Democrats Bullish on Bernie Sanders and Single-Payer Health Care

SEP 14 2017

Excerpt:

On Wednesday, Sanders said, “I have no doubt, none whatsoever, that this nation, sooner than people believe, will pass a Medicare for all, single-payer system." He was surrounded by multiple top-tier 2020 contenders.

Adam Green, a co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, compared the event to “a product launch,” with "Medicare for All" more of a brand at this point than a specific bill. In public and private negotiations, Sanders has given his colleagues leeway, insisting it's not a "litmus test" for him no matter what his allies outside say.

Sanders is better known for operating as a lone wolf, but he brought 19 other Senate offices into a working group to solicit input and earned goodwill by holding rallies to defend the Affordable Care Act and giving colleagues a pass to abstain on a single-payer amendment Republicans put on the floor to try to jam Democrats.

“To our Republican colleagues, please don’t lecture us on health care,” Sanders said. “You, the Republican Party, have no credibility on the issue of health care.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-bullish-bernie-sanders-single-payer-health-care-n801146