Councilmember M. Lorena González, chair of the Gender Equity, Safe Communities, New Americans & Education Committee, issued the following statement after the Seattle City Council voted in support of Resolution 31867, supporting the passage of Medicare for All Act of 2019.
“The resolution makes Seattle the first city in the nation to express support for Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s ‘Medicare-For-All Act of 2019,’ which would be the first single-payer healthcare bill to receive a hearing in Congress.
“We know in the City of Seattle and in King County there are significant health disparities regarding people’s access to insurance and affordable healthcare. The cost of healthcare impacts every single one of our constituents; and the U.S. has among the worst health outcomes in the developed world despite spending roughly 19 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare. A single-payer system would improve health outcomes while lowering the cost of medical care and insurance.
“Rep. Jayapal is a leader on this issue, and she’s also my representative and my constituent. I am proud to support our Congresswoman’s bill and I’m excited to offer Seattleites a chance to support Rep. Jayapal’s bill, which now has more than 100 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.”