Sen. Bernie Sanders stated Sunday that he plans to reintroduce Medicare-for-All legislation in the U.S. Senate within the next few days as the Biden government moves forward with a new agenda Medicare privatization schemeMillions of Americans are still at imminent riskThey could lose their insurance if pandemic protections end.
“In the midst of the current set of horrors — war, oligarchy, pandemics, inflation, climate change, etc. — we must continue the fight to establish healthcare as a human right, not a privilege,” Sanders (I-Vt.), the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, wroteTweet. “I will soon be reintroducing our Medicare for All legislation.”
Sanders’ announcement came weeks after Biden’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) saidInstead of terminating a Medicare account, you can instead terminate it privatization experiment hatched under the Trump administration, it would rebrand the pilot program and make minor changes that critics — including physicians and Medicare for All advocates — say would leave the scheme’s most dangerous components intact.
Millions of Americans across the U.S. will soon lose Medicaid benefits when the federally declared coronavirus publicly health emergency (PHE), expires. In January, the Biden administration extended the PHE through April 16, but it’s unclear whether there will be another extension.
Writing for The Daily PosterLibby Watson, a writer on healthcare policy, published an article earlier this month. warned that “the potential scale of this mass disenrollment could be huge: The Urban Institute estimated in September that up to 15 million people could lose their Medicaid coverage when the PHE ends.”
“The Georgetown Center for Children and Families estimated in a report released in February that 6.7 million children are likely to lose coverage,” Watson added. “Many of the new enrollees over the past few years will genuinely no longer be eligible — not a surprise, since the income limits for Medicaid are very low — but many others who are eligible will lose coverage anyway.”
Progressives have argued that the best way for such a terrible epidemic to be prevented was through the coronavirus pandemic. health insurance churnIt is to create a single-payer system that guarantees comprehensive coverage for all, regardless of income.
Last March, Reps. Pramila Japal (D-Wash.), and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.). reintroduced Medicare for All legislation in the House with the backing of more than half of the chamber’s Democratic caucus. Despite strong support, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.Calif.) has rejected the bill. yet to allow a floor vote.
Jayapal & Dingell are among the progressive lawmakersInstructing President Joe Biden to end the Medicare privatization Experiment, now known as ACO REACH.
In analysisPublic Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, estimated that hundreds of thousands less people would have died from Covid-19 in America if there was a Medicare for All system. This estimate was made just before Jayapal & Dingell re-upped the bill last year.
“Under Medicare for All, everyone would have consistent coverage regardless of their employment status or employer,” Public Citizen’s report noted. “And because Americans would have their choice of providers, instead of facing the narrow networks their employers choose for them, they would face fewer challenges getting care, especially during a pandemic where some hospitals and providers are overwhelmed by demand.”
