Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives in the House and Senate have resurrected a Medicare for All bill that would seek to use the federal program as a springboard to a single-payer health system, Healthcare Finance reports.
Sanders (I-Vermont) was joined by Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) and Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan), as well as 14 senators and 110 members of the House of Representatives.
As a catalyst for the renewed push for Medicare for All, the lawmakers cited the lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic – about a third of which they claim was linked to a lack of health insurance – as well as the roughly 15 million Americans they say could lose Medicare coverage this year.
Implemented over four years, the Medicare for All Act would provide healthcare coverage to all Americans with no out-of-pocket expenses, insurance premiums, deductibles or copayments. That would include coverage for primary care, vision, dental, prescription drugs, mental health, substance use disorder, long-term services and supports, and reproductive healthcare. Read more.
