Political battles brewing over single-payer healthcare
Democrats in Congress are facing increasing pressure to support plans for a government-funded, single-payer healthcare system—and Republicans have noticed.
The Washington Post reports the Republicans plan on making the issue a “political anchor” for Democrats, citing the trillions of dollars in taxes and spending a single-payer system would require. Political ads have already been appearing against the 10 Senate Democrats representing states won by President Donald Trump in 2016 who are up for re-election next year.
Within the Democrats’ own Senate caucus, there are fervent supporters of universal coverage, most notably Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, who is likely to introduce a “Medicare for all” bill after the Republicans’ version of Affordable Care Act repeal legislation either fails or passes in the Senate. Some of those senators being targeted by Republican ads, however, remain unconvinced the idea is feasible.
“I told Bernie this: Let’s look at the tax code,” said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia. “Look at Sweden and Denmark—look at their tax code. You can’t just pick what you like and think everything stays the same. How are you going to pay for it? How do people get access to it? How much regulation? Let’s find out.”
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.