By Pamela Gronemeyer, M.D.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch, November 14, 2022
With all of the excitement about the recent midterm elections, two nonbinding resolutions in Edwardsville Township (Edwardsville and Glen Carbon) and Cunningham Township (Urbana) certainly fell under the radar. These were resolutions put on the ballot using Illinois’ grassroot township rule that allows activists to bring a petition to the annual April township meeting with signatures of at least 15 registered voters to introduce a referendum question for the November election.
The issue is voted on at the meeting by all registered voters of the township who are present at the meeting, A simple majority wins. In these two townships, activists were able to pose a question about whether the federal government should create a Medicare for All program to ensure equitable, quality and sustainable health care in this nation. The initiatives won by 64.3% in Edwardsville Township and 84.1% in Cunningham Township.
These two ballot initiatives bolster national polls showing the popularity of Medicare for All. Forty three percent of those insured under their employers’ health insurance are underinsured and are reluctant to seek care if they have to risk large copays and deductibles.
I believe it’s time for the U.S. to join the nations of the world in making health care a human right. The pandemic proved that all people need health care.
