Medicare for All Bill Introduced by Pramila Jayapal Gets Record 120 Cosponsors

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Source: Truthout

A bill that would establish Medicare for All in the U.S. has reached 120 sponsors, Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) announced on Sunday.

“We’ve officially got a record 120 co-sponsors on my Medicare for All Act!” said Jayapal, who introduced the legislation. “Thrilled to welcome Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Florida) to our fight to ensure health care as a human right!”

Signing on to the bill as a cosponsor is one of Cherfilus-McCormick’s first acts since being sworn in as a member of Congress in mid-January. Last week, Representatives Donald Norcross (D-New Jersey) and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) also became cosponsors of the bill; original cosponsors include progressive “squad” members like Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota).

The Medicare for All Act of 2021, or H.R. 1976, would establish a single-payer healthcare system in the U.S. Under the bill, health care claims would be paid by the government and all U.S. residents would be able to access health care without having to pay out of pocket for most services. /SNIP

Read more: https://truthout.org/articles/medicare-for-all-bill-introduced-by-pramila-jayapal-gets-record-120-cosponsors/?fbclid=IwAR23PS9DXE864gIX3tU0V-SpeOSziPHrbQY04z7uGibi0ZxkL-6cXFotqYU

[VarryOn]

1. We are in control of the legislative and the executive branches, so...

Make it happen!

[NurseJackie]

17. Not by a large enough margin.

We are in control of the legislative and the executive branches, so...

Not by a large enough margin. The "control" we have is a slight majority in the House and a 50/50 "tie" in the Senate. That gives us control over committee assignments and what comes to the floor for a vote, but it's unrealistic to believe that Democrats can "make it happen" based on the false belief that "we are in control". We're not really in control.

While it may be technically true that we have an ever-so-slight enough of a majority in the House and a tie in the Senate, our party is definitely not in a position that can be characterized as "we are in control". When enough people indulge this false perception that we are completely "in control", they are easily frustrated often "blame the Democrats" when nothing gets done or when bills are easily blocked by the GOP. We hear it here all the time... not-so-subtle insinuations that the Democrats are lazy or incompetent... or corrupt.

I think it's important to be realistic.

[Walleye]

18. 👆 I think almost all Democrats want Medicare for all.

Maybe one or two don’t but that’s enough to stop everything. Don’t blame it on the whole party when we’re trying as hard as we can. The motives and objectives are pure the process is messy

[NurseJackie]

20. Honestly, it's my personal belief that in some corners of the internet...

... there are a subset of individuals who will never be happy with anything the Democratic party does or accomplishes. Sarandon, Turner, West, Stein, Nader, Moore... along with a handful of others... have made it their goal in life, a sacred mission, to attack and smear and denigrate the Democratic party (and party leadership) at every possible moment. Some will even OPPOSE the party's efforts to make incremental PROGRESS by finding common ground. It's the same "all or nothing" philosophy that actually ends up halting progress rather than advancing it. Those pundits (and others) would rather indulge their egos rather than be willing to give-a-little in order to get-a-little, and forgetting that incremental progress is still progress --- while fooling themselves that receiving "nothing" as part of their all-or-nothing stubborn showboating is some sort of virtue to be admired. It's not.

All I'm trying to say is simply this: in the end people need to ask what useful purpose this strategy serves? It's never been successful in the past, so what good reason to they have for believing it will change going forward? It's just another example of how people are oddly willing to do and say things that lay undeserved blame at the feet of the Democratic party. It does nothing but to create an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness and negativity. Negativity generates apathy. Apathy discourages voter turnout. Low voter turnout gives Republicans a chance to steal the elections.

[Walleye]

22. That is so well stated. I agree with all of it. Plus I hate Ralph Nader

[George II]

24. That's not exactly true. There are polls that say most Americans (which includes Democrats)....

....want Universal Health Care, not "medicare for all".

[Walleye]

25. OK but I don't get the difference. The Medicare we have now is flawed

Would universal healthcare be like the UK or Canada? I don’t really trust polls on most subjects because the way they phrase the questions.

[George II]

27. Actually there are more people who favor strengthening the ACA, which is what Biden ran on.

[Walleye]

28. I do think the public option would solve a lot of problems. It's doable too

[AZProgressive]

2. This is good news

K&R

[left-of-center2012]

3. That is good, but ...

I wish they would fix Medicare so that it would pay for my dental, vision, and hearing.

Also many of the co-pays for tests the doctors wants me to have is $300 each.

Physical therapy one wants me to have is $50 per session and he wants me to have six minimum.

All of that is free under Medicaid but not Medicare.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. Plus 100

I'm in the same boat.

