FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 22, 2007

MAPE endorses national single-payer health-care act

SHOREVIEW – Legislation that will create a national single-payer health-care system was endorsed on Friday by the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE).

The MAPE Board of Directors endorsed HR 676 (the United States National Health Insurance Act), which is sponsored by Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich). HR 676 would institute a single-payer health-care system in the United States by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident.

“Affordable health care should be made available to all residents of this country,” said MAPE Executive Director Jim Monroe. “Single-payer health care is an economical way to address the health-care crisis in this country.”

Monroe added, “All Americans should be able to get the preventive care that they need to help prevent catastrophic illnesses when they are easier and less expensive to treat. Furthermore, if they do get ill, all Americans should be able to concentrate on getting well instead of worrying about how they will pay for the urgent care that they need.”

MAPE represents more than 11,000 professional state government employees.

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