Gainesville Supports Medicare for All Petition

City of Gainesville City Commission

Everyone living in the U.S. deserves high quality healthcare. No one should suffer poor health because they can’t afford to see a doctor or buy medication that they need. However, almost half of Floridians – including those with insurance – could not afford needed healthcare; about a third who did get necessary care struggled to pay their medical bills

The Alachua County Labor Coalition has joined Medicare for All Florida. Its goal is to remedy this dire situation by building support for the Medicare for All Act of 2021, HR1976. To do this, residents are asked to get cities and counties to pass resolutions in support of the bill and send those resolutions to Federal legislators. A proposed resolution has been submitted to the Gainesville City Commission and will be heard sometime in August.

Since the pandemic, the deficiencies of our medical system have become very clear and people would like to see it improved. However, insurance and pharmacology companies are increasingly profitable and make huge donations to legislators, including Democrats.

At the recent 5th Avenue Arts Festival, we found that most people we contacted were in favor of Medicare for All and over 100 signed the petition urging the Commissioners to pass the resolution. We hope to gather thousands more before submitting them to the Gainesville City Commission.

HR1976 is much better than current Medicare or Medicare Advantage. It covers all residents. It covers all medically necessary care including hospitalization, doctor visits, long-term care, prescription drugs, as well as dental, vision, hearing and mental health services. A one-page summary of the bill is at pnhp.org/housebill.

The care will be provided free at the point of service. No premiums. No copays. No deductibles.

The Bill includes funds to assist and retrain displaced insurance workers for five years.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded in a recent report that Medicare for All would result in higher wages, increased household disposable income, and improve workers’ health and longevity.

Join us in this initiative to build a better and more inclusive healthcare system. Sign the petition to let your officials know that you support Medicare for All!


To: City of Gainesville City Commission
From: [Your Name]

Dear Commissioners, I am a resident of the City of Gainesville writing to express my support for Medicare for All and I encourage you to pass the resolution supporting Medicare for All as well. Healthcare is a human right and your support for this measure shows your constituents that you believe that as well, by supporting the following resolution.
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THE GAINESVILLE CITY COMMISSION, CALLING ON FEDERAL LEGISLATORS TO ENACT HR1976 “MEDICARE FOR ALL ACT OF 2021” AND SUBSEQUENT LEGISLATION IN THE US SENATE AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY CLERK TO PROVIDE COPIES OF THIS RESOLUTION TO FEDERAL LEGISLATORS

WHEREAS, every person in the city of Gainesville, the State of Florida and the United States deserves high quality healthcare; and

WHEREAS, over 30 million Americans have no health insurance, including over 2.78 million Floridians; and

WHEREAS, almost half of Floridians (45%) including those who have insurance did not obtain needed health care such as filling prescriptions or seeing a doctor because of cost barriers, and about one-third of those who did get some needed healthcare struggled to pay their medical bills; and

WHEREAS, medical debt is the most common cause of bankruptcy, and

WHEREAS, during the Covid pandemic profits of insurance and pharmacological companies continued to grow, while patients’ medical costs continued to rise and many workers lost their jobs and their insurance coverage through becoming ill; and

WHEREAS, the United States spends more on healthcare than any other industrialized country, but has worse outcomes in many indicators such as life expectancy and infant mortality; and

WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2021, HR1976, would provide health insurance for every person in the United States covering all necessary health care including: hospital, surgical and outpatient services; primary and preventive care; prescription drugs; reproductive care; dental, vision and hearing care; mental health care; and long-term care; and

WHEREAS, HR1976 would provide coverage without premiums, copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket expenses; and would assure patients of an unrestricted choice of doctors; and

WHEREAS, it is expected that a companion bill to HR1976 will be brought before the U.S. Senate

WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office concluded in a recent report that Medicare for All would result in higher wages, increased household disposable income, improve workers’ health and longevity, and administrative waste in health care would be reduced, and

WHEREAS, Gainesville residents who are now uninsured or underinsured would enjoy a vast improvement in their quality of life, because they could obtain healthcare when they need it instead of delaying until they have a medical emergency; and

WHEREAS, universal health coverage as provided by HR1976 would alleviate the lack of proper medical care for vulnerable communities including the unhoused, unemployed, people of color, people with low income; and

WHEREAS, unbundling health insurance from employment would allow workers to leave unsatisfactory jobs without forfeiting insurance benefits; and

WHEREAS, recent polls show that a majority of Americans and 62 percent of Florida residents are in favor of Medicare for All.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Gainesville City Commission supports the enactment of HR1976 the Medicare for All Act of 2021 and all subsequent legislation that will assure appropriate and efficient health care for all residents; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Clerk is hereby authorized to send a certified copy of this resolution to Representative Kat Cammack, Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Rick Scott.