Surrounded by fellow co-sponsors and scores of supporters, Rep. Pramila Jayapal officially introduced the 'Medicare for All Act of 2019' on Tuesday, arguing that the nation's for-profit system has failed its people and the time for a more affordable and universal healthcare system is now.

"Every day too many Americans are sick and dying because they can't afford insulin or cancer treatments, and that is even as the price of prescription drugs is soaring and the price of insurance premiums is going up by double digits overnight," Jayapal declared during introductory remarks outside the U.S. Capitol Building.

"Americans are filled with worry – foreclosing on homes, cutting their pills at the kitchen table in half to tried to make them stretch out longer, and not going to the doctor unless it's an emergency," she continued. "Two-thirds of bankruptcies in the United States of America are because of medical issues. And GoFundMe is becoming one of the most popular insurance plans in the country."

And so, she asked, "Why is it that other major countries can guarantee universal health care for half—literally half—the cost of what the United States spends, and yet we can't do it?"

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Never Miss a Beat. Get our best delivered to your inbox.







The reason, she explained, "It comes down to a profit-making motive that is baked into a system – a system that puts profits over patients."

Watch the "absolute must-watch" portion of her introduction: