On Saturday, August 17^th, 2 - 4pm, The Maryland Progressive Healthcare Coalition will convene a Medicare For All Town Hall in House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s Congressional District 5. Doctors and policy experts will highlight the pitfalls of the current system and explain Medicare For All. As a coalition of healthcare activists and progressive organizations throughout the state, our goals are to educate the public and challenge the Congressman to stand with his constituents, not with the healthcare industry.

On Saturday, August 17^th, 2 - 4pm, The Maryland Progressive Healthcare Coalition will convene a Medicare For All Town Hall in House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s Congressional District 5. Doctors and policy experts will highlight the pitfalls of the current system and explain Medicare For All.  Dr. Sanjeev Sriram (Pediatrician and host of Dr. America podcast), Alex Lawson (Executive Director, Social Security Works) and L.E.Gomez (ER Physician) will be among the speakers.  Representative Hoyer’s constituents will share personal stories. As a coalition of healthcare activists and progressive organizations throughout the state, our goals are to educate the public and challenge the Congressman to stand with his constituents, not with the healthcare industry.

America’s for-profit insurance-based healthcare system is a failure. We pay far more per person than any other country in the world. Despite the ACA, nearly 30 million Americans have no coverage and 40 million more cannot afford the premiums, co-pays, and deductibles that come with their current insurance. 

The human toll is very heavy. An estimated 18,000 Americans die each year because they lack health insurance. Close to half a million bankruptcies in 2017 were due to medical expenses. Medicare for All is the game changer that we need. The US House has held three hearings on Medicare for All, HR 1384, which guarantees  patient-centered universal health care instead of profiteering corporate plans that benefit CEOs and stockholders.

The American public strongly backs HR 1384, with 80% of registered Democrats supporting the legislation. Nevertheless, Democratic leadership is resisting all calls for change. Throughout his decades in politics, Representative Hoyer has always opposed Medicare for All.  Perhaps it is hard to be objective when you’ve taken $399,000 in healthcare sector PAC money during the last campaign cycle and $4.8 million over the course of your political career. 

“The current system is controlled by the profit-driven insurance and pharmaceutical industries for whom healthcare is a distant afterthought.  Congressman Hoyer has been bought and paid for by these groups.” says Kristy Fogle, PA-C, a practicing Emergency Room Physician Assistant in Baltimore and Founder of the Maryland Progressive Healthcare Coalition. “We NEED a comprehensive single-payer, universal healthcare system that will improve our nation’s health while lowering costs long term. We NEED Medicare For All.” 

Medicare for All Town Hall, Saturday August 17, 2-4 PM at Mt. Ennon Baptist Church, 9832 Piscataway Rd, Clinton, MD 20735.

Information:

Kristy Fogle, PA-C,  Maryland Progressive Healthcare Coalition,  [email protected] 

Suchitra Balachandran, Our Revolution Prince George’s,  [email protected], 

Sydney Jacobs, Healthcare is a Human Right,  [email protected]