For health care activists, the primary bill labeled Medicare for All has gained more support from Congress now more than previous years. This bill was introduced in each Congress since 2003, but this year the count has risen to an average of 37 percent since it’s the first introduction.
Obviously, this development is pretty astonishing. Only last year the Democratic party was working to keep Senator Bernie Sanders from stepping up to the plate and winning the Democratic party, and they have been working to prevent Donald Trump from forcing millions of Americans to get off of their insurance. This would essentially do away with benefits like emergency room visits and mental health, which have been benefits of the Affordable Care Act. The ACA gave access to health insurance, but it also left many Americans without any insurance at all. With health costs rising, the ACA can’t keep up, which is one of the central problems of our entire health system.
There is still a ways to travel, however, and the Medicare for All needs all the public support it can get. Organizers are hopeful that the growing momentum will push the bill to the turning point, and public healthcare universally might not be as far away as we thought for US citizens.
The HR 676, also known as Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act, is much like other global counterparts. It covers everyone and does it for a fraction of the cost. However, this bill did not receive the necessary support it needed. On the other hand, Republicans have repealed the ACA, but it is noted that these repeals were a complete failure for the party. The debate still thrives over whether we should consider other GOP health reform plans.
With the rise of the new support for the Medicare for All bill, there stems a major reason for this new-found support. Several progressive groups have been pressuring Democrats to take action. Aside from the traditional petitions and letters, these progressive groups have also conducted several national days where they have taken action against the government. These events have been drawing large crowds.
Many staffers and volunteers from the Sanders campaign have been rallying behind the bill, working to educate and rally the public behind the idea as well. Not only have they been rallying, but they founded the organizations as well. Sanders has worked well to bring the single-payer into focus for many new people. In the next few weeks, Sanders intends to bring his single-payer legislation to the Senate.
There has been talking that since Clinton’s campaign has ended that the Democrats feel more inclined to support this single-payer bill. This plan is quite the opposite from Clinton’s plan which was very much anti-single-payer. Since Clinton is no longer a candidate, talk has been centered around who should be the head of the Democratic party, and some even say that Sanders is the de facto leader.
Unfortunately, only half of the Democrats have responded to the Medicare for All bill. Though they state that Medicare for All is a great place to end up, they refuse to say more on the subject, claiming there is no common ground for both parties. For those who have yet to respond to the bill, they might find that more than their constituents will be contacting them about the plan. Of course, the advocates for the plan have committed to both solving this health care issue and calling the opposed until they get the answer they are seeking. Only time will tell what Congress will do with this new Medicare for All bill.