HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 2021-130RESOLUTION NO. 2021-130
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA IN SUPPORT OF CALCARE (AB 1400) AND
THE MEDICARE FOR ALL ACT OF 2021 (H.R. 1976)
WHEREAS, every person in Chula Vista deserves high-quality health care; and
WHEREAS, the number of Americans without health insurance before the Covid-19
pandemic was still nearly 30 million, with more than 40 million Americans underinsured, and the
number of Californians without health insurance was 2.7 million, with 12 million Californi ans
underinsured, despite important gains made since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act;
and
WHEREAS, the current Covid-19 pandemic has led to record levels of unemployment,
loss of employer-sponsored health insurance, a severely strained health care system, widespread
illness, and has taken a profound toll on our community’s mental health, all of which is placing
significant demands on our health care system; and
WHEREAS, the Covid-19 pandemic further exposed the dangers of our fragmented, profit-
driven health care system, which leads many Californians to delay seeking needed health care due
to an inability to pay, leading to a sicker and poorer population in the long run; and
WHEREAS, such a population is significantly more likely to develop serious illness if
exposed to diseases like Covid-19 and will subsequently face higher mortality rates; and
WHEREAS, the ever-increasing costs of health care, which are further elevated due to the
pandemic, may challenge our already strapped state and municipal budgets; and
WHEREAS, in order to equitably and effectively address the health care burden of the
Covid-19 crisis, we must urge the United States Congress and the California legislature to provide
comprehensive health care to every resident of the United States and California, respectively,
without any cost-sharing; and
WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2021 (H.R. 1976) and the California Guaranteed
Health Care for All (CalCare) Act (AB 1400) would guarantee health care free at the point of
service for every person in the United States and California, respectively, for all necessary medical
care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical, and outpatient services; primary and
preventive care; emergency services; reproductive care; dental and vision care; and long-term care;
and
WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2021 and the California Guaranteed Health Care
for All Act would provide coverage without copays, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs, and
would slash bureaucracy, protect the doctor-patient relationship, and assure patients a free choice
of doctors; and
DocuSign Envelope ID: 40F94DBD-E587-4510-BC1D-F1A207A40421
Resolution No. 2021-130
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WHEREAS, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act would establish state-wide
comprehensive universal single-payer health care and a health care cost control system for the
benefit of all residents of the state; and
WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2021 and the California Guaranteed Health Care
Act would both guarantee that all residents of Chula Vista will be fully covered for health care
without copays, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs, and would save millions in taxpayer
dollars now spent on premiums that provide often inadequate health insurance coverage for
government employees; and
WHEREAS, the quality of life for the residents of Chula Vista would vastly improve
because they would be able to get the ongoing care they need, instead of waiting until they have a
medical emergency that could upend their lives as well as further burden local resources; and
WHEREAS, recent polls show that a majority of Americans and Californians support
Medicare for All; and
WHEREAS, the present administration has the policy to empower states, as laboratories of
democracy, to use Affordable Care Act innovation waivers to develop locally tailored approaches
to health coverage, including by removing barriers to states that seek to experiment with statewide
universal health care approaches.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Chula Vista City Council supports the
Medicare for All Act of 2021 (H.R. 1976) and calls on our federal legislators to work toward its
enactment, assuring health care for all residents of the United States.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chula Vista City Council expresses its support
for the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act (AB 1400) and calls upon our state
legislators to work toward its enactment.
[SIGNATURES ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE]
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Resolution No. 2021-130
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Presented by Approved as to Form
Mary Casillas-Salas Glen R. Googins
Mayor City Attorney
PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Chula Vista,
California, this 15th day of June 2021 by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers: Cardenas, Galvez, Padilla, and Casillas Salas
NAYS: Councilmembers: None
ABSENT: Councilmembers: McCann
Mary Casillas Salas, Mayor
ATTEST:
Kerry K. Bigelow, MMC, City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO )
CITY OF CHULA VISTA )
I, Kerry K. Bigelow, City Clerk of Chula Vista, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing
Resolution No. 2021-130 was duly passed, approved, and adopted by the City Council at a regular
meeting of the Chula Vista City Council held on the 15th day of June 2021.
Executed this 15th day of June 2021.
Kerry K. Bigelow, MMC, City Clerk
DocuSign Envelope ID: 40F94DBD-E587-4510-BC1D-F1A207A40421