Senator Bernie Sanders (I) “Medicare-for-all” proposal from a few years back has grown long legs of support, and looks to be the one issue Democrats will use during the 2020 presidential election to try to add to their 2018 mid-term election gains.
All of Sanders’ colleagues in the U.S. Senate, who have declared their intentions to run for president against Trump, have all signed up for the elder statesman healthcare proposal.
Now a similar bill in the U.S. House of Representatives has just been filed by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and backed by many, many Democratic legislators that are deemed to be part of the more “radical” or “politically eccentric” wing of the Democratic Party.
Even though he is seen more of an establishment Democrat on the Hill, Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson (D) has signed as a co-sponsor to Jayapal’s “Medicare-for-all” healthcare bill that will create a single-payer, government fully-subsidized healthcare program.
Health care is a RIGHT, not a privilege for the wealthy. It's time to change the game & provide quality, affordable health care for every person living in the U.S. Proud to join @RepJayapal & @repjohnlewis more than 100 of our colleagues as co-sponsors of the #MedicareforAll Act. pic.twitter.com/UwzZIC3Xhy
— Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) February 27, 2019
If this bill, which is Obamacare on steroids, passes the House, it will most probably fail in Republican-controlled senate.
Here are a few measures that are embedded in the bill:
It would create a single-payer, government-funded health-care program within two years, eliminating the age 65 threshold for Medicare eligibility.
- It would not charge beneficiaries copays, premiums or deductibles.
- The plan would cover prescription drugs, vision, dental, mental health, substance abuse and maternal care. It would also provide universal coverage for long-term care for people with disabilities.
- The proposal notably does not include methods to pay for the health-care overhaul. Jayapal mentioned higher taxes on the wealthy or contributions from employers as potential ways to fund it. -CNBC
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not said if she would be support the bill.