[monkeyman1]

10. wife in same boat too ! I'm total V.A. !

[ancianita]

14. Possibly Bernie, known for his hundreds of amendments, will get that into the bill.

Adding dental, vision, and hearing is worth our putting up with trumpcult incumbents exploiting that to keep their contested seats.

[DuaneT]

21. Sounds like you're on a Medicare Advantage plan

Medicare Advantage plans replace original Medicare accept in a few instances and have co pays. Original Medicare with a supplement you would more than likely not have to pay those prices.

[area51]

30. Please take a look at the legislation,

Medicare for All does fix the problems with current Medicare. It both fixes & expands it.

[Paper Roses]

31. I am in the same boat. Under Medicare, even with a supplement, big co-pays

There are certain procedures that require a big co-pay. I don't have the $$$$ like many others. I can't have these procedures done. Now, if I have to call the doctor, I am charged for a phone call!!! I can't ask any questions. Never get the Doc, always "he will call you when he can". When he does, I am charged for a phone visit.
After having a colonoscopy last spring, I had to pay $250.00. No follow thru by the MD. I filled the prescription that cost $979.00 and it was making me sick. I called the office and the Doc prescribed another RX instead. This one was only $800.00. I never filled it.

My symptoms have almost disappeared without any side effects without the RX. Maybe I'm being foolish but it is a case of MD, hospital and drug company squeezing us for every penny.

I was injured in September (torn meniscus, left knee. Saw the Ortho doc(with $250.00 co-pay) they took a look at my knee, did an xray and told me to sit it out, exercise and see a therapist. Phooey. Another co-pay.
If you are on Medicare, it is not a panacea. There are so many loopholes into which you may fall.

As to eye, dental, hearing..there is nothing.
It also bugs the heck out of me, there is never a follow thru by the doctors office. Once you pay, that is it. If I have to call with a question, I'm charged.

Annual exam in April, that is free under Medicare. Any problems? You are on your own after that, even if the Doc sends you to a specialist, the co-pay kicks in.

No way is Medicare a great system. (Just my opinion)

[RainCaster]

4. Absolute silence about this from "The Hill"

Conservatives don't want to think about the possibility of this.

[monkeyman1]

11. the hill is a garbage for republicans ! way too many tabloids nowadays !

[sakabatou]

6. I don't think it'll make it out of Congress

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

7. I'll take hope where I can find it on this topic.

Wishing we could catch up with the rest of the world in healthcare.

[Beachnutt]

8. And then there is

Sinamanchin...

[ancianita]

15. Their people are dying, too. They have that to consider.

Last edited Tue Feb 8, 2022, 02:30 PM - Edit history (1)

[DENVERPOPS]

9. I have run into a number of people

who are getting near Medicare coverage. Without exception, they all think that once they have medicare, everything medically is taken care of by medicare...........................

I explain that they will still need to pay for Part B, Part C, and Part D

And they really freak out when I tell them Medicare covers nothing for Dental, Vision, etc........

[Lonestarblue]

13. Lack of knowledge drives a lot of misunderstanding.

The idea that Medicare for All means that the government pays for all healthcare and will mean astronomical taxes has prevented the US from joining the rest of the developed world with universal health care. As you say, Medicare is not free. I, too, wish it would include eye and dental care.

I hope this bill includes something to prevent closures of rural hospitals. Hundreds have closed in the last decade, forcing residents to travel further for regular care and causing real problems for emergency care. The ACA helped rural hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid under the program, but several red states refused to expand Medicare because their Republican leaders are spiteful people and wanted nothing to do with helping make Obamacare successful.

[Doc Sportello]

29. Still better than any private insurance I ever had

And many times Medicare has covered everything when I had a medical expense. Just because it doesn't cover everything for every illness or injury doesn't mean we should stop trying to improve it, for example to cover dental, vision, etc., as Biden has proposed.

[Hekate]

12. KnR!

[MissMillie]

16. Time to show real American values

THIS would be the single best thing that could happen to this country... for the people, for the economy. For everybody except health insurance companies who take money only to deny coverage. Let the insurance companies stick to cars, and homes and boats and motorcycles. Health care is a human right.

We CAN afford it (especially if we can give MILLIONS more to DoD than they ask for every year).

[Walleye]

19. Not that easy. We can't even get a public option on the affordable care act.

[NurseJackie]

23. Correct. It's very wise to warn people to not get their hopes up.

Unrealistic and fantasy-like pie-in-the-sky expectations only lead to disappointment and resentment. We don't need that.

[betsuni]

32. +1

[George II]

26. This was introduced on 5/18/2021, about 9 months ago.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1976?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22jayapal%22%2C%22jayapal%22%5D%7D&s=5&r=19