Second-Largest County in the U.S. Votes to Support Medicare for All, Urges Congress to Act
Statement of Melinda St. Louis, Director, Public Citizen’s Medicare for All Campaign
Note: Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution in support of Medicare for All. Home to Chicago, and with a population of more than 5 million, the county is the second largest in the U.S. and has a population larger than 28 states. Public Citizen is part of a coalition urging citizens to press their local governments to pass similar resolutions.
First we won in Chicago; next we’ll win in Congress.
This is how change happens, with grassroots efforts from activists and regular Americans demanding action from their elected officials.
Local officials know that municipal budgets are increasingly strapped and local businesses are struggling to make ends meet due to rising health insurance premiums. Congress is waking up to these impacts of our fragmented health care system as well.
Today’s resolution sends a powerful message to Congress that more and more people and localities are demanding that health care be treated as a right, not a privilege. It’s only a matter of time until that becomes a reality.