* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmembers Burnett and Ramos
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Request for Federal Action - Support Medicare for All
For the purpose of urging President Joseph R. Biden and the United States Congress to expand Medicare into a federal single-payer system to provide health care to all Americans.
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Recitals
High-quality health care is a human right. Almost 30 million Americans are uninsured, including approximately 356 thousand Marylanders. Among working adults in 2022, approximately 29% with employer coverage, and approximately 44% of those with coverage purchased through the individual market, were under insured - i.e. they had an insurance policy that did not provide adequate coverage or they had gaps in coverage during the year.
Millions of Americans with insurance have coverage so inadequate that a major illness can lead them to financial ruin- illness and medical bills contribute to two-thirds of all bankruptcies in the United States. Further, there are major racial equities in this crisis, as three quarters of uninsured adults in Maryland are people of color.
“Medicare for All” refers to a collection of legislative proposals that aim to expand Medicare into a federal single-payer system that provides health care to all Americans. Ideally, Medicare for All would provide full coverage without premiums, co-pays, deductibles, or other
out-of-pocket costs, and wold slash bureaucracy, protect the doctor-patient relationship, and ensure patients a free choice of doctors.
Medicare for All is overwhelmingly popular with the public, as 69% of Americans support the proposal. Baltimore City joins these citizens and enthusiastically supports Medicare for All and calls on our federal legislators to work toward enactment of Medicare for All, as described in the United States Senate and House of Representatives Medicare for All Acts of 2023, ensuring comprehensive health care for all Americans.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That Baltimore City expresses its support for state-level single payer legislation and calls on Maryland’s State legislators to work toward legislation to guarantee the same comprehensive health care coverage to all Maryland residents, whether through federal or State legislative action.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, the Mayor, the Honorable members of the Maryland delegations to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.