Put your fingers on the right trigger—Amendment No. 2837
The US Senate just had a working weekend that was supposed to methodically go through the amendments to its healthcare bill. The Medicare for All, single-payer Sanders Amendment No. 2837 should have gone before the body for debate on Sunday.
Funny thing, though. In spite of Sen. Harry Reid’s statement that he would get to amendments “in numeric order,” the two amendments voted on last Sunday had higher numbers than No. 2837. Senator Reid gave no explanation for this.
We’ve been through this before. We had promises from the House leadership that the Weiner Amendment for single-payer would receive a full debate and go to a vote. We know how that worked out.
Unless we act now, Senator Reid can easily argue that he’s skipping over amendments that are considered less important to senators and their constituencies. We can’t let this happen.
Tell Senator Reid in no uncertain terms that a full debate and vote on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Amendment No. 2837 is absolutely essential.
Senator Sanders’ amendment, cosponsored by Sens. Sherrod Brown and Roland Burris, gives states the power to enact single-payer programs with federal funding. It has everything a state single-payer bill needs: one plan that covers health, mental, dental, vision, and long-term care.
Right now the Congressional Budget Office is scoring a plan to establish private, nonprofit health insurance programs run by private companies, with a trigger for a new government insurance plan if the private plans are not “acceptable.”
Let the American people decide what’s “acceptable” before everything falls to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries and their influence over the Senate. Tell Harry Reid that this amendment matters.
Make the calls to Sen. Harry Reid NOW.
• Washington, DC, office: (202) 224-3542
• Las Vegas, NV, office: (702) 388-5020
• US Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
In solidarity,
Tim Carpenter, National Director
Conor Boylan, Field Coordinator
Roberta McNair, IOT Coordinator
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