Home » Achieving Universal Health Care

Currently, at least 47 million Americans do not have healthcare coverage. Over 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day and more than 44,000 Americans die each year. Estimates show millions more Americans are under-insured, which too often leads to bankruptcies that tear families apart. Every other industrialized nation in the world provides a basic standard of universal care for its citizens. DFA members are working to make sure America's sick are no longer left behind because we can’t wait any longer for healthcare reform.

DFA members have taken this fight local and have been on the ground lobbying local leaders to fix our broken system. Members all across America are passing public option resolutions through their local Democratic groups, clubs, and committees, in support of healthcare reform with a public option. More than 35,000 letters to local newspapers were written to fight for healthcare reform for all Americans. And DFA members held over 350 vigils to highlight real people with healthcare issues who need real reform with the choice of a public option.

DFA members supported the expansion of the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover more than 10 million American kids. We wrote letters, made calls and met directly with elected members of both parties. Together we passed a strong bill out of Congress. When President Bush vetoed the bill, we worked in coalition with our partners in the Service Employees International Union and others to flip enough hold-out Republicans to overturn the President's veto. In 2009, President Obama signed the SCHIP bill, which provided health insurance to millions of children across America.

In the words of Governor Howard Dean, "we can guarantee healthcare for all if we give every American the freedom to choose between keeping their private insurance - if they have any - and a universally available public healthcare option like Medicare." That is why DFA launched StandwithDrDean.com, the online organizing hub for healthcare reform, in March of 2009. More than 400,000 Americans joined our campaign to draw a line in the sand over inclusion of a public option in any healthcare reform passed this year. Howard Dean presented every signature to Congress at a 10,000-person rally in D.C. on June 25^th, 2009.