[ [link removed] ]Democratic Socialists for Medicare for All

Dear John,

Enjoy this month’s issue of All In, the DSA Medicare for All newsletter.
Read on for more on Medicare for All and the Democratic primary candidates
(guess who’s the best), DSA local wins, and union support for Medicare for
All!

In solidarity,

Dustin Guastella
DSA Medicare for All Campaign Committee

 

[1]BANNER: All In: The DSA M4A Newsletter

 

Sen. Bernie Sanders and his team released several exciting new platforms
this month, and we’re especially excited about one in particular when it
comes to Medicare for All: [ [link removed] ]The Workplace Democracy Plan.

Sanders’s Workplace Democracy Plan is unprecedented in scale and scope,
and [ [link removed] ]Liza Featherstone writes in Jacobin that it’s “the most pro-union
platform of any major presidential candidate in decades.” Sanders’s plan
would make it easier for employees to form unions, eliminate state-level
right-to-work laws, give federal workers the right to strike, eliminate
“at-will” firing, and more.

As Featherstone writes, this doesn’t necessarily mean unionizing every
workplace will magically become a breeze, but it will significantly lower
the barriers to forming a union while balancing the scales of power
between workers and their employers. Sanders even includes a specific M4A
provision. [ [link removed] ]Directly from the platform (emphasis ours):

“Bernie will require that resulting healthcare savings from
union-negotiated plans result in wage increases and additional benefits
for workers during the transition to Medicare for All. When Medicare for
All is signed into law, companies with union negotiated health care plans
would be required to enter into new contract negotiations overseen by the
National Labor Relations Board. Under this plan, all company savings that
result from reduced health care contributions from Medicare for All will
accrue equitably to workers in the form of increased wages or other
benefits. Furthermore, the plan will ensure that union-sponsored clinics
and other providers are integrated within the Medicare for All system, and
kept available for members. Unions will still be able to negotiate for and
provide wrap-around services and other coverage not duplicative of the
benefits established under Medicare for All.”

And then it gets even better: Sanders also proposed a plan to eliminate
billions of dollars in medical debt. The debt forgiveness program would be
separate from Medicare for All, and the campaign says it would [ [link removed] ]“forgive
$81 billion in existing past-due medical debt and make changes to the 2005
bankruptcy bill.”

Sanders hinted at the new plan at a town hall in Florence, South Carolina,
where he later told a reporter (emphasis ours), “in the midst of a
dysfunctional health care system, what we have got to do is say that you
cannot go bankrupt. You cannot end up in financial distress because you’re
terribly sick. That’s cruel, and that is something we've got to end.”

We agree, and we can’t wait to see what else he has in store. If you have
friends, family members or colleagues who are interested in keeping up
with the campaign, [ [link removed] ]tell them to sign up here to receive All In straight
to their inbox. Thanks for reading!

From the campaign

News from the M4A blog and the broader campaign

For critics who say switching people to Medicare for All would be too
disruptive, consider this: one in four adults — or 50 million people —
have faced a spell of uninsurance in the past year. Matt Bruenig of the
[ [link removed] ]People’s Policy Project writes that [ [link removed] ]this is a direct result of how
our health insurance system works. Our current system “constantly causes
people to lose their insurance at nearly every critical life moment: loss
of job, loss of spouse, loss of a parent, loss of Medicaid upon income
increase, turning twenty-six, moving states, and so on.” People’s
insurance changes all the time, for a variety of unforeseen or unexpected
reasons, so why should we be afraid of a single change that will
immediately improve the lives of millions of people? Pundits pose a
problem that doesn’t exist, but regardless of what they say, Medicare for
All is the answer.

The Texas State AFL-CIO passed a resolution supporting Medicare for All,
joining the likes of hundreds of other union locals, central labor
councils, state federations, and even the national AFL-CIO. [ [link removed] ]But support
from the Texas State AFL-CIO is especially notable, writes Ryan Haney,
because just a few years ago pledging the union’s support would have been
unheard of. “This conversation was always an uphill battle in Texas,”
Haney writes. “But this experience was dramatically different, as airline
mechanics, teachers, refinery workers, and electricians clambered to be
the first to address each hesitation voiced at the convention.” While
these pledges of support are certainly a step forward, [ [link removed] ]Haney echoes
Mark Dudzic in Democratic Left by saying unions need to show “real,
ongoing commitments from all labor leaders” to Medicare for All. Now is
the time to turn support into action!

