Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) during a press conference on student debt cancellation in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Pramila Jayapal Frustrated by Democrats Using Medicare for All Label to Push Plans 'That Are Not Medicare for All'
"Any policy that uses the M4ALL name must embody these principles, not undermine them."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal on Tuesday voiced her frustration with fellow Democrats who are attaching the Medicare for All label to proposals that fall well short of the core principles and goals of single-payer healthcare.
"The Medicare for All movement is powerful because grassroots members have fought for years to achieve true universal healthcare and remove the profit-motive from the system."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
"I appreciate the robust healthcare debate my Democratic colleagues have brought to the table," Jayapal tweeted. "But as lead sponsor of Medicare for All [in the House], I find it misleading when my fellow Democrats use the M4A name to describe proposals that are not Medicare for All."
Though Jayapal did not mention Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) by name, the Washington Democrat's criticism appears to have been directed at Harris's newly released healthcare plan, which single-payer advocates have criticized as Medicare for All in name only.
Jayapal outlined the fundamental components of a Medicare for All system and said any proposal that does not live up to those standards "is not Medicare for All."
\u201c#MedicareForAll means:\n\n\u2611\ufe0f Guaranteed, comprehensive benefits for EVERYONE\n\u2611\ufe0f No private insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles or out-of-network doctors\n\u2611\ufe0f For-profit industry does NOT have a role in determining one\u2019s right to healthcare\n\nAnything less is NOT Medicare for All.\u201d— Pramila Jayapal (@Pramila Jayapal) 1564525567
"The Medicare for All movement is powerful because grassroots members have fought for years to achieve true universal healthcare and remove the profit-motive from the system," wrote the Washington Democrat. "Any policy that uses the M4ALL name must embody these principles, not undermine them."
As Common Dreams reported Monday, Harris's plan would take effect after a 10-year transition period and preserve a major role for private health insurance.
"If you want stability in the healthcare system, if you want a system which gives you freedom of choice with regard to a doctor or a hospital, the answer is to get rid of the profiteering of the drug companies and the insurance companies."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
By contrast, Jayapal's bill--which has 117 co-sponsors in the House--would virtually eliminate private insurance and enroll everyone in the U.S. into an expanded Medicare program in two years.
Writing for Splinter in February, Tim Faust, a Medicare for All advocate and health policy expert, called Jayapal's legislation "astonishingly strong" and said it "should become the baseline for federal legislation toward single-payer healthcare."
Jayapal's tweets came just ahead of Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, in which Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) defended Medicare for All against incrementalist alternatives offered by centrist Democrats vying for the nomination.
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg touted a public option plan he described as "Medicare for All who want it," while Beto O'Rourke pushed his "Medicare for America" plan.
Sanders, the lead sponsor of the Medicare for All Act of 2019 in the Senate, countered that anything short of a single-payer, Medicare for All plan will not be enough to transform America's fundamentally dysfunctional system.
"If you want stability in the healthcare system, if you want a system which gives you freedom of choice with regard to a doctor or a hospital, which is a system which will not bankrupt you," said Sanders, "the answer is to get rid of the profiteering of the drug companies and the insurance companies [and] move to Medicare for All."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
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. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. 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 |
Rep. Pramila Jayapal on Tuesday voiced her frustration with fellow Democrats who are attaching the Medicare for All label to proposals that fall well short of the core principles and goals of single-payer healthcare.
"The Medicare for All movement is powerful because grassroots members have fought for years to achieve true universal healthcare and remove the profit-motive from the system."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
"I appreciate the robust healthcare debate my Democratic colleagues have brought to the table," Jayapal tweeted. "But as lead sponsor of Medicare for All [in the House], I find it misleading when my fellow Democrats use the M4A name to describe proposals that are not Medicare for All."
Though Jayapal did not mention Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) by name, the Washington Democrat's criticism appears to have been directed at Harris's newly released healthcare plan, which single-payer advocates have criticized as Medicare for All in name only.
Jayapal outlined the fundamental components of a Medicare for All system and said any proposal that does not live up to those standards "is not Medicare for All."
\u201c#MedicareForAll means:\n\n\u2611\ufe0f Guaranteed, comprehensive benefits for EVERYONE\n\u2611\ufe0f No private insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles or out-of-network doctors\n\u2611\ufe0f For-profit industry does NOT have a role in determining one\u2019s right to healthcare\n\nAnything less is NOT Medicare for All.\u201d— Pramila Jayapal (@Pramila Jayapal) 1564525567
"The Medicare for All movement is powerful because grassroots members have fought for years to achieve true universal healthcare and remove the profit-motive from the system," wrote the Washington Democrat. "Any policy that uses the M4ALL name must embody these principles, not undermine them."
