Universal health care

TO THE HONORABLE DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 1
AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF 2
REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF 3
THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE SECRETARY OF THE 4
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, AND TO THE SECRETARY OF THE UNITED 5
STATES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: 6
We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of 7
the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, 8
respectfully represent and petition as follows: 9
WHEREAS, Universal access to affordable health care is one of the 10
most important issues in the United States; and 11
WHEREAS, Our current health care system is in a downward spiral 12
with costs continuing to skyrocket, medical debt driving many into 13
bankruptcy or life-altering indebtedness, increasing child mortality 14
rates especially in communities with lower incomes, and creating 15
unnecessary suffering in entire families who struggle to maintain 16
health care insurance coverage or recover from the impacts of health 17
care costs up to and including bankruptcy and homelessness; and18
WHEREAS, Article 25 of the universal declaration of human rights 19
ratified by the United Nations declares health care is a human right; 20
and 21
S-0088.3
SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8004
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Hasegawa, Bateman, Lovelett, Nobles, Stanford, Trudeau,
Valdez, and Wellman
Prefiled 12/23/24. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on Health & Long-Term Care.
p. 1 SJM 8004
WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Of all the 1
forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and 2
inhumane"; and 3
WHEREAS, A national universal health care program is the most 4
efficient and cost-effective means of providing access to health care 5
for everyone and eliminating the economic, physical and mental health 6
pain and suffering so many Americans are experiencing due to lack of 7
timely access to health care and/or debt incurred; and8
WHEREAS, A state-run universal health care program, in the state 9
of Washington, absent current barriers in federal law, could replace 10
the state's current multipayer system in which individuals, private 11
businesses, and government entities pay public and private insurers 12
for health care coverage; and 13
WHEREAS, This health plan would establish a state agency to 14
finance all primary and medically necessary health care with 15
substantial savings compared with the existing multipayer system of 16
public and private insurers; and 17
WHEREAS, This health plan would reduce financial barriers to 18
access care and the growing number of residents with inadequate 19
coverage. By reducing administrative and other waste, including 20
health insurance company profits and excessive prices for drugs, 21
hospitals, and medical devices, it would save money on health care; 22
and 23
WHEREAS, Washington businesses and workers will benefit by 24
lowering the cost of health care, removing the burden of unfunded and 25
inadequate coverage, and allowing businesses to compete more 26
effectively on national and international markets. Businesses will 27
also benefit directly by removing the administrative costs of 28
selecting and implementing health insurance programs for their 29
workers, a billion-dollar expenditure for businesses in Washington 30
state; and 31
WHEREAS, The current system of fragmented private health 32
insurance is the main obstacle to expanding access to health care 33
because it promotes administrative waste, both in the processing of 34
bills by providers and in the administration of a health insurance 35
system with its many separate health insurance companies, each 36
offering a large variety of separate plans, each plan involving 37
separate pricing schemes; and 38
WHEREAS, The large number of independent companies and health 39
plans forces each provider to operate an entire back office with 40
p. 2 SJM 8004
billing clerks and other personnel to deal with billing and 1
negotiating prices for services and vastly inflating the cost for 2
providing health care; and 3
WHEREAS, Because the failures of our health care system most 4
dramatically harm marginalized communities, creating a system of 5
universal access, free point-of-service care and standardized 6
reimbursements will not only make health care less expensive, it will 7
also make it fairer and more equitable. Instead of being a system 8
that destroys future opportunity for many, it will be a system which 9
empowers communities through their newfound health and independence;10
NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the 11
federal government: 12
(1) Create a universal health care program to ensure that every 13
resident of Washington state and our country has timely access to 14
health care services without incurring crippling familial debt;15
(2) Absent federal government action on the request in subsection 16
(1) of this memorial, partner with the state of Washington to reduce 17
barriers and allow the state to successfully implement a universal 18
health system for the people of Washington such as passing 19
legislation similar to HR 6270 (by Rep. Ro Khanna, CA-17) that was 20
introduced in the 118th Congress which will allow states to create 21
their own universal health care programs; or 22
(3) Absent federal government action on the requests in 23
subsections (1) and (2) of this memorial with the appropriate federal 24
agencies, work to grant Washington state the appropriate waivers to 25
remove the restrictions on the state's ability to create a universal 26
health care system. 27
BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 28
transmitted to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United 29
States, the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and 30
Human Services, the Secretary of the United States Department of 31
Labor, the federal agencies involved with granting the requested 32
necessary waivers, the President of the United States Senate, the 33
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress 34
from the State of Washington. 35
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