Medicare for All Is Now a Mainstream Position

By Bernie Sanders, Reader Supported News

08 July 18

ot long ago, the idea that health care should be a right for every man, woman and child in this country was considered “radical” or “fringe” by members of the corporate media and political establishment.

When I introduced my Medicare for all legislation in 2013, I couldn’t find a single Senator to co-sponsor the bill. We were even relentlessly attacked for the idea before the Iowa Caucuses in 2015.

But today Medicare for all is a mainstream position in the Democratic Party. My bill has 16 co-sponsors in the Senate, and a version of the legislation has the support of a majority of Democrats in the House. Public polls conducted by nonpartisan organizations show a full 75 percent of Democratic voters support Medicare for all.

Make absolutely no mistake about it, our ideas are winning.

And would you like to know why so many of my colleagues now support Medicare for all? It’s because you support Medicare for all, and because you have been willing to take action in unprecedented numbers in support of the legislation.

That is the political revolution.

Now, from time-to-time, my colleagues who have yet to co-sponsor our bill will ask me if there is still the energy out there for Medicare for all that there was during our campaign. Those questions have only increased as President Trump continues his efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.

The next time one of them asks, I want to be able to say our movement is only getting stronger. And if I can do that, and if they believe it, it won’t be long before our list of co-sponsors grows.

All of us get sick.

All of us need medicine.

All of us have accidents.

All of us need good quality health care.

And in my view, the function of a rational health care system in this country should be to provide quality care for everyone in a cost-effective way, not to make health industry CEOs richer or drive up stock prices on Wall Street.

Unfortunately, even as support for Medicare for all grows, we are still taking on much of the political and financial establishment in this fight. The insurance companies and drug companies in this country are extraordinarily powerful, and they are not going down without a fight.

If we are serious about providing high-quality and affordable health care, the only real solution is a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system that provides health care to ALL Americans, including the 50 million uninsured and underinsured in this country.

Sisters and Brothers: In this pivotal moment in American history, let us lead our country forward to guarantee health care as a right and not a privilege. This is a struggle whose time has come. This is a struggle not just about health care but about the heart and soul of our country, about what we stand for as a people.

Help me send this message to my colleagues today:

Add Your Name: Tell my colleagues in the United States Senate that you are more committed than ever to passing a Medicare-for-all, single-payer health care. Click this link to sign my petition, and I will carry your message with me whenever anyone asks.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders