FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ross Sherman, RepresentUs Media Relations Manager, 207-749-2660, rsherman@represent.us
FLORENCE, Mass. – America’s healthcare system is broken, and it's the direct result of our corrupt political system. That’s the message delivered by global pop icon Sia in RepresentUs’ latest short film in the Unbreaking America series released Tuesday. In eight minutes, Sia’s impassioned delivery in Unbreaking America’s Healthcare clearly connects the dots between pharmaceutical industry lobbying and political donations and an American healthcare system that is taking years off of our lives.
“Our healthcare system is literally killing us – and it’s because our government is bought and sold by the pharmaceutical industry. Corruption is the reason we have sky-high healthcare costs, and it’s why the opioid crisis got out of control,” said RepresentUs CEO Joshua Graham Lynn. “We have to end the corruption at the center of our politics before it takes more American lives. RepresentUs is proud to partner with Sia on this because she recognizes that we must cure political corruption to cure the American healthcare crisis.”
The cycle of corruption couldn’t be clearer. The pharmaceutical industry spends more than half a billion dollars a year bribing politicians to prevent Americans from getting the healthcare they deserve. And the numbers are staggering. About half of U.S. adults struggle to pay for healthcare costs. In 2022, the U.S. racked up $88 billion in medical debt, which is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the country. America spends more on healthcare than every other developed nation in the world, but Americans don’t live as long.
Unbreaking America’s Healthcare is the fifth in a series of RepresentUs short films featuring cultural icons explaining how corruption affects Americans’ everyday lives. Previous films have featured Jennifer Lawrence explaining why corruption means the average American has a near-zero impact on public policy, Michael Douglas showing how corruption makes America more divided, Omar Epps on America’s for-profit prison system, and Ed Helms on the student debt crisis.
The Unbreaking America series clearly shows that corruption is at the heart of America’s inability to address every important issue. Until we cure corruption in the U.S., we can’t seriously tackle healthcare, student debt or anything else. RepresentUs supports efforts in cities and states across the country to pass strong anti-corruption laws to crack down on political bribery and dark money, as well as laws that empower voters to have a stronger voice in government.
Despite the conventional wisdom that America is more divided and gridlocked than ever, progress is possible. RepresentUs and the anti-corruption movement have won more than 170 victories in cities and states across the country. Democrats, Republicans and independents agree that corruption is one of the most important issues America needs to address.
As Sia says at the end of the film, “If you do nothing, nothing is going to change. But if each of us does just a little, we’re unstoppable.”
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RepresentUs is America’s leading nonpartisan organization fighting to protect and strengthen democracy. We unite unlikely allies from across the political spectrum who put country over party to pass pro-democracy laws, fight corruption, and defeat authoritarian threats. We have won more than 170 victories in cities and states across America since our founding 10 years ago. Each win is one step closer to our vision of making America the world’s strongest democracy.