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As of Tuesday, HR 676 has 111 co-sponsors, including chairman of the House Democratic caucus, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), who signed on last week. (Photo: Elvert Barnes/flickr/cc)
As lawmakers and the public awaited the Congressional Budget Office's score on the GOP's "horrific" Trumpcare bill, Congressional Democrats on Tuesday doubled-down on their call for a Medicare-for-All system to provide universal healthcare to all Americans.
At a morning press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) was joined by fellow lawmakers and healthcare advocates in promoting HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All Act. As Common Dreams previously reported, the legislation has more Democratic support than it ever has before; as of Tuesday, there are 111 co-sponsors including the chairman of the House Democratic caucus, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), who signed on last week.
"I've never seen more energy behind this issue of Medicare for All," Conyers said at Wednesday's event, which can be watched in full below:
The GOP's cruel American Healthcare Act (AHCA) has galvanized much of that energy, he said, but the shortcomings of the status quo have also played a role. It's time for something new, Conyers declared--for something visionary.
"People know what we are against, but we want to promote more what we are for," Conyers said. "As a Democrat I believe that healthcare of course is a right, not a privilege. I believe [in] universal healthcare, for every American--not just a plan or a contract, but the ability to see a doctor and get treatment whenever they need it. We will never get universal care building on a foundation of private, for-profit insurance."
Still, more than 80 House Democrats don't seem to have gotten the message.
And Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who is deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), thinks that could hurt them during next year's midterm elections.
"It's not the proper role of me at the DNC to tell people what they're going to stand for, that's a choice the candidates make for themselves, but I recommend that you win your election and I think a good way to do it is to support Conyers's bill," Ellison said Wednesday.
As Justice Democrats, a group leading the fight to get more party members on board with the surging idea, put it over the weekend:
\u201c.@HouseDemocrats, do yourself a favor and be leaders in the fight to give Americans what they deserve: #MedicareForAll.\u201d— Justice Democrats (@Justice Democrats) 1495295402
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
As lawmakers and the public awaited the Congressional Budget Office's score on the GOP's "horrific" Trumpcare bill, Congressional Democrats on Tuesday doubled-down on their call for a Medicare-for-All system to provide universal healthcare to all Americans.
At a morning press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) was joined by fellow lawmakers and healthcare advocates in promoting HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All Act. As Common Dreams previously reported, the legislation has more Democratic support than it ever has before; as of Tuesday, there are 111 co-sponsors including the chairman of the House Democratic caucus, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), who signed on last week.
"I've never seen more energy behind this issue of Medicare for All," Conyers said at Wednesday's event, which can be watched in full below:
The GOP's cruel American Healthcare Act (AHCA) has galvanized much of that energy, he said, but the shortcomings of the status quo have also played a role. It's time for something new, Conyers declared--for something visionary.
"People know what we are against, but we want to promote more what we are for," Conyers said. "As a Democrat I believe that healthcare of course is a right, not a privilege. I believe [in] universal healthcare, for every American--not just a plan or a contract, but the ability to see a doctor and get treatment whenever they need it. We will never get universal care building on a foundation of private, for-profit insurance."
Still, more than 80 House Democrats don't seem to have gotten the message.
And Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who is deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), thinks that could hurt them during next year's midterm elections.
"It's not the proper role of me at the DNC to tell people what they're going to stand for, that's a choice the candidates make for themselves, but I recommend that you win your election and I think a good way to do it is to support Conyers's bill," Ellison said Wednesday.
As Justice Democrats, a group leading the fight to get more party members on board with the surging idea, put it over the weekend:
\u201c.@HouseDemocrats, do yourself a favor and be leaders in the fight to give Americans what they deserve: #MedicareForAll.\u201d— Justice Democrats (@Justice Democrats) 1495295402
As lawmakers and the public awaited the Congressional Budget Office's score on the GOP's "horrific" Trumpcare bill, Congressional Democrats on Tuesday doubled-down on their call for a Medicare-for-All system to provide universal healthcare to all Americans.
At a morning press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) was joined by fellow lawmakers and healthcare advocates in promoting HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All Act. As Common Dreams previously reported, the legislation has more Democratic support than it ever has before; as of Tuesday, there are 111 co-sponsors including the chairman of the House Democratic caucus, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), who signed on last week.
"I've never seen more energy behind this issue of Medicare for All," Conyers said at Wednesday's event, which can be watched in full below:
The GOP's cruel American Healthcare Act (AHCA) has galvanized much of that energy, he said, but the shortcomings of the status quo have also played a role. It's time for something new, Conyers declared--for something visionary.
"People know what we are against, but we want to promote more what we are for," Conyers said. "As a Democrat I believe that healthcare of course is a right, not a privilege. I believe [in] universal healthcare, for every American--not just a plan or a contract, but the ability to see a doctor and get treatment whenever they need it. We will never get universal care building on a foundation of private, for-profit insurance."
Still, more than 80 House Democrats don't seem to have gotten the message.
And Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who is deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), thinks that could hurt them during next year's midterm elections.
"It's not the proper role of me at the DNC to tell people what they're going to stand for, that's a choice the candidates make for themselves, but I recommend that you win your election and I think a good way to do it is to support Conyers's bill," Ellison said Wednesday.
As Justice Democrats, a group leading the fight to get more party members on board with the surging idea, put it over the weekend:
\u201c.@HouseDemocrats, do yourself a favor and be leaders in the fight to give Americans what they deserve: #MedicareForAll.\u201d— Justice Democrats (@Justice Democrats) 1495295402