Congress must act: Healthcare is a human right

It is 2026. The excuses have expired. The consequences of inaction are written across the lives, debts, and graves of the American people. Healthcare is not a privilege reserved for the fortunate. It is not a perk tied to employment. It is not an ideological football. Healthcare is a human right. Every developed democracy has recognized this. The United States’ refusal is not strength — it is a profound moral and policy failure. Let me speak plainly. The United States spends more per person on healthcare than any nation on Earth, yet Americans experience worse outcomes: shorter life expectancy, higher maternal mortality, preventable deaths, untreated mental health conditions, and widespread medical bankruptcy. Over 100 million Americans are burdened with medical debt. Millions delay or skip necessary care because they cannot afford it. Families are forced to choose between medication and rent, treatment and groceries, survival and financial ruin. That is not a healthcare system. That is institutionalized harm. In this country: 
A cancer diagnosis can destroy a lifetime of savings. A chronic illness can mean rationing lifesaving medication. An ambulance ride can trigger years of debt. A medical emergency can wipe out a family’s future. Meanwhile, corporations thrive. Insurance giants like UnitedHealth Group and Cigna report enormous profits. Hospital systems charge predatory facility fees. Pharmaceutical companies inflate prices beyond reason. Private equity firms buy hospitals, slash staffing, close critical services, and walk away wealthier while communities lose care. And somehow, GoFundMe has become one of the largest sources of “healthcare financing” in America. That should shame every elected official in this nation. Illness should not require charity. Survival should not depend on crowdfunding. Care should not be conditional on wealth. Stop pretending this crisis is complicated. Other nations have solved it. We already operate large public health programs through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We know how to pool risk. We know how to negotiate prices. We know how to guarantee coverage. What we lack is not expertise. What we lack is political courage. As your constituent, I demand decisive action: 1 Pass legislation guaranteeing affordable, comprehensive healthcare coverage for every American — regardless of employment, income, or preexisting conditions. 2 Permanently eliminate surprise billing, predatory pricing, and abusive facility fees. 3 Empower the federal government to aggressively negotiate drug prices and prevent price gouging. 4 Protect hospitals and essential care facilities from predatory private equity practices that prioritize profit over patients. 5 Create a clear, enforceable pathway to universal coverage. Americans are not asking for luxury. We are demanding: 
Basic dignity.
Basic security.
Basic survival. Congress works for the people — not insurance conglomerates, not pharmaceutical giants, not hospital lobbyists, not Wall Street investors. Every year of delay costs lives. Every excuse deepens suffering. Every failure to act is a choice. You have the power to fix this broken system. Use it.