Nearly 200 Organizations Send Core Values to Prioritize in Next Relief Package to the Administration and Congressional Leadership

In a letter co-led by American Federations of Teachers, Community Catalyst, Families USA, National Partnership for Women & Families, and Protect Our Care, nearly 200 organizations urge the Biden Administration and Congressional leadership to prioritize the following core values in the next relief package:

• Placing health care at the center of our country’s infrastructure. Our current system must be built back better;
• Prioritizing inclusive policies that guarantee access to, and facilitate easy enrollment in, affordable health coverage regardless of age, income, immigration status, where someone lives;
• Taking action to address the pre-existing health and economic inequities that led to the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, individuals with disabilities, older adults, and every intersection thereof; and
• Ending industry abuses and finally lowering the price of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers.

The American Rescue Plan Act made great strides toward improving health coverage, but much more needs to be done. This next recovery package must be a transformational health care bill, and that transformation must be centered in equity and deliver on true affordability, coverage, and system change for all of America’s families and individuals.