Reaffirming 1992 Policy on National Health Care

WHEREAS, about 35-40 million Americans have no health insurance and many millions more have only minimal coverage that mandating long-term, intensive medical attention; and

WHEREAS, African-Americans have twice the infant mortality rate of whites and are at a much higher risk of death; and

WHEREAS, African-Americans and other minorities are without health insurance, and a disproportionate number are uninsured; and

WHEREAS, the health care industry employs 98.4 million people and accounts for fourteen (14) percent of the nation's economic activity; and

WHEREAS, African Americans and other minorities are forced to make life shortening decisions of whether to pay for necessities (i.e. rent, mortgage, taxes, food, etc.) or forego much needed, life saving medications due to the prohibitive cost of prescriptions; and

WHEREAS, health and insurance lobbyists generated $19 million in 1990 contributions to Congressional candidates as compared with $14 million from agricultural interests and $8 million from military contractors; and

WHEREAS, the United Sates is one major industrialized nation without a national, comprehensive health care program.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, thatthe NAACP strongly urges the President and the Congress to enact into law a single-payer, publicly-administered health care program which includes a prescription drug plan for all the Nation's residents; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP monitors the enactment of said law and diligently strives to ensure that it is implemented in a reasonable and expeditious manner.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, thatall the benefits of such a comprehensive program be made available without regard to family or personal income, and that provisions be included to encourage larger numbers of medical trainees from poor or low income families, and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the same national plan include funding for research to combat dread scourges such as AIDS and current epidemic of a new and more virulent strain of tuberculosis.