And one more thing: Are you a union member? [ [link removed] ]If you are, sign this
petition to send a message to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka that union
members want Medicare for All. Over the Labor Day weekend, Trumka used the
talk show circuit to say some union workers aren’t ready to trade in their
union-negotiated health plans for Medicare for All. He said this despite
the fact unions representing a majority of America’s organized workers
support Medicare for All, and that the AFL-CIO itself has [ [link removed] ]supported
single-payer in the past. Every signature helps!

The fight for Medicare for All is rooted in the struggles of today, but we
still have [ [link removed] ]something to learn from the struggles of those before us,
write Steve Early & Rand Wilson. Thirty years ago, 60,000 telephone
workers walked off the job in New York and New England for seventeen
weeks, much to the dismay of their employer, NYNEX. Their primary reason
for striking? Healthcare cost shifting. The strike ultimately won the
members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) the ability to
avoid making any healthcare premium contributions for the next two
decades. To convince people, strike organizers had to make the argument
that “the United States needed a tax-supported system of coverage not tied
to employment.” The struggle, and that message, built solidarity for
decades to come. “Remembering that history and continuing to stay united
is the key to overcoming the many threats and challenges we face today,”
said Boston IBEW leader Myles Calvey.

News

Related news articles, essays, articles from outlets beyond the campaign

In a major win for our movement and thanks in large part to the work of
our Medicare for All organizers and NYC DSA, House Democratic Caucus
chairman Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced his support for Rep.
Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All bill, bringing the total number of
House supporters to 119. [ [link removed] ]The Hill reports that Jeffries is the
second-highest-ranking House Democrat to back Medicare for All after New
Mexican Rep. Ben Ray Luján, who already announced his support in June.
We’re gaining ground, but it’s clear we have to keep the pressure on:
Jeffries also pledged support for weaker plans such as "Medicare X,” which
offers a public option.

Sen. Kamala Harris supported Medicare for All when it was advantageous for
her campaign, but when she’s speaking to potential big-money donors, her
tune changes. [ [link removed] ]Bloomberg reports that Harris told a crowd of
large-dollar donors that she had “not been comfortable with Bernie’s plan”
despite signing on as a co-sponsor when it was introduced. Clearly Sen.
Harris and her campaign understand the universal popularity of Medicare
for All, so why does she tout inferior plans that are clearly no
substitute ([ [link removed] ]her own healthcare plan, “Kamalacare,” will laughably take
10 years to implement)? We can’t trust a candidate who says one thing to
one group of people and says something entirely different to another. We
need someone who is unequivocally committed to Medicare for All.

Chapter spotlight

A look at what locals are doing around the country

Albuquerque DSA announced a massive win for working people in August after
Bernalillo County Commissioners [ [link removed] ]passed a paid sick leave ordinance
3-2. [ [link removed] ]The chapter celebrated the win, which was led by a local
coalition that included NM Working Families, OLÉ, Equality New Mexico and
El CENTRO.

BuxMont DSA, the suburban branch of Philly DSA, [ [link removed] ]made history in August
after Norristown became the first municipality in Montgomery County to
pass a resolution in support of Medicare for All. Norristown, pop. 34,000,
is only the second in municipality in Pennsylvania and one of just over a
dozen cities and towns in the United States to pass resolutions in support
of Medicare for All. [ [link removed] ]You can read about how they did it here. Amazing
work!

Chicago DSA has joined a pressure campaign to persuade Rep. Mike Quigley
(D-Ill.) to support Medicare for All. [ [link removed] ]Members went out canvassing in
August!

Portland DSA members presented a talk at one of their general meetings on
why Medicare for All is revolutionary. [ [link removed] ]Watch it in full here.

Social media

The best stuff from our feeds

👯 [ [link removed] ]Same energy

😋 [ [link removed] ]Looks good

🗣️ [ [link removed] ]Get rid of it

🍦 [ [link removed] ]What a tease (in a bad way)

💅 [ [link removed] ]Bernie + Cardi in a nail salon is pure joy

👏 [ [link removed] ]He wrote the damn bill!


 
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