At Congressional bill introduction, leaders of nation’s largest union of registered nurses tout life-saving benefits of expanding Medicare

Registered nurses with National Nurses United (NNU) are reaffirming their support for the Medicare for All Act, following the bill’s reintroduction in Congress today by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the U.S. Senate and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

NNU members have long supported efforts to achieve guaranteed health care for every person in the United States, through a single-payer system that provides health care based on patient needs, not industry profits. The legislation comes at a critical time when vital lifesaving health care programs, like Medicaid and Veterans Health Administration benefits, are at risk of being completely gutted.

“Nurses are fighting for a future in which our patients’ health is put first always and that’s why we are proud to continue our support for Medicare for All,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and NNU president. “When we guarantee health care for all, corporations and billionaires will no longer be able to deny anyone the care that they need. In the richest country on earth, nobody should have to be forced to choose between taking their medications and putting food on the table. Yet countless families are pushed to the breaking point while greedy corporations charge astronomical, ludicrous fees for care that is every patient’s right to receive.”

The Medicare for All Act builds upon and expands Medicare to provide comprehensive benefits – primary care, vision, dental, prescription drugs, mental health services, home and community-based care, and more – to every person. In addition to allowing patients to have the freedom to choose the doctors, hospitals, and other providers they wish to see without worrying about whether a provider is in-network, the bill would also allow the health care system to negotiate drug prices and reduce exorbitant administrative waste.

Currently, 85 million people in America are either uninsured or underinsured, a number that stands to grow exponentially if Congressional lawmakers choose to gut, rather than defend and strengthen, the country’s public health infrastructure.

“The goal of the current administration and their billionaire buddies is to pile on endless cuts and attacks so that we become too demoralized and overwhelmed to move forward,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN and executive director of NNU. “Registered nurses and our allies don’t step back but step up, during pandemics, climate emergencies, and authoritarian regimes. We won’t let them threaten public services like Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security or try to eliminate federal workers’ protected union rights. As patient advocates, it is our duty to fight for a system that prioritizes people over profits. So even on our hardest days, we won’t stop fighting for Medicare for All.”

“The American people understand, as I do, that health care is a human right, not a privilege and that we must end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of its citizens,” said Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). “It is not acceptable to me, nor to the American people, that over 85 million people today are either uninsured or underinsured. Today, there are millions of people who would like to go to a doctor but cannot afford to do so. This is an outrage. In America, your health and your longevity should not be dependent on your wealth. Health care is a human right that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to and they deserve the best health care that our country can provide.”

“It is a travesty when 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured and millions more are drowning in medical debt in the richest nation on Earth,” said Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) . “We don’t suffer from scarcity in America, we suffer from greed. That’s most clear in our broken healthcare system, which is why we need Medicare for All. People deserve and want comprehensive health care that covers mental health, long-term care, reproductive care, dental, vision and hearing, all without copays, private insurance premiums, sky high deductibles or other hidden fees. Health care is a human right, that is exactly why it’s time to pass Medicare for All.”

“Every American has the right to health care, period. If you’re sick, you should be able to go to the doctor without being worried about the cost of treatment or prescription medicine. Too many families must decide between putting food on the table and getting medical care that they desperately need,”said Representative Debbie Dingell (MI-06). “A health care system that ties coverage to employment will always leave patients vulnerable. It’s flat-out wrong and Medicare for All would put a stop to it. We’ve been fighting this fight since the 1940s, when my father-in-law helped author the first universal health care bill. It’s time to get this done.”

For more information on the Medicare for All Act, please refer to NNU’s fact sheet.

In addition to the Medicare for All Act, NNU members are advocating for the following federal legislation:

• NURSE STAFFING STANDARDS FOR HOSPITAL PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY CARE ACT, sponsored by Rep. Jan Schakowsky: There are no federal mandates regulating the number of patients a registered nurse can care for at one time in U.S. hospitals. As a result, registered nurses (RNs) are consistently required to care for more patients than is safe, compromising patient care and negatively impacting patient outcomes. These dangerous conditions are causing thousands of RNs to leave the hospital bedside. This legislation would improve patient care and increase nurse retention by setting mandated, minimum RN-to-patient staffing ratios.
• THE WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION FOR HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS ACT, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Joe Courtney: Violence against nurses and other health care workers in hospitals and other health care facilities is a growing epidemic across the United States. Nurses report being punched, kicked, bitten, beaten, choked, and assaulted on the job — and some have faced stabbings and shootings. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the hazard of workplace violence, with nurses reporting an increase in violent incidents on the job since the beginning of the pandemic. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would mandate OSHA to promulgate a standard that would require all covered employers to develop and implement prevention plans to reduce workplace violence incidents. The Workplace Violence Prevention bill passed the House of Representatives in both the 116th and 117th Congress with significant bipartisan support.
• THE RICHARD L. TRUMKA PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE (PRO) ACT, sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Bobby Scott: A union gives workers the ability to act together to advocate for safe working conditions, to improve their wages and benefits, and to protect their workplace rights through collective bargaining and concerted activity. For registered nurses, union advocacy and representation allows us to focus on what we do best: caring for our patients. Attacks on unions and the right to unionize have hurt efforts to improve the lives of working families. Current labor law does far too little to protect and allow workers to exercise our right to join a union. The PRO Act is an important step to protect workers’ rights to organize a union and to stop employers’ attacks so that every worker can organize without fear of retaliation. The PRO Act passed the House of Representatives in the 116th and 117th Congress with bipartisan support.
• THE VA EMPLOYEE FAIRNESS ACT, sponsored by Rep. Mark Takano: Section 7422 of Title 38 of the U.S. Code limits the collective bargaining rights of certain Veterans Affairs (VA) clinical professionals, including registered nurses. This section restricts the ability of registered nurses to speak out about poor working conditions and to resolve disputes with management. As a result, the quality of patient care can deteriorate and problems in VA facilities can go unaddressed. The VA Employee Fairness Act would improve patient care in VA hospitals by expanding the collective bargaining rights of registered nurses and other clinicians employed by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VA Employee Fairness Act passed the House of Representatives in December 2022 with bipartisan support.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.