legislators to work toward its immediate enactment.]
**If the locality has an entity or lobbyist that carries their federal agenda**
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we include in our 2021 and 2022 Federal Legislative Agenda that that we support the Medicare for All Act of 2021 (H.R. 1976 and S. 4204).
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Additional supporting clauses that could be included in a local resolution:
WHEREAS millions with insurance have coverage so inadequate that a major illness would lead to financial ruin, and medical illness and bills contribute to two-thirds of all bankruptcies; and
WHEREAS managed care and other market-based reforms have failed to contain health care costs, which threaten the international competitiveness of U.S. businesses; and
WHEREAS, the existence of thousands of public and private insurance providers and regulators has resulted in extraordinarily complex health care business procedures that consume almost one-third of our nation’s expenditures for health care; and
WHEREAS administrative waste stemming from our reliance on private insurers consumes one-third of private health spending while the single-payer Medicare system has administration costs of less than 5 percent; and
WHEREAS, rationing health care according to ability to pay has diminished the overall health of our citizens to the point that the United States ranks last among industrialized nations in health outcomes and as many as 30,000 people in the United States die each year due to inadequate health care; and
WHEREAS numerous academic studies have concluded that the administrative savings under a single-payer, Medicare for All system would be enough to cover the currently uninsured and improve coverage for all those who now have only partial coverage; and
WHEREAS entrusting care to profit-oriented firms diverts billions of dollars to outrageous incomes for CEOs and threatens the quality of care; and
WHEREAS, the failure to provide affordable and appropriate preventative health care services places unnecessary and more costly demands upon [CITY/COUNTY] emergency health care services.