HomeMy WebLinkAbout22-1051RESOLUTiON NO. 22-1051
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF DENTON ENDORSING THE MEDICARE FOR ALLACT OF 2021; AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, Medicare for All would represent real freedom in healthcare, including butnot limited to the Freedoms of health Justice:
1. FREEDOM to obtain medically necessary health care regardless of personal
financial means, without additional burden.
2. FREEDOM to obtain said care regardless of employment status.
3.FREEDOM to receive comprehensive care and treatment including primary and
preventative care, medical, dental, mental health, prescription drugs, addiction
treatment, hearing and eye care, women’s health and pediatrics, hospitalization,
surgery, rehabilitation, long-term care, and related medically necessary productsand services.
4. FREEDOM to choose doctors and other providers regardless of “networks” or other
fabricated obstacles restricting access to care.
5. FREEDOM to obtain necessary care free of charge at the point of service with no
bills, medical debt, or fear of resulting financial distress.
6. FREEDOM from the need to self-ration medically necessary care and prescription
drugs.
7. FREEDOM to obtain care without excessive paperwork. This can mean simply
show a card, get treated, and go home.
8. FREEDOM from health insecurity such as fear and stress stemming from
uncertainty about qualifying for needed care and paying for it.; and
WHEREAS, Texas has one of the highest rates of insurance in the nation, including
uninsured children, with COVID-19 causing over 600,000 Texans to lose access to healthcare
during a pandemic; and
WHEREAS, the current CC)VID-19 pandemic has severely strained the health care system
at a time when Texas was already struggling to keep medical facilities open, especially in rural
communities; and
WHEREAS, Texas suffers from some of the worst racial health disparities in the nation,
clearly demonstrated by both the maternal and neonatal mortality rates amongst Black Texans and
the unequal distribution of morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, in order to equitably and effectively address the health care burden of
the COVID-19 crisis, we must urge the United States Congress and the Texas Legislature to
expand health insurance coverage to provide comprehensive coverage to every resident of the
United States without any cost-sharing; and
WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2021 (HR 1976) would provide such coverage in
perpetuity; and
WHEREAS, the City Council deems it in the public’s best interest to endorse the Medicarefor All Act of 2021 ; NOW THEREFORE,
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DENTON HEREBY RESOLVES:
SECTION 1. The findings and recitation contained in the preamble of this Resolution are
incorporated herein by reference.
SECTION 2. The City of Denton hereby endorses and urges legislation to provide
universal, comprehensive health care coverage with zero cost-sharing for patients by enacting the
Medicare for All Act of 2021 to ensure appropriate health care coverage for all residents of the
United States during this ongoing crisis, the crisis recovery period, and beyond.
SECTION 3. Upon its passage and approval, a copy of this resolution shall be furnished as
soon as is practicable to all federal and state legislators whose electorate includes residents of the
City of Denton.
SECTION 4. This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage and approval.
s e c o n d eUyI[][I o t i of%of :={ oinbo r d i n 1a][1 c e vra : tH dI: sS: rIsEs ! iloved by U
following vote r + -A:
Aye
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Nay
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Abstain Absent
Mayor Gerard Hudspeth:
Vicki Byrd, District 1 :
Brian Beck, District 2:
Jesse Davis, District 3 :1/
Alison Maguire, District 4:b/
b/Brandon Chase McGee, At Large Place 5:
Chris Watts, At Large Place 6:
PASSED AND APPROVED this the IT d,y ,f nLt 2022.
SPETH, MAYOR
ATTEST:
ROSA RIOS, CITY SECRETARY
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APPROVED AS TO LEGAL FORM:
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rON'ltlelltMACK REINWAND. CITY ATTORNEY