Bernie Promotes Medicare-For-All In New Op-Ed, Days After Endorsing Biden

20Views

April 20, 2020

TOPLINE

Despite backing ex-rival Joe Biden for president in an announcement last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders is continuing to beat the Medicare-for-All drum, arguing that the coronavirus outbreak shows the need for government-run healthcare is greater than ever in a new New York Times op-ed.

UNKNOWN LOCATION – APRIL 13: In this screengrab taken from JoeBiden.com campaign website, U.S. Sen. … [+] Bernie Sanders (I-VT) endorses Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden during a live streaming broadcast on April 13, 2020. Sanders said, “Today, I am asking all Americans—I’m asking every Democrat, I’m asking every Independent, I’m asking a lot of Republicans—to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy.” (Photo by JoeBiden.com via Getty Images)

Getty Images

KEY FACTS

In the