The first coronavirus drug proven to speed up recovery time is here, and Big Pharma is taking full advantage of our broken health care system to turn major profits off the backs of patients. 

While the U.S. spent at least $30 million of taxpayer money developing the Remdesivir drug, Gilead Sciences Inc. (the company behind the drug) will charge patients in the U.S. a higher fee for treatment than people in other countries. 

Why? Because countries with national health care systems were able to negotiate lower prices. This is just one of the reasons why we need Medicare for All now.  

Will you RSVP now for our Medicare for All summer strategy call on Tuesday, July 14, at 5pm PT /8pm ET to join the next phase of this campaign? Now more than ever is the time to demand Medicare for All.

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While Remdesivir costs about $10 per dose to produce, it will cost $3,120 for the typical patient in the U.S. with private insurance to receive treatment. 

Under our current health care system, companies like Gilead can drive up costs and rake in profits, while patients get stuck with the bill or are forced to go without the treatment they need because they can’t afford it. We need Medicare for All now.  

COVID-19 has laid bare everything that’s deeply wrong with our health care system, and we have a plan to use this unprecedented moment to make the case for guaranteed health care in the U.S. and bring more people directly impacted by this crisis into our movement. But we need your help. 

Please RSVP now for our Medicare for All summer strategy call on Tuesday, July 14, at 5pm PT /8pm ET to demand that our leaders take a side during this crisis and support Medicare for All.

The price for life-saving drugs should not be determined by those who have the most to profit from it. Everyone who needs care should be able to receive it free at the point of service. That’s what we’d have under Medicare for All.  

According to market analysis, Remdesivir sales will generate up to $1.3 billion in profit. While our tax dollars already helped pay for its development, we’ll pay an inflated price, and private companies like Gilead will profit. 

An estimated 27 million people have now lost their health insurance due to the pandemic, in addition to 29 million who were already uninsured. That’s nearly 60 million people in the U.S. without health insurance – during a global pandemic. Millions will go without treatment because they can’t afford to pay.

Reform cannot wait. RSVP for our Medicare for All strategy call today if you’re ready to be part of a historic grassroots effort that’s calling for health care justice once and for all.

With determination, 

Jasmine Ruddy
Organizer
Nurses’ Campaign for Medicare for All