As the U.S. Senate begins work on the Affordable Health Choices Act, The Advocates for Human Rights has reached out to senators with information about the human right to health. The right to health is guaranteed by myriad UN documents, but the current health care system in the United States includes many barriers to accessible and adequate care for millions living in the U.S.

This week, the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee as well as the Senate Finance Committee are discussing and editing the bill, which was proposed by Senator Edward Kennedy. The Advocates distributed the Human Right to Health Toolkit to members of both committees, urging them to focus on human rights as they mark up the bill. 

The toolkit is part of The Advocates' Discover Human Rights Institute, designed to help discover ways to “get informed, get involved, and get others interested” in human rights. Since its establishment in 1983, The Advocates for Human Rights has been dedicated to promoting and defending human rights locally and globally through advocacy, research and education. 

For a summary of the bill and its history, click here.  To read a fact sheet and view other resources regarding the right to health, click here.