Sanders: I'm 'absolutely' introducing single-payer healthcare bill

[highplainsdem]

Source: The Hill

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday that he will “absolutely” introduce legislation on single-payer healthcare now that the Senate GOP’s bill to repeal ObamaCare has failed.

“Of course we are, we’re tweaking the final points of the bill and we’re figuring out how we can mount a national campaign to bring people together,” Sanders told Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union.

Sanders promised to introduce a “Medicare for All” proposal once the debate over repealing ObamaCare ended. He is one of several progressive lawmakers that backs the healthcare model that has divided Democratic lawmakers.

It’s unclear exactly when he will introduce the legislation. The Senate has two weeks remaining in sessions.

-snip-

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/344520-sanders-im-absolutely-introducing-single-payer-healthcare-bill

[Plucketeer]

1. GO Bernie, GO!

Let's show 'em what common sense, equality and compassion really look like.

[Sunlei]

2. "Medicare" for All as a insurance plan to ACA will increase competition, lower prices on 'for

lower prices on "for profit" Insurance Corp. plans. Require Insurance Corps to list ALL PLANS on healthcare.gov.

Be great as well if “Medicare for All” crossed state lines and was accepted by all Doctors AND pharmacies.

No more tiny networks and restricted to one pharmacy with ridiculous over-priced medicine!

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. K & R!!!!!

[George II]

4. Didn't he say that back in January and then again in March? Can't find the January link but....

...here's the March report:

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/sanders-to-introduce-single-payer-health-care-plan-236516

Sanders to offer single-payer health care plan

By CRISTIANO LIMA 03/26/2017 11:09 AM EDT

Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday he planned to introduce a single-payer health care plan to Congress, inviting Republican leaders to negotiate the measure.

“I'm going to introduce a Medicare-for-all single-payer program," Sanders told anchor Dana Bash on CNN's "State of the Union." The Vermont senator, who has repeatedly stated his support for such a plan in the past, said he hoped to garner bipartisan support for the plan.

[virtualobserver]

7. Timing is everything

This might be a good time to do it.

[NastyRiffraff]

9. But he said "absolutely"!

That means he's really really really gonna do it this time. Honest! Or not. Or, he'll steal John Conyer's ideas. That Democrat has been working on Medicare for All for over 15 years.

[bettyellen]

32. I thought it was Cummings? Always wondered why Sanders didn't partner w him on this....

Would seem to me like they'd be stronger together.

[NurseJackie]

37. You'd think, huh?

Would seem to me like they'd be stronger together.

Your observations are astute and correct. If the principles would see that, then we'd all benefit.

[cannabis_flower]

11. Correct me if I'm wrong

But I believe Sanders has introduced it before but it failed. But perhaps it will have more support this time. I hope.

[George II]

12. He may have, but not sure. I do know however that he's gone on talk shows...

...more than once to announce that he would introduce it.

[beam me up scottie]

21. NOT GOOD ENOUGH BERNIE!

Seriously, he's written several Medicare for All bills and one amendment and he's also been fighting tirelessly to generate support to save the ACA. Now he's being criticized for waiting until that fight is over?

[LanternWaste]

50. The important thing is that he continues to do the same thing over and over again...

The important thing is that he continues to do the same thing over and over again... the results will be different this time.

[beam me up scottie]

53. When it comes to basic human rights giving up isn't an option.

Just ask John Conyers who's also been fighting for universal health care.

Would women's, lgbt, civil and voting rights have passed if advocates had said "it's too hard, I give up"?

But when Bernie does it it's characterized as insanity?

Gotta love that double standard.

[Lordquinton]

62. He's traveling around the country talking about it

Getting the support of the people who matter most: us.

It's like everyone forgot how politics works.

[disillusioned73]

44. You would hope..

but you never know

[R B Garr]

13. Isn't this the John Conyers' bill? A great DEMOCRAT?

The DEMOCRATS have been introducing this bill repeatedly.