As Common Dreams reported Monday, Harris's plan would take effect after a 10-year transition period and preserve a major role for private health insurance.
"If you want stability in the healthcare system, if you want a system which gives you freedom of choice with regard to a doctor or a hospital, the answer is to get rid of the profiteering of the drug companies and the insurance companies."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
By contrast, Jayapal's bill--which has 117 co-sponsors in the House--would virtually eliminate private insurance and enroll everyone in the U.S. into an expanded Medicare program in two years.
Writing for Splinter in February, Tim Faust, a Medicare for All advocate and health policy expert, called Jayapal's legislation "astonishingly strong" and said it "should become the baseline for federal legislation toward single-payer healthcare."
Jayapal's tweets came just ahead of Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, in which Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) defended Medicare for All against incrementalist alternatives offered by centrist Democrats vying for the nomination.
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg touted a public option plan he described as "Medicare for All who want it," while Beto O'Rourke pushed his "Medicare for America" plan.
Sanders, the lead sponsor of the Medicare for All Act of 2019 in the Senate, countered that anything short of a single-payer, Medicare for All plan will not be enough to transform America's fundamentally dysfunctional system.
"If you want stability in the healthcare system, if you want a system which gives you freedom of choice with regard to a doctor or a hospital, which is a system which will not bankrupt you," said Sanders, "the answer is to get rid of the profiteering of the drug companies and the insurance companies [and] move to Medicare for All."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal on Tuesday voiced her frustration with fellow Democrats who are attaching the Medicare for All label to proposals that fall well short of the core principles and goals of single-payer healthcare.
"The Medicare for All movement is powerful because grassroots members have fought for years to achieve true universal healthcare and remove the profit-motive from the system."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
"I appreciate the robust healthcare debate my Democratic colleagues have brought to the table," Jayapal tweeted. "But as lead sponsor of Medicare for All [in the House], I find it misleading when my fellow Democrats use the M4A name to describe proposals that are not Medicare for All."
Though Jayapal did not mention Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) by name, the Washington Democrat's criticism appears to have been directed at Harris's newly released healthcare plan, which single-payer advocates have criticized as Medicare for All in name only.
Jayapal outlined the fundamental components of a Medicare for All system and said any proposal that does not live up to those standards "is not Medicare for All."
\u201c#MedicareForAll means:\n\n\u2611\ufe0f Guaranteed, comprehensive benefits for EVERYONE\n\u2611\ufe0f No private insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles or out-of-network doctors\n\u2611\ufe0f For-profit industry does NOT have a role in determining one\u2019s right to healthcare\n\nAnything less is NOT Medicare for All.\u201d— Pramila Jayapal (@Pramila Jayapal) 1564525567
"The Medicare for All movement is powerful because grassroots members have fought for years to achieve true universal healthcare and remove the profit-motive from the system," wrote the Washington Democrat. "Any policy that uses the M4ALL name must embody these principles, not undermine them."
As Common Dreams reported Monday, Harris's plan would take effect after a 10-year transition period and preserve a major role for private health insurance.
"If you want stability in the healthcare system, if you want a system which gives you freedom of choice with regard to a doctor or a hospital, the answer is to get rid of the profiteering of the drug companies and the insurance companies."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
By contrast, Jayapal's bill--which has 117 co-sponsors in the House--would virtually eliminate private insurance and enroll everyone in the U.S. into an expanded Medicare program in two years.
Writing for Splinter in February, Tim Faust, a Medicare for All advocate and health policy expert, called Jayapal's legislation "astonishingly strong" and said it "should become the baseline for federal legislation toward single-payer healthcare."
Jayapal's tweets came just ahead of Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, in which Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) defended Medicare for All against incrementalist alternatives offered by centrist Democrats vying for the nomination.
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg touted a public option plan he described as "Medicare for All who want it," while Beto O'Rourke pushed his "Medicare for America" plan.
Sanders, the lead sponsor of the Medicare for All Act of 2019 in the Senate, countered that anything short of a single-payer, Medicare for All plan will not be enough to transform America's fundamentally dysfunctional system.
"If you want stability in the healthcare system, if you want a system which gives you freedom of choice with regard to a doctor or a hospital, which is a system which will not bankrupt you," said Sanders, "the answer is to get rid of the profiteering of the drug companies and the insurance companies [and] move to Medicare for All."