STATE LEGISLATORS FOR SINGLE-PAYER, HR 676

State legislators know that state and local governments are in the worst financial crisis in decades, caused by two opposing forces. The severe recession has gutted government revenues, while public employee health care costs escalated at four times the rate of inflation over the last decade. Add to that the cost of health care states and local governments deliver to the low-income and uninsured, and there is no question that fixing health care is critical to balance state and local government budgets. Evidence shows that only a federal single-payer solution will lift this burden, guaranteeing coverage to every American, and controlling costs. Mixed public and private plan solutions won’t do either, leaving state and local governments in the same mess they’re in now. continue reading