The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. May 11, 2011 Single-Payer Measure Introduced in Congress -------------------------------------------- Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Jim Mc Dermott of Washington State have introduced their annual measure to establish a single-payer healthcare system. The American Health Security Act of 2011 would establish a single government program to guarantee healthcare to all Americans. Sanders unveiled the bill on Tuesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders: "Now is the time for the United States of America to join the rest of the industrialized world and say healthcare is a right of all people, not a privilege for the few. We are here today to advocate for and bring forth legislation which provides for a Medicare-for-all single-payer which will guarantee healthcare for every man, woman, child in this country." Sanders' home state of Vermont is preparing to become the first in the country to enact a single-payer system following final approval by lawmakers of a universal healthcare bill earlier this month. .