Making America Healthy Again - CounterPunch.org

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December 26, 2024 Bernie Sanders

Yes. In the wealthiest country on Earth let us Make America Healthy Again. We should be leading the world in terms of life-expectancy, happiness, and productivity. This is some of what we have to do.

Medicare for All. Every American, regardless of age or income, must be entitled to health care as a human right. It is not acceptable that over 60,000 Americans die each year because they can’t afford the health care they need.

Lower the cost of prescription drugs. As Americans, we should not be paying, by far, the highest prices in the world for life-saving medications. It is absurd that one out of four Americans cannot afford to purchase the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe. We must cut prescription drug prices in half by making sure that we pay no more for medicine than the Europeans or Canadians.

Paid Family and Medical Leave. Workers should not have to go to work when they are sick. Mothers should have ample time to stay home with their new-born babies. A parent should not get fired when they stay home with a sick kid. We must guarantee at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to every worker in America.

Reform the food industry. Large food corporations should not make billions in profits addicting children to the processed foods which make them overweight and prone to diabetes and other diseases. A good place to start would be to ban junk food ads targeted to kids and put strong warning labels on products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat.

Raise the minimum wage to a living wage. Millions of workers should not have to worry how they’ll pay the rent or buy food for their kids. Working class Americans live far shorter lives than the rich because of the stress of trying to survive on a paycheck to paycheck existence. We must raise the minimum wage to at least $17 an hour.

Lower the work week to 32 hours with no loss of pay. People will live longer and healthier lives if they can spend more time with family and friends and have the opportunity to enjoy leisure time activities. Advancements in technology, automation, and artificial intelligence must benefit workers, not just billionaires on Wall Street or Silicon Valley.

Bernie Sanders is a US Senator, and the ranking member of the Senate budget committee. He represents the state of Vermont, and is the longest-serving independent in the history of Congress.

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