To: Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, President Donald Trump, The Washington State House, The Washington State Senate, Governor Jay Inslee, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate

End the For-Profit Health Care Marketplace

While "Obamacare" regulates some injustices, it still puts insurance companies between us and our health care. We believe that no one should be allowed to profit from another person's suffering. Stop wasting our money, limiting our choices, allowing unfair practices, and causing us financial stress. Stop allowing big corporations to profit off the backs of sick Americans.

Introduce tax-supported, comprehensive, universal health care, which eliminates medical bills, premiums, copays, coinsurance, limitations on choosing any doctor you want, and the need for employers to pay premiums for their employees. It covers everybody, has better health outcomes, and would save the U.S. an estimated $592 billion in 2014, with money left over to pay down the national debt. (G. Friedman, 2013)

Support HR 676, the Expanded & Improved Medicare for All Act, and any state bill that creates tax-supported comprehensive universal health care in your state.

Why is this important?

"The United States is the only nation that lets insurance companies extract a profit from basic health coverage." (T.R. Reid)

I have been paying for health care insurance for decades, and yet now that I need medical care, I am swamped with medical bills, deductibles to fulfill, co-pays and co-insurance costs, and limited in-network provider choices. I am being billed by out-of-network pathology labs for more than four times the amount that my insurance company or Medicare would have to pay, and I am being threatened with collections if I don’t pay the full amount. (Laurie S., Licensed Counselor and Filmmaker)

Meanwhile, health insurance companies are making billions of dollars in profits, and their CEO’s make millions per year from OUR premiums. While Obamacare attempts to regulate some of the most heinous practices, it does not give us a health care system that is for people instead of for profit.

THERE IS A SOLUTION to the health care crisis in America that costs all of us less, covers everyone, and has better health outcomes. Tax-supported health care means everyone contributes by paying taxes based on their level of income, and everyone receives medical care whenever they need it.

Tax supported health care is NOT government-run health care. It is government-financed health care. The government collects the money from the people and pays the hospitals and doctors who run their own practices. It is like Medicare, only for EVERYONE.

Let’s bring an end to the health care injustices, join the rest of the industrialized world, and take care of our people.