[NastyRiffraff]

15. Exactly

Democrats have been pushing this for years. Obama actually wanted single payer for ACA but had to settle for a bill that could (and did) pass. Democrats have always planned to improve the ACA, but that takes Democratic majorities in both houses.

[GaryCnf]

16. But it must require even more than that

right?

I mean, OUR President Obama had majorities in both houses and a stronger majority in the Senate than Republicans do now and he still couldn't get his public option passed.

Apparently it matters what kind of Democrats we put in Congress.

[LiberalLovinLug]

19. Except Obama did NOT even allow it to be discussed.

https://www.thenation.com/article/baucus-healthcare-plan-arrest-doctors-nurses/

Medical practitioners who have shown up at Baucus-chaired “roundtable discussions” to demand consideration of a real fix — the single-payer, genuinely-public reform that assures all Americans will have health care while at the same time holding down costs — are being taken into custody and removed from the hearing rooms.

At the first Finance Committee session last week, Dr. Margaret Flowers and seven others were taken into custody when they urged Baucus to include witnesses who support single-payer.

Dr. Flowers discussed her arrest on Ed Schultz’s MSNBC show, explaining that physicians, nurses and reform groups representing more than 20 million Americans had repeatedly asked to be heard by Baucus and his colleagues.

But the answer from Baucus, who has been charged by the Obama administration with shaping a health-care plan, has been to call in the cops.

“They just don’t want to hear from single-payer,” explained Dr. Flowers, a pediatrician from Maryland. “We’ve been trying for months now, meeting with members of Congress, to be included in the hearings at the events that they are holding and they keep excluding us.”

After reviewing the details of the Baucus overreaction, Schultz asked: “President Obama: Do you support excluding people from the discussion?”

Obama has not responded.

...............

Whether he would have had to compromise and not go with SP eventually, how is banning and arresting even any talk of SP during the Senate Finance Committee hearing indicate that Democrats have been "pushing this for years"?

How does Hillary saying about SP, “People who have health emergencies can’t wait for us to have a theoretical debate about some better idea that will never, ever come to pass.” show how the Democrats have been "pushing this for years"?

[beam me up scottie]

22. Also the other Medicare acts he wrote were different from the house bills.

I don't know why people are acting like Bernie is just copying someone else when he's been advocating a national health care system since he was first elected to congress. And others who came before him also advocated single payer universal health care - so it's not like the idea was invented in 2003.

[LiberalLovinLug]

29. Exactly, he never claimed he invented Single Payer

He has just been one of the most vocal proponents.

Who cares what American politician first suggested it? I'm sure Bernie doesn't.

Its just funny to see some that were on the front lines bashing Bernie during the primary for HIS silly pie in the sky idea of having a Single Payer system, now that it is being pushed by other Democrats, suddenly they want to emphasize how this great idea was never his to begin with.

[beam me up scottie]

30. Yep. He was pushing it in 1991 and other congressmen did so long before that.

And yeah, didn't some people call his plan a 'pony'? You know how those silly progressives and their radical ideas for socialized health care are, always wanting free stuff.



Now a majority of our congressmen/women support Conyers' Medicare for All bill and no one is laughing at them anymore.

That's progress.

[disillusioned73]

45. Haters gonna hate..

itz what they are here for..

[George II]

38. Do you have a problem with what Obama did to get the ACA passed in the first place?

[WoonTars]

64. I do. Picking Baucus for a start was a terrible idea...

Obama ceded too much ground before the republicans were even at the table...

[George II]

65. You do realize that you're responding to posts more than a month old, right?

[WoonTars]

66. So they're what, stale-dated? Past an expiration date...

...or has the post ceased to be valid?

And i think it's precisely one month old, not more than, unless I'm reading your July 31st post in the future...

[George II]

67. Well, since you're being so snarky, my post was on July 30, this is August 31....

....so, you do the math.

The point is that this discussion was over and done with weeks ago. What is your point in resurrecting it now?

[WoonTars]

70. I must have missed the "this is over and done with" tag...

Last edited Fri Sep 1, 2017, 08:16 PM - Edit history (1)

My bad.

