Sanders introducing his Medicare for All bill, surrounded by co-sponsors including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
May 29, 2018
With Medicare for All reaching record levels of support among both members of Congress and the American public--where support for single-payer is spreading "like wildfire"--policy platforms demanding that the U.S. ditch its wasteful and deeply immoral for-profit system in favor of guaranteed healthcare for every American are also proving to be winners in Democratic primary fights across the country.
In red and blue states alike, candidates backing Medicare for All have emerged victorious in Democratic primary battles where, in some cases, their opponents had the backing of the party establishment.
"In Nebraska's 2nd district, Kara Eastman, who supports 'Medicare for All,' beat a former congressman backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee," Axios's Caitlin Owens reported on Tuesday. "Two 'Medicare for All' backers, Scott Wallace and Susan Wild, won House primaries in Pennsylvania. Gina Ortiz Jones, competing to unseat GOP Rep. Will Hurd in Texas's 23rd district, 'supports a single-payer system,' per her campaign website."
Over the next few months, candidates who support Medicare for All "are also running in Minnesota, New Jersey, Iowa, New York, Maine, and Washington state," Owens added.
This growing support for single-payer among Democratic congressional candidates come amid an upsurge of activism at the grassroots level from nurses, doctors, progressive activists, and democratic socialists.
\u201cBeing able to go to the doctor for any reason and not worry about paying for it? That sounds pretty good tbh. We should do that.\u201d— DSA for Medicare for All (@DSA for Medicare for All) 1527550649
\u201cIt doesn't have to be this way. \n\n#SinglePayer #Medicare4All\u201d— NationalNursesUnited (@NationalNursesUnited) 1527534915
Further demonstrating the American public's hunger for a system that guarantees healthcare as a right regardless of one's ability to pay, a town hall hosted by Sanders and other Medicare for All advocates earlier this year drew 1.6 million viewers despite a complete blackout by the corporate media.
"It ain't gonna be on CBS. It ain't gonna be on NBC. What astounds me is we already have a pretty good majority of the American people who already believe in universal healthcare, believe that it is the government's responsibility to make sure that health care is a right," Sanders said. "And we have reached that stage with media not talking about the issue at all."
"Together we will successfully move the United States to a Medicare-for-All, single-payer healthcare system and guarantee healthcare to all," Sanders concluded.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
With Medicare for All reaching record levels of support among both members of Congress and the American public--where support for single-payer is spreading "like wildfire"--policy platforms demanding that the U.S. ditch its wasteful and deeply immoral for-profit system in favor of guaranteed healthcare for every American are also proving to be winners in Democratic primary fights across the country.
In red and blue states alike, candidates backing Medicare for All have emerged victorious in Democratic primary battles where, in some cases, their opponents had the backing of the party establishment.
"In Nebraska's 2nd district, Kara Eastman, who supports 'Medicare for All,' beat a former congressman backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee," Axios's Caitlin Owens reported on Tuesday. "Two 'Medicare for All' backers, Scott Wallace and Susan Wild, won House primaries in Pennsylvania. Gina Ortiz Jones, competing to unseat GOP Rep. Will Hurd in Texas's 23rd district, 'supports a single-payer system,' per her campaign website."
Over the next few months, candidates who support Medicare for All "are also running in Minnesota, New Jersey, Iowa, New York, Maine, and Washington state," Owens added.
This growing support for single-payer among Democratic congressional candidates come amid an upsurge of activism at the grassroots level from nurses, doctors, progressive activists, and democratic socialists.
\u201cBeing able to go to the doctor for any reason and not worry about paying for it? That sounds pretty good tbh. We should do that.\u201d— DSA for Medicare for All (@DSA for Medicare for All) 1527550649
\u201cIt doesn't have to be this way. \n\n#SinglePayer #Medicare4All\u201d— NationalNursesUnited (@NationalNursesUnited) 1527534915
Further demonstrating the American public's hunger for a system that guarantees healthcare as a right regardless of one's ability to pay, a town hall hosted by Sanders and other Medicare for All advocates earlier this year drew 1.6 million viewers despite a complete blackout by the corporate media.
"It ain't gonna be on CBS. It ain't gonna be on NBC. What astounds me is we already have a pretty good majority of the American people who already believe in universal healthcare, believe that it is the government's responsibility to make sure that health care is a right," Sanders said. "And we have reached that stage with media not talking about the issue at all."
"Together we will successfully move the United States to a Medicare-for-All, single-payer healthcare system and guarantee healthcare to all," Sanders concluded.
With Medicare for All reaching record levels of support among both members of Congress and the American public--where support for single-payer is spreading "like wildfire"--policy platforms demanding that the U.S. ditch its wasteful and deeply immoral for-profit system in favor of guaranteed healthcare for every American are also proving to be winners in Democratic primary fights across the country.
In red and blue states alike, candidates backing Medicare for All have emerged victorious in Democratic primary battles where, in some cases, their opponents had the backing of the party establishment.
"In Nebraska's 2nd district, Kara Eastman, who supports 'Medicare for All,' beat a former congressman backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee," Axios's Caitlin Owens reported on Tuesday. "Two 'Medicare for All' backers, Scott Wallace and Susan Wild, won House primaries in Pennsylvania. Gina Ortiz Jones, competing to unseat GOP Rep. Will Hurd in Texas's 23rd district, 'supports a single-payer system,' per her campaign website."
Over the next few months, candidates who support Medicare for All "are also running in Minnesota, New Jersey, Iowa, New York, Maine, and Washington state," Owens added.
This growing support for single-payer among Democratic congressional candidates come amid an upsurge of activism at the grassroots level from nurses, doctors, progressive activists, and democratic socialists.
\u201cBeing able to go to the doctor for any reason and not worry about paying for it? That sounds pretty good tbh. We should do that.\u201d— DSA for Medicare for All (@DSA for Medicare for All) 1527550649
\u201cIt doesn't have to be this way. \n\n#SinglePayer #Medicare4All\u201d— NationalNursesUnited (@NationalNursesUnited) 1527534915
Further demonstrating the American public's hunger for a system that guarantees healthcare as a right regardless of one's ability to pay, a town hall hosted by Sanders and other Medicare for All advocates earlier this year drew 1.6 million viewers despite a complete blackout by the corporate media.
"It ain't gonna be on CBS. It ain't gonna be on NBC. What astounds me is we already have a pretty good majority of the American people who already believe in universal healthcare, believe that it is the government's responsibility to make sure that health care is a right," Sanders said. "And we have reached that stage with media not talking about the issue at all."
"Together we will successfully move the United States to a Medicare-for-All, single-payer healthcare system and guarantee healthcare to all," Sanders concluded.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.