Jesse Jackson Calls for Single-Payer System
Rev. Jessie Jackson, president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, on Wednesday at an event in Miami said that the U.S. should implement a single-payer health care system to provide access to care for all residents, the Miami Herald reports. The not-for-profit foundation of UnitedHealthcare, sponsored the event, the first in a campaign by the coalition to promote awareness among minorities in five cities about the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
A number of advocacy groups, such as Families USA and National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, have raised concerns about minority enrollment in the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
At the event, Jackson said that Congress next year should seek to pass legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for discounts on medications under the prescription drug benefit and to allow the reimportation of medications from Canada (Dorschner, Miami Herald, 12/7).