[George II]

73. You may have, but it wasn't a "tag".

[R B Garr]

35. Thank you, that's why it's important to remind the public that this is John Conyers'

bill and not let anyone take away that a good DEMOCRAT has introduced it -- for real -- for well over a decade.

As I remember, the GOP had to be reminded of Romneycare extensively during this process. Admonishing Democrats for having to work with that reality of GOP opposition is important. Criticizing Democrats for this reality is just divisive.

[WoonTars]

63. Except it's in the Senate...as has been repeatedly pointed out to you...

...and Bernie is introducing it in the Senate...i believe he introducing similar when, like John Conyers, he was in the House, back in 1991...

[R B Garr]

68. You kicked this thread from July.

It's McDermott's bill in the Senate. Bernie doesn't have a bill. The main point being that Democrats have been working for decades for single payer/universal health care. Not just one man, so we can dispense with the false notions that Democrats are out of touch. LOL.

[George II]

71. I guess some have already forgotten about the "Lion of the Senate":

[R B Garr]

72. Perfect!! It looks like they have forgotten. There have been decades of good

Democrats fighting for health care. It's not appreciated that our history is rewritten with smears and falsehoods.

That was so enjoyable listening to Kennedy! We should bring him up more as a wonderful reminder..

[murielm99]

18. Conyers, yes.

He has been introducing it since 2003.

Why doesn't Bernie just announce his support for Conyers' bill?

[R B Garr]

24. Exactly, and a perfect question.

Why can't Bernie just announce his support for Conyers' bill.

[beam me up scottie]

26. Maybe because he's not in the house anymore, he's a senator now.

When he was in the house he did support Conyers' bills, in fact he cosponsored them - but he became a senator in 2006. Since then he's sponsored his own bills.

[TastyTaters]

36. +1

[disillusioned73]

46. Folks have a hard time..

understanding how things work when it doesn't support their irrational perspective..

[LanternWaste]

51. Or their sacred cows, as well.

"when it doesn't support their irrational perspective..."

Or their sacred cows, as well.

[disillusioned73]

54. Unless I misunderstood you..

"Maybe because he's not in the house anymore, he's a senator now.

When he was in the house he did support Conyers' bills, in fact he cosponsored them - but he became a senator in 2006. Since then he's sponsored his own bills."

What part of that is irrational?? Seems quite factual.. or am I mooing up the wrong tree??

[beam me up scottie]

56. "am I mooing up the wrong tree??"

[beam me up scottie]

55. What do you have against cows?

[ehrnst]

42. Yep. (nt)

[DeminPennswoods]

5. I'm on board

nt

[IronLionZion]

6. I'm interested in seeing what they come up with

hopefully it will be well planned out and thorough. Because we may get our chance sooner than we expect if Mueller finds something damning enough for the American people finally decide to throw these bums out of office.

It would be a good exercise in seeing who in our party would be willing to go on record supporting it. We need to get any back and forth arguments out of the way earlier on so we don't repeat the mistakes that happened during passing of the PPACA.

[Solly Mack]

8. K&R

[still_one]

10. While this is good, I see no way that the republicans will allow it to come to the floor

However, if somehow it was able to get to the floor, it better be very detailed how it would get funded, and services distributed. If it didn't have those details, then it would be counter productive, and hurt future endeavors.

The positive aspect of this, even if it doesn't make it to the floor, is that it might just open the door where this actually becomes part of the discussion, but as I mentioned before, it MUST addresse the funding and how the services will be distributed, or it will hurt the cause for single payer

[R B Garr]

23. Yeah, didn't they have to call it "Romneycare" just to get it over on them?

Reality is a thing.

[Dustlawyer]

25. Just getting SP talked about on a national stage will increase calls for it.

Coming on the heals of the Republicans failure to shove crap down our throats I think it is excellent timing. I don't care who's idea it was at first. The fact that Bernie is leading a charge on this issue to force the media and politicians to talk about it is an improvement and a good step forward. I hope other Democrats will join in the call for SP.

