Established in 2009, One Payer States (OPS) is dedicated to advancing America’s highest ideals in the pursuit of quality, comprehensive, and guaranteed healthcare for everyone in America.
Above all, we are dedicated to the concept that universal healthcare is a human right as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The UDHR is the founding document by which all other countries, except the United States, have protected the health rights of their citizens. The United States has spectacularly failed to live up to its obligations under that, and subsequent treaties protecting healthcare rights.
Through this statement of purpose, we intend to hold our government accountable and correct this historical abandonment of our nation’s duty to its citizens. We see universal healthcare not only as a human right, but as an economic imperative that will rescue Americans and our nation from both a looming financial disaster and a public health crisis. Whether or not we understand the peril of the misguided policies that got us here, we are all in a literal fight for our lives — and we regard reformed health policy as nothing less than the cornerstone of a rebuilt democracy.
We endorse efforts on both a state and national level and support organizations, officials, and candidates that are working with urgency to make Universal Healthcare a reality. Our focus is on those that are struggling and vulnerable, not the privileged few who may be inconvenienced. We do not support delay tactics, incremental approaches, or any effort that assumes the for-profit model can stay in place for necessary care. We believe the only way to true social justice, cost relief, and personal freedom is through a single-payer system.