Our current healthcare system has failed the working class. In Rhode Island, nearly 50% of people are “underinsured” (this means they do not seek healthcare services because of costs related to health insurance and co-payments) and over 40,000 are uninsured.

A Medicare for All-style, statewide, single-payer system would provide every Rhode Island resident healthcare coverage regardless of their socioeconomic status. Medical services including hospital care, prescriptions, dental and vision care, and mental health services would be free of charge. Medical debt would be gone.

Single-payer healthcare could be established and paid for through federal funding, state funding, private funding, and a payroll tax on large businesses (e.g., Walmart, McDonalds, Amazon, etc.). Small businesses, working families, and low-income communities would not see an increase in their taxes.

I am asking for you, the members of the House and Senate finance committees, to show leadership on this vital issue and get behind the demand to pass single-payer healthcare in Rhode Island. When the bill, to be introduced in the Senate by Senator Sam Bell and in the House by Representative David Morales, comes to your committee, ensure that it is passed along for a floor vote.

MY PLEDGE: As a strong believer that single-payer healthcare is an urgent necessity, I pledge to only support candidates who support single-payer healthcare.

If you choose not to actively push this act through committee and bring it to a vote, I will withdraw my support from you and refuse to vote for or donate to you.

Thank you for your attention to this vital issue.