Harry Truman was right. It’s time for action.
“The time has arrived for action.”
That was President Truman’s call to Congress on this day in 1945. His proposal: a universal national health care program.
“Millions of our citizens do not now have a full measure of opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health,” Truman said. “Millions do not now have protection or security against the economic effects of sickness.”
The same is true today.
The astronomical cost of health care leaves 28 million uninsured, 44 million underinsured, and half a million bankrupt. An estimated 35,000 Americans die each year because they can’t afford to see a doctor.
Harry Truman was right. It’s time for action.
Will you join our call for universal health care—a plan to strengthen Medicare and extend coverage to all?
Yes, I’m in for Medicare for All »
“We are a rich nation and can afford many things,” President Truman said. “But ill health which can be prevented or cured is one thing we cannot afford.”
Most Americans agree. So what stands in our way?
The same scare tactics Truman faced 74 years ago: cries of socialism, totalitarianism, the “Moscow party line.” One group branded Truman’s plan “as un-American as the Gestapo.”
We expect such attacks from the right wing. What’s more disturbing is to hear even some Democrats echo the opposition.
One of the Democratic candidates in this race compared progressive priorities like Medicare for All to the “discredited ideas of Karl Marx and Joseph Stalin.”
That’s outrageous.
“Is it un-American to visit the sick, aid the afflicted, or comfort the dying?” President Truman asked. Of course not.
It’s time to fulfill Harry Truman’s dream of universal health care. Will you join me in fighting for Medicare for All?
Yes, I’m in for Medicare for All »
Thank you.
Andrew Romanoff
