Who are we?
We are a coalition organized by the Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Demand Access campaign and Washington chapter including Physicians for a National Health Program, Whole Washington, and the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.
Why is Healthcare not Warfare doing this?
Our coalition recognizes two serious needs in U.S. Healthcare: putting people over profit to make medical debt a thing of the past, and the need to move our tax dollars away from needless weapons of mass destruction and towards healing people and the planet.
Due to the complex nature of the US Medical Insurance system, we are the only nation on earth with extreme medical debt with billions of dollars of medical debt weighing on over 100 million people nationwide from lack of insurance. Medical costs are the leading cause of US bankruptcy, and this is all in spite of the fact that the US spends up to twice as much on healthcare as other countries.
As we write this, members of Congress and the Department of Defense are pushing hard to support the Sentinel Nuclear Weapon replacement program, the cost of which has ballooned to $162 million per missile. That’s roughly the cost of a new hospital, for a weapon that can only be used first to start a nuclear war. The program is expected to total $130 billion over the next decade.
US Medical Debt in total is estimated to cost around $220 billion. Given the depreciating value of older debt, which is allowing us to cancel it for pennies on the dollar, we say ground the Sentinel and turn money for missiles into money for medical debt. Money to be spent on new arms should instead go to providing universal healthcare and improving the health of the nation.
How can you help?
Contribute to our campaign to cancel $1 million in medical debt for people in Washington State!
Share our campaign and message of universal healthcare, peace, and disarmament!
Share your story! Reach out at tinyurl.com/HNWShareStory
Contact your elected officials in Washington State to support Universal Healthcare, and in Congress to cancel the Sentinel and cancel medical debt!
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this campaign are those of the Physicians for Social Responsibility and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Undue Medical Debt. Any content provided by our campaigners are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.
