General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRepublicans Bet "Medicare for All" Hearings Would Divide Democrats. They Were Wrong.
Republicans Bet Medicare for All Hearings Would Divide Democrats. They Were Wrong.
Democrats may not agree on single payer, but they all know whos undermining health care.
Kara Voght
Republican lawmakers had bet that hearings for the Houses Medicare for All bill would surface deep disagreements among Democrats over their vision for the countrys health care system. But on Wednesday the bill was debated in its highest-profile venue yet, and instead of initiating an intraparty pillow fight, Democrats made a show of solidarity. They discredited the GOPs attacks with a reminder of that partys attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
The hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee was called Pathways to Universal Health Care. It served as an opportunity for members of Congress to debate not only Rep. Pramila Jayapals (D-Wash.) Medicare for All Act, which would establish a single-payer health care system, but also a number of other bills that would create universal care, such as Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Jan Schakowskys (D-Ill.) Medicare for America Act, which would create a federal insurance program but allow employer-provided plans to exist. As the 2020 field remains largely undecided on health care policysave for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who authored the Senates single-payer billthe hearing offered a forum for airing the particulars of the various plans touted by Democratic presidential hopefuls on the campaign trail.
And yet it was the GOPs attacks on the Affordable Care Act that took center stage. Republicans have spent the better part of the decade since the ACA became law trying to repeal it; they came close to succeeding during the summer of 2017. And in Wednesdays hearing, Democrats rushed to the defense of their landmark health care legislation, taking pains to note that their Republican colleagues lacked a clear vision of what they would replace the ACA with should it be toppled.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), who signed onto Jayapals bill late last month, chided his GOP colleagues for their criticism of Medicare for All, calling it one in a long line of Republican attacks on health care. Todays Republican condemnation of Medicare for All continues a great Republican tradition of opposing Medicare for anyone, Doggett said, noting that GOP rhetoric about Jayapals bill made the proposal sound like the worst thing to happen to the world since plagues struck Egypt. When it comes to health care, he added, the Republican Party is intellectually bankrupt and is offering only Nothing Care.
Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), who is not a sponsor of Medicare for All but supports a bill that would establish a Medicare buy-in option, echoed his rhetoric. We heard all about repeal and replace,' he said to Grace-Marie Turner, the president of the right-leaning Galen Institute, who appeared on behalf of the Republicans. What would you have replaced it with, and can you cite [for] us the Republican plan that they replaced the Affordable Care Act with?
more...
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/06/republicans-bet-medicare-for-all-hearings-would-divide-democrats-they-were-wrong/
area51
(11,868 posts)Please take a look at the comprehensive Medicare for All bill, and contact Nancy Pelosi to ask her to support it.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)It polls great when you say "Medicare for everybody", 70% or so. When you say "to replace private employer sponsored health insurance" it drops down below 30%. The idea is dead in the water and we need to move on.