BRUNSWICK — The Brunswick Town Council unanimously backed a resolution advocating for universal health care for all Maine residents during a meeting Monday.
The resolution urges state and federal governments to establish comprehensive coverage for all citizens. Councilor Dan Ankeles pitched the health care appeal after discussions with Dr. Bill Clark, leader of the nonprofit Maine AllCare.
Free health care “…supports a foundational aspect of American democracy, that is to say, everyone working together and caring for one another,” Clark said during Monday’s meeting.
“The financial implications for this are huge,” Ankeles said, arguing that free health care would lead to “a much healthier population, a population that’s well taken care of and in a much better position to thrive economically.”
Earlier this year, officials in Bangor approved a similar resolution calling for the creation of an “equitable” health care plan for all Mainers from “birth to death.” Portland has passed similar resolutions in the past, including in 2009 when they sent a resolution to the state legislature calling for movement toward universal health care.
While individual municipalities can’t enact sweeping changes to the health care industry, Clark and Ankeles said they see it as their civic responsibility to advocate for these reforms.
“Every municipality that calls for this is another voice that moves the debate toward this outcome,” Ankeles said. “While it might not be a binding thing, it’s an important way to signal a desired policy outcome.”
“This (resolution) isn’t binding, but it’s powerful because people spoke emphatically and formally about something,” said Jean Sawyer, a Brunswick resident who spoke at the council meeting. “I think that for Brunswick to put itself out in this process would be a really good thing.”
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