At a gathering in Burlington, Vermont, convened by the Sanders Institute, with support from National Nurses United, I spoke about the perils of mixing Medicare with commercial insurance. We need improved Medicare for all, one single federally administered health plan that meets everyone’s needs.

Nurses from the Hopkins Hospital and National Nurses United (NNU), a union of registered nurses, joined local politicians and community members for a town hall event on Saturday at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Nurses from the Hospital gave a presentation called “Reputation vs. Reality,” arguing that the institution does not live up to its worldwide reputation. 

In September 2017, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom stood in front of a crowd of 1,500 nurses in San Francisco and pledged his support for bringing universal health care to California. The nurses, members of the California Nurses Association, were the principal supporters of Senate Bill 562, which sought to replace the state’s patchwork insurance system with a single-payer model in which the state would finance health care for all residents.

Here just after observing Armistice Day to mark 100 years since the end of WWI, and to mourn death and suffering, instead of glorifying war and using veterans as ad copy to sell consumer goods, a particular imperative is to fulfill the promise made to veterans to care for them after their service. Sadly, Veterans Health Administration services are at
great risk today.