Sanders pushes Medicare expansion in Dems' next big bill
Source: Politico
Bernie Sanders wants to make sweeping changes to Medicare and prescription drug policy -- and evade the filibuster to do it.
The Vermont independent is urging his party to force Medicare to enter into negotiations with drug companies and use that revenue to pay for a huge expansion of the entitlement program. Sanders, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, is aiming to lower Medicare's eligibility age from 65 to 55 or 60 years old and expand the program to cover dental work, glasses and eye surgeries as well as hearing aids.
Those major changes would be rolled into a massive infrastructure bill Democrats are starting to craft that’s likely to include to tax policy as well. Sanders said in an interview on Friday that Congress' recent $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief measure was “an enormous step forward” on the immediate challenges facing the country, but that “now we have to look at the structural long-term problems facing our people.”
“We’re talking about physical infrastructure, affordable housing. We’re talking about transforming our energy system to deal with climate change. We’re talking about human infrastructure,” Sanders said. “In the rescue plan, we were able to take a major step forward in lowering child poverty -- very important. Now I want to deal with issues facing seniors as well.”
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sanders-pushes-medicare-expansion-in-dems-next-big-bill/ar-BB1f0ogl?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=DELLDHP
= new reply since forum marked as read
GOP love to tell people they're not entitled to things they've paid into their whole lives.
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