Suburban Dems fall short on health care

Given the recent endorsement of single-payer reform by the American College of Physicians, it is disheartening that many House Democrats from Illinois' suburban congressional districts remain unwilling to support Medicare for All.

Our health care system is in crisis: thousands of Americans will die this year due to a lack of health insurance, and millions more will struggle to afford lifesaving prescriptions.

After 30 years of raising costs, the insurance-based model of health care financing has failed. Insurance companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield have raked in billions of dollars in profits while paying their top executives millions. Meanwhile, these insurers have narrowed network-coverage areas to exclude hospitals serving low-income communities. Free markets do not protect human rights over financial interest.

The majority of personal bankruptcies in this country result from medical debt. Working families across Illinois pay deductibles of thousands of dollars before their insurance kicks in a cent.

So, what good is insurance if people can't find or afford the doctor they need? And why are our politicians fighting to keep this inhumane system alive?

Medicare for All would provide universal care. Illinoisans could see any doctor without a single co-pay, deductible, or premium charge. Removing the burden on employers to provide insurance would relieve costs for small businesses and strengthen union negotiating power. A cost-efficient, single-payer system is the solution to the decades of health care tragedies that have plagued our citizens.

As the March 17 Democratic primary approaches, voters should end their support for politicians who do not value their constituents' health or wallet. It's time to demand more of Illinois' Democratic Party. As a new wave of primary challengers join the 70 percent of Americans who support Medicare for All, it's time to vote some of these incumbents out.

Matthew Downing

Elgin