Bernard Sanders: “Today, Congressman Kennedy and I will be sending to the President a letter signed by 112 Members of Congress, urging the…”

“Today, Congressman Kennedy and I will be sending to the President a letter signed by 112 Members of Congress, urging the President to stand firm against all attempts to delete the state single-payer option from his national health care program. Interestingly, 32 of those signers are not cosponsors of H.R. 1200, the House single-payer bill, but they also want States to have that freedom of choice. Study after study on the national level and in individual states such as my own State of Vermont, show that if we are serious about adopting a universal, comprehensive, cost-effective health care system that treats all people, rich and poor alike, then the single-payer approach is the only way to go. Mr. Speaker, as we know, the President included State option for single-payer in his health care plan. He understood, quite correctly, that different States have different needs and that it could be a positive thing for the country if some States went forward with the single-payer approach. But as we also know, there is enormous pressure from the insurance companies, the big money interests in health care, and from various Members of Congress, to delete that important section. Mr. Speaker, the House must not pass, and the President must not sign, any health care proposal which does not allow for the right of individual States to go forward with a single-payer health care system, which for millions of Americans is the only sensible approach to the current health crisis.”