​New Haven, like many communities in Connecticut and around the country, is facing a crisis on two fronts. On one, hardworking residents are being faced with exorbitant health insurance costs — if they have coverage at all — resulting in economic distress and poor health outcomes. On the other, the city's budget is buckling under the cost of employee healthcare costs and other post-employment benefits, resulting in slashed services and ever-higher taxes. Medicare for All would solve both problems.

A federally managed and paid-for single-payer system would not only cover every resident of New Haven with no co-pays, deductibles, or premiums. It would also cover every employee of the city, saving millions and freeing up money for education, public works, and tax cuts.

We call on the New Haven Board of Alders and Mayor Justin Elicker to pass the following resolution urging Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal to support, co-sponsor, and fight for Medicare for All in Congress.

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Resolution in Support of the Medicare for All Act of 2021

WHEREAS, high quality health care is a human right for every person in New Haven; and

WHEREAS, universal access to comprehensive healthcare is an important part of public health; and

WHEREAS, the City of New Haven has declared racism to be a public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, in the United States, people of color are at a higher risk of becoming uninsured, with Latino and Black populations having lower rates of health insurance enrollment (83.1% and 88.3%, respectively) as compared to their white counterparts (92.4%)
WHEREAS, one out of ten people of color in New Haven has no health insurance coverage at all, and many more are underinsured; and

WHEREAS, New Haven residents seeking immigration status have no access to public health insurance at all, leading to unnecessary illness, costly hospitalizations, and even death;

WHEREAS millions with insurance have coverage so inadequate that a major illness can lead to financial ruin, and medical illness and bills contribute to two-thirds of all bankruptcies; and
WHEREAS, in New Haven, 14% of residents of predominantly black and brown zip codes have medical debt in collections, while only 10% of residents of predominantly white zip codes do; and;
WHEREAS, women and older people are more likely to have medical debt that men and young people; and

WHEREAS, health care prices continue to rise and the federal government should act to set reasonable limits on prices for medical procedures; and

WHEREAS, the rising costs of health care strains our already strapped municipal budget, costing over $85 million for our city, and our small businesses, which we need for our communities to thrive; and

WHEREAS, it would far superior for the city of New Haven and its residents for those costs to be covered by an single, public health insurance system funded by all the taxpayers, and not just city residents; and

WHEREAS, recent polls show that a majority of Americans support Medicare for All; and

WHEREAS, Representative Jayapal’s Medicare for All Act of 2021, would provide universal single-payer health insurance for every person in the United States for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical and outpatient services; primary and preventive care; emergency services; reproductive care; dental and vision care; and long-term care; and

WHEREAS the Medicare for All Act of 2021 would provide coverage without premiums, copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs, and would slash bureaucracy, protect the doctor-patient relationship and assure patients a free choice of doctors; and

WHEREAS, adoption of the Medicare for All Act of 2021, would guarantee that all residents of the United States, including residents of New Haven, would be fully covered for health care and would save millions in taxpayer dollars now spent on premiums that provide often inadequate health insurance coverage; and

WHEREAS, the quality of life for the residents of New Haven will vastly improve because they would be able to get the ongoing care they need, instead of waiting until they have a medical emergency that could upend their lives as well as further burden local resources;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the New Haven Board of Alders enthusiastically supports Medicare for All Act and calls on our federal legislators to work toward enactment of the Medicare for All Act of 2021, assuring appropriate and efficient health care for all residents of the United States.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the New Haven Board of Alders expresses its enthusiastic support for a state-level single payer in Connecticut, HB 5340, similar to legislation which already exists in neighboring states — Rhode Island (H.5611 Comprehensive Health Insurance Program), Massachusetts (H.1194 An Act Establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts) and New York (A.5248 New York Health Act) — and calls on our state legislators to work toward the immediate introduction of similar legislation and the enactment of such legislation to guarantee healthcare to all Connecticut residents.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution, when enacted, be delivered to members of Connecticut congressional delegation, U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, as well as New Haven’s delegation to the Connecticut legislature.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we include in our 2021 Federal Legislative Agenda that we support Representative Jayapal’s Medicare for All Act.