Media Contact
Pete Thomson
Chief Communications Officer
American Medical Student Association
Email: pr@amsa.org
AMSA endorses health care for all through the Medicare for All Act of 2019
Sterling, Va., February 27, 2019 — The American Medical Student Association is excited to announce support for the Medicare for All Act of 2019. As future physicians, AMSA members are fighting for a health care system that puts patients before profits. AMSA believes that everyone in our nation deserves universally accessible quality affordable health care, regardless of ability to pay.
The Medicare for All Act of 2019 represents a crucial step to reform the health care system and expand health care access to everyone living in the United States. This legislation will provide comprehensive coverage for everyone in the U.S., leaving no one behind. Physicians-in-training want to practice in a system unburdened by the question of how patients will pay for necessary, life-saving services. Medicare for All is the answer to the current U.S. health care nightmare, and AMSA encourages all members of Congress to endorse this bill.
Health care in the United States is currently plagued by inefficiency, high costs and lack of access for many. Despite important reforms under the Affordable Care Act, nearly 27.4 million nonelderly Americans—or nearly 10.2% of the population—remain uninsured as of 2017, according to the Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation. Those living in the U.S. are generally as healthy as our counterparts in other countries and visit the doctor at similar rates, yet according to The Commonwealth Fund, Americans pay $2000 more per person per year on average than in Switzerland—the closest comparator.
Further, we know the factors contributing to this disparity: excessively high drug prices; exorbitant salaries for insurance, health system, and pharmaceutical executives; and huge administrative costs that waste health care dollars. Our nation consistently ranks as having the most expensive care compared to fellow industrialized nations but with worse outcomes on many measures of care, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. The only way to reduce costs, improve quality, and place the patient-physician relationship at the center of health care is through a publicly-funded single-payer system accessible to all in our nation. Passage of the Medicare for All Act of 2019 represents an important first step in recentering health care to focus on our patients and communities.
Through our Health Care for All Campaign, AMSA has over 50 years of experience fighting for equitable, efficient and quality universal health care coverage. Unburdened by conflicts-of-interest, medical students are fighting for the health care system that our nation and our communities need, not the system pharmaceutical and insurance companies have created. As the largest body of future doctors in the U.S., AMSA is fighting for a health care future that puts patients and doctors ahead of insurance and pharmaceutical companies. AMSA believes that no person should go without needed emergent or preventive health care services. The Medicare for All Act of 2019 addresses the current inequities of the U.S. health care system by ensuring every individual living in the U.S. has access to comprehensive health care benefits, regardless of financial status. This legislative season is vital for the success of Medicare for All efforts, and AMSA looks forward to continuing to advocate for universal health care.
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About the American Medical Student Association:
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing physicians-in-training, advocating for quality and affordable health care for all, and building the next generation of physician leaders. To join our community, visit amsa.org.
