With House Democrats from all factions of the party pushing for a vote on a newly drafted “Medicare for All” bill, the measure is expected to fail in the Republican-led senate, as several “moderate” senate Democrats have already signaled concerned over the healthcare proposal.
All the Democratic presidential candidates in the senate, Sens. Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren, have all already put their support behind the single-payer, government subsidize healthcare proposal.
Those centrist, or moderate Senate Democrats like Sens. Joe Manchin (WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) will most likely side with Republicans to defeat any proposed “Medicare for all” legislation they are presented with.
During her 2018 senatorial campaign against then-Rep. Martha McSally, Sinema stated, “I do not support Medicare for All,” but the Senate Leadership Fund countered here claim by making their case that she did support similar “Medicare for All” legislation earlier in her political career.
The Fund points to H.R. 2752, a bill that Sinema co-sponsored in the House that according to The Arizona Republic newspaper, “the bill would create a single-payer system that pools funds from Medicare, Medicaid and employers to provide insurance coverage to all Arizona residents regardless of health status, employment, age or income level.”
That was 2006, but what was her stance on the issue back in 2001 when she ran for the Phoenix City Council?
During her city council campaign, Sinema advocated for “a national health care system similar to that of France and Canada.”
“As an advocate of implementation of a national health care system similar to that of France and Canada, I advocate a state health care system. In the purview of City Council membership, I would strongly advocate universal health care for the city of Phoenix, with an intention to spread the system throughout Arizona. Most industrialized countries in the world utilize this system and provide a higher level of care for a fraction of the cost. Most importantly, all residents in areas with universal health care are assured access to decent health care and mental health.”- Kyrsten Sinema
But again, that was then, and today Sinema appears to be squarely against Sen. Bernie Sander’s “Medicare for All” legislation.
