Examining Pathways to Universal Health Coverage

Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney's Opening Statement [PDF]

Washington D.C. (March 24, 2022)— On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a hybrid hearing to evaluate the need for reforms that would expand access to affordable health care by taking significant strides toward universal coverage—including proposals to establish a national, single-payer health insurance program, such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All Act.

Historically marginalized communities in the United States—including people of color, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people in rural communities, and people with less income—are uninsured and underinsured at disproportionate rates.

Congressional Democrats have enacted sweeping policies like the Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan, which expanded access to affordable health care coverage to millions of people in the United States, and continue to champion policies that will build upon this progress—including by guaranteeing access to public coverage to every person in the United States.

This hearing will assess how uninsurance and underinsurance negatively impacts health outcomes and examine how moving toward universal coverage could advance health equity in the United States.  The hearing will also evaluate reforms that would expand access to affordable health care and move our nation toward universal coverage, including the Medicare for All Act.