By Allison Perrine
RED BANK – The Red Bank Borough Council is the first in the state to approve a resolution supporting the Medicare For All Act of 2019 and, specific to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Healthcare Emergency Guarantee Act of 2020.
The unanimous approval came Wednesday, July 22, after a petition created by borough residents circulated online in support of the movement with over 120 signatures. The decision now makes Red Bank the first municipality in New Jersey and the 40th in the U.S. to approve the resolution supporting Medicare For All.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly magnified a longstanding problem: too many people, but especially those who are black or brown, in the U.S. suffer needlessly or die because they do not have access to quality health care,” the petition states. “This includes those with no insurance, those losing coverage along with their jobs and those for whom out of pockets are too high. As a result, we have too many people needing emergency services or undergoing medical bankruptcy. The answer is simple: Medicare for All.”
The movement began in Red Bank a little over a year ago when the Monmouth County chapter of Our Revolution, a progressive political action organization which grew from Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, hosted a program about the movement at the United Methodist Church of Red Bank. Councilwoman Kate Triggiano, who brought the resolution before the mayor and council at a workshop meeting July 1, described it as “one of the first of its kind” at the time.
“Your job being connected to your health care is not logical,” Triggiano told The Two River Times, adding that the health care system was broken before the pandemic but the COVID-19 crisis has brought its flaws to the surface. That includes a “lack of funding, to the inequities in care, to people losing their health insurance the moment that they actually need it,” she said.
Anna-Marta Visky, chair of Our Revolution Monmouth and state coordinator of Our Revolution NJ, said the organization has been active in getting the word out about the movement through educational events, petition signature drives, assemblies, rallies, protests and more. She said it is “remarkable” that the movement is now a mainstream idea in American political discourse.
“We believe that health care should be a public good; that’s why we are here in this fight,” Visky said, noting that millions remain uninsured or underinsured during this pandemic. “I’m proud that the Monmouth County chapter of Our Revolution has been kind of at the forefront of this fight.”
Before the pandemic there were about 30 million Americans without health insurance and nearly 50 million who were underinsured, according to the resolution. It estimated that up to 45 million additional citizens would lose their jobs and in turn, their health insurance, having the “most severe” impacts on Black and brown communities.
“Without new strategies, the never-ending rising costs of health care further challenge our already strapped municipal budget and our small businesses that keep our communities thriving,” the resolution says. It claims that the movement can cover every resident, regardless of financial or immigration status, for “almost all medical needs.” Patients would be able to choose from doctors, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies they would like to use. Employers would have more freedom to keep wages aligned with rising costs. Administrative costs would be more affordable for hospitals, providers and patients, according to the resolution.
Though Red Bank is the first in New Jersey to support the resolution, the push certainly won’t stop there. Visky said the organization is working hard to get other municipalities involved in the movement. That includes two Monmouth County towns, but that has not been formalized with their respective councils, she said. And as of Tuesday, Aug. 4, Maplewood Township in Essex County became the second municipality in the state to approve the resolution.
“This last effort was kind of a concentrated effort in Red Bank,” said Visky. “It’s a big victory for us.”
The article originally appeared in the August 6 – 12, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
