In Weekend Marches Across The US, Demonstrators Urge Medicare For All

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Marchers See Medicare-For-All As Way To Improve Health Care
A group of marchers Saturday coursed through the streets of downtown Milwaukee to keep alive the discussion over national health care insurance. The movement, crystalized in legislation by U.S. Bernie Sanders, wants to establish a national single-payer insurance program, with the idea that equal access would end health disparities and control costs. Similar Medicare-for-all rallies took place in other cities across the country Saturday, including Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. (Bentley, 7/24)

WGN-TV: Over 100 People March In Support Of Medicare For All Downtown
More than 100 people marched from Maggie Daley Park to the Federal Plaza to draw attention to their fight for Medicare for All. “John Lewis said if you see something is not right, not fair and not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it,” registered nurse Martese Chism said. The rally was part of rallies in more than 50 other cities across the United States in support for a single-payer health care system. (Barnes, 7/24)

Portland Press Herald: Advocates In Portland Demand Medicare For All 
A crowd of about 60 gathered in Portland’s Lincoln Park on Saturday to call for federal action on legislation extending Medicare benefits for all Americans. Saturday morning’s event was one of many rallies around the country to push for universal health care coverage. Patty Kidder, a Maine People’s Alliance volunteer from Springvale, led the group in chants demanding “Medicare For All.” She applauded recent successes, including the Maine Legislature’s approval of dental coverage for MaineCare recipients this summer, but said much more needed to be done. (Wolfe, 7/24)

WHDH 7News: Demonstrators March In Boston For Medicare For All 
Protesters marched through Boston on Saturday to call on state legislators to approve Medicare For All. The demonstrators marched from Nubian Square to Boston Common as other protesters across the country also made demands on their local leaders. Organizers said that Medicare for All bills have been filed on Beacon Hill for years, and the measure needs to pass. (Dougherty, 7/24)

Truthout: Medicare For All Rallies In 50 Cities Show Big Support For Universal Health Care
The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, yet its poverty rates are higher and its safety nets are far weaker than those of other industrialized nations. It is also the only large rich country without universal health care. In fact, as Noam Chomsky argued in Truthout, the U.S. health system is an “international scandal.” Why is the U.S. an outlier with regard to health care? What keeps the country from adopting a universal health care system, which most Americans have supported for many years now? And what exactly is Medicare for All? On the eve of scheduled marches and rallies in support of Medicare for All, led by various organizations such as the Sunrise Movement, Physicians for a National Health Program, the Democratic Socialists of America and concerned citizens throughout the country, the interview below with Peter S. Arno, a leading health expert, sheds light on some key questions about the state of health care in the United States. (Polychroniou, 7/23)

In related news about the availability of health insurance coverage —

Noticias Telemundo: Latino Children In The U.S. Twice As Likely To Be Uninsured As Non-Latino Children, Analysis Says 
Latino children in the U.S. are twice as likely to be uninsured as non-Latino children, according to an analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. More than 1.8 million Latino children in the U.S. have not had health insurance since before the pandemic, putting them at greater risk for COVID-19. The virus has hit Latinos especially hard, resulting in higher infection rates, hospitalizations and unemployment. (Franco, 7/24)

AARP: Black, Latino Workers Lost More Income During Pandemic
Although hiring has picked up in recent months, researchers are looking back to determine how widespread unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic affected working-age adults. According to at least one recent poll, “The Commonwealth Fund Health Care Coverage and COVID-19 Survey,” Black and Latino adults were more likely to experience income loss than white adults. The Commonwealth Fund, which focuses on ways to make the health care system more equitable and effective, surveyed 5,450 workers, ages 19 to 64, from March 9 through June 8, 2021. Among White respondents, 27 percent reported that their household income has dropped since March 2020, when the national pandemic emergency was declared. But Black and Latino respondents reported much higher rates of income loss, with 44 percent of African Americans and 45 percent of Latinos reporting a decline. (Terrell, 7/23)