Last edited Wed Aug 30, 2017, 09:22 PM - Edit history (1)

Excerpt:

"It's not just about what is morally and ethically right, it also makes sense just from a fiscal standpoint," she added.

Harris' announcement ended weeks of speculation over whether she would sign onto Sanders' proposal. The single-payer system has increasingly gained support among Democrats but Harris' decision is a public break House Minority Leader and fellow California lawmaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D), who said that the time isn't right for such a bill.

“The comfort level with a broader base of the American people is not there yet,” Pelosi said at a press conference in May. “It doesn't mean it couldn't be. States are a good place to start.”

“I was carrying around single-payer signs probably before you were born, so I, you know, I understand that aspiration,” she added.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/348654-bernie-sanders-thanks-kamala-harris-for-endorsing-single-payer


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Excerpt:

Kamala Harris to co-sponsor Bernie Sanders' single-payer health care bill
Eric Bradner
By Eric Bradner, CNN
Updated 9:31 PM ET, Wed August 30, 2017

Washington (CNN)Sen. Kamala Harris is the first Democrat to announce she'll co-sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders' single-payer health care bill when it's introduced in September.

"Here, I'll break some news: I intend to co-sponsor the Medicare-for-all bill, because it's just the right thing to do," Harris said. She announced her support for Sanders' single-payer plan at the end of her town hall and joked that "somebody should tell my staff."
Her co-sponsorship is another sign that the Democratic Party is increasingly embracing a shift away from the private health insurance market and toward a government-run program. The issue is poised to become a major litmus test for its presidential candidates in 2020.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/30/politics/kamala-harris-bernie-sanders-single-payer-medicare/index.html