House Democrats today announced a Medicare for All caucus with a growing list of members, so far 70, as the healthcare for all movement becomes a mainstream issue for Democrats.
At the press conference, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who will be co-chair of the caucus along with Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), said they were gathered to launch an “historic caucus”
“We are united today by the common conviction that healthcare is a human right,” Jayapal said. “That healthcare must be affordable and accessible to all residents of the United Stand, and one of the best ways to ensure healthcare for all is to use the system that already exists for millions of seniors over the last half century. And that is Medicare.”
California Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) said a changing economy needs to create a system untethered to an employer.
“I think everyone in this caucus believes in one simple principle. That every American should have healthcare from the day they are born,” Khanna said. This policy “is pro-economic growth. It’s pro-jobs, and it’s pro-innovation. Because if the economy is changing, and you need to get a new job, you need to make sure you have healthcare.”
The caucus is supporting H.R. 676, the Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act. The bill essentially eliminates all private, employer-based health plans and creates a new government plan with no premiums or deductibles. The only spot for private insurers is to provide “supplemental insurance.” It has 122 co-sponsors. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt) has a Medicare for All bill that has the sponsorship of at least a third of Senate Democrats.
Watch today’s press conference below:
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