We will never get it if we don't bring it up and fight for it!!!

[still_one]

27. We will see if this will actually become part of the discussion

[beam me up scottie]

28. Exactly! It's not rocket science.

If our representatives waited for the 'right time' they would never write any legislation. No one thinks this will pass but it shows the American public the difference between conservatives and liberals. Now is the perfect time to fight!

[nycbos]

14. I think we will have some version of a single payer system with in the next 10 to 15 years.

Bernie supported the ACA (to take a educated guess) because he saw it as a means of putting us on the path toward single payer.


I am sure knows he can't get single payer though this congress and knows the next step is adding a public option to the ACA.


I am guessing that is his strategy. Get it on peoples minds, show everyone the sky won't fall down with a public option and THEN go for single payer.

[andym]

17. The most important thing is to get a CBO score out of the bill

Obviously it is not going to become law anythime soon., but the comparison with Trumpcare and Obamacare is going to be important going forward. Also, how it will be paid for-- increase of Medicare tax? National sales tax on items > $1000, etc.

[beam me up scottie]

20. Good. He's introduced several Medicare for All bills and amendments in the Senate.

And here's Bernie in 1991 advocating a national health care system - just one month after being elected to Congress :

He's been working to save the ACA behind the scene and also by generating support for it publicly.

You go, Bernie! We need more tireless senators like him.

[diva77]

31. +1000 This! and thank you for digging up this historical footage & info.

[beam me up scottie]

34. You're welcome, I helped elect him to Congress so I have a long memory.

I'm glad more people are realizing Bernie was right all along about health care.

Fortunately he never let the nay-sayers discourage him, he just keeps trying.

[R B Garr]

48. The Clintons were ACTIVELY introducing universal health care SINCE THE EARLY 90's

They were mocked and ridiculed. That is actually a subject in the CNN special "The Nineties". The Clintons plans to introduce health care for all. Lots of DEMOCRATS are also TIRELESS about the subject.

Yet neither one has passed. Thank goodness for Obama's ACA, which some senators criticized as not good enough.

Reality is a thing.

[Alice11111]

33. Repubs pissed that their healthcare was saved

Fwd: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trump-supporters-furious-that-they-still-have-health-care?intcid=inline_amp

[Initech]

39. Do it Bernie!!!!!

[Hieronymus]

40. Love Bernie ..

now is the time to strike.

[harun]

41. Would love to see a Medicare Part E (Everyone) bill that says

anyone willing to pay a 10% income tax get's the insurance and care they need.

[yurbud]

59. like an alternative minimum tax?

[harun]

60. AMT isn't voluntary. This would just be the price of the buy-in, limited by income.

Would rather it also be limited by wealth but that is a whole other topic.

[demmiblue]

43. K&R for the Energizer Bernie!

[disillusioned73]

47. K&R..

The right is terrified of this.. if you claim to be part of the "resistance" and don't support this.. you are a fraud

[murielm99]

49. I must be a fraud then.

I will stick with the ACA and finding ways to improve it.

[disillusioned73]

52. I am glad that you are honest,

with yourself & with others..

[JCanete]

57. what is your major objection to single payer? nt

[yurbud]

58. this is an improvement--delete the for profit insurance part & simplify public part

They should have built a threat of this into the original bill: every year insurance companies increase premiums above a certain amount, the age for Medicare eligibility should have been lowered a year or two.

[R B Garr]

61. You are certainly not a fraud to stick with the known quantity and

want to improve on it. What is fraudulent is insisting on a my-way-or-the-highway approach with absolutely no success ever to back it up.

[HughBeaumont]

69. An improvement would have been a public option.

Thanks to very-right-of-center, Big Insurance-fattened Lieberturd and Baucus, guess not.

America needs to move into the 21st century and get a multi-payer health care system.

I really DON'T think that's too much to ask for. You wouldn't know that by the sentiments and downerisms of some, though.

[Bradical79]

74. Got to keep pushing it

Glad to see it.