Philadelphia, PA – January 3, 2018 – Senator Art Haywood (D, Montgomery/Philadelphia) today introduced SB 1014, which will provide health insurance that will cover everybody and reduce health care costs in Pennsylvania.

“We have to get everyone covered in a simple health care system that will drive down the cost. Businesses can’t bear the cost of our health care and neither can individuals alone. We should remove the burden and cover everyone with one program that we all pay into,” said Haywood.

A recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that health coverage for the average American family costs $18,764 annually. Individuals covered through their employers pay nearly $6,000 toward total costs and employers pay the remainder, more than $13,000. A study from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst indicates that a single-payer health care system will save billions for both businesses and employees, as well as cover everyone.

The Senator has received strong support for SB 1014 by representatives from the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP), the Pennsylvania Federation Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division, Healthcare for All PA and Women’s March PA who want to see improvement in health care overall.

“I am a transplant patient. There are 120,000 people waiting for a transplant right now and 18 of those people die every day,” said Shawna Knipper of Women’s March PA and a kidney transplant recipient. “As a recipient, that does not mean I am cured; bills come in regularly. Our government not only has a fiscal responsibility to use our tax payer money wisely, but also a responsibility to our citizens to ensure that every person has coverage. Health care is a human right.”

Senator Haywood noted that the journey to have everyone covered with health care in Pennsylvania will be a long one, but encouraged participants and Pennsylvania residents to continue to push for change. “I ask you to join me and join those who are with me today. Contact my office and let me know that you are in support so that we can broaden that support across the entire state,” said Haywood.

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