On Sunday, U.S. Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders announced his intention to introduce legislation outlining a single-payer 'Medicare-for-all' health insurance program. Progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Justice Democrats, is asking those who support Senator Sanders' plan to sign a petition at JusticeDemocrats.com. Cenk Uygur, host and founder of The Young Turks, observed that President Donald Trump, the author of "The Art of the Deal," wasn't able to negotiate a health care deal that Republicans could agree on.
In the wake of the failure of the Republican controlled House of Representatives to gather the necessary support to pass the American Health Care Act, Mr.
Uygur noted that conservatives are now "blaming one another." The TYT host expressed his view that such Republican infighting "presents a great opportunity," for the Democratic Party to put together a new, better version of the Affordable Care Act, and to "fight for it." He offered that one way to "fix Obamacare" would be to introduce a bill outlining a "public option."
Time for Republicans to look at Democrats' proposals
Uygur took issue with Senate Democratic Leader and U.S. Senator from New York Chuck Schumer's statement following the failure of the AHCA that he was willing to "look" at proposals offered by President Trump. Instead of Senator Schumer agreeing to look at Donald Trump's proposals, Uygur stated that "he should now be looking at our proposals." Speaking with Chris Hayes on MSNBC, Senator Sanders announced his intention to introduce single-payer "Medicare-for-all" health insurance.
The TYT founder explained the establishment media's response to a single-payer system is to label the idea as "radical," and a "government takeover." Representative from Minnesota and Deputy Chair of the Democratic Party Keith Ellison has seconded Sanders' call for Medicare for all. Ellison is reported to support a bill currently before Congress, calling for a single-payer system.
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren, as well as the U.S. senators from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, have indicated their support for a Medicare-for-all health care system.
Jeff Merkley, the Democratic U.S. senator from Oregon, who Cenk Uygur noted endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, has listed policies available to pursue, including drug price negotiations, a public option, and giving older citizens the right to "buy into Medicare" as being among initiatives that he would be "happy to work with anyone, from either side of the aisle," toward bringing into law.
Over 60 percent of Americans support 'Medicare for all'
Alex Lawson, the executive director of Social Security Works, has suggested that a single-payer Medicare-for-all plan could start by reducing the qualifying age to 62, and from there "get it down to zero." Citing research by the Kaiser Family Foundation stating that 64 percent of Americans have a "positive reaction" to the words "Medicare for all," the 46-year-old TYT host asked how such a popular program is so difficult "to get behind" for establishment Democrats.
Cenk Uygur then cited another poll, from The Pew Research Center, which stated that 60 percent of Americans believe that it is the government's responsibility to ensure "health care coverage for all Americans." He noted that, even though the question was framed as a "government takeover" of health care, a majority of Americans expressed support for the idea.
Uygur speculated that the reason many establishment Democratic politicians haven't gotten behind single-payer health care is because they have been told not to by their donors.
The TYT host encouraged viewers who support Bernie Sanders' single-player plan to sign the Justice Democrats petition. He called the position held by the progressive group a "simple" one, "enormously popular," and asked what more establishment Democrats could possibly want.
