6. Healthcare for All

[The 99 Declaration]

Medicare for all or adoption of a universal single-payer healthcare system. The broken Medicaid program will be eliminated as redundant. Affordable healthcare for all shall be a human right.

Article 25 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) reads:

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Likewise, Article 12 of the U.N. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (1966) reads:

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. 2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for: (a) The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth-rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child; (b) The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene; (c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases; (d) The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.

[tdrivertom]

This is not to minimize the importance of healthcare for all. It's just one of those very sticky and complicated topics that would best be left for another day. The focus of the 99% Declaration needs to be on the financial matters that nearly dragged this country down to total ruin. We need to focus on the most pressing matters in the economy... things like getting the money out of government and ending or reducing the authority of the FED are paramont. We should not be so presumptious to think we will find "the solution to healthcare in a 2-3 day General Assembly when others who have tackled the healthcare issue have failed.

[forbesmb]

I would have to agree and I have similar opinions on quite a few of the proposed grievances. The primary goals or, rather, those grievances with which almost all of us seem to agree, would provide a good foundation and a better political environment to fix other issues.

In the hypothetical situation where we have all corporate, private and special interest powers removed from political influence through monetary or "gifted" means, the Congressional environment would be better suited for tackling many issues without the influence of those outside powers.

In a perfect situation, we could likely reduce and compact the the grievances into a list of about five or six; however, we could still maintain other proposed grievances as "second tier" actions that are more easily fixed after the main concerns have been addressed.

[kforthun]

I think we are insisting on everything being fixed for our people. Money out is another movement that we are in solidarity with. Money out is brilliant and probably the best way to go, it is a really great start and the rest of our grievances should fall nicely into place once the money is out. So yeah, I agree it is #1 as to lay the foundation for the rest of the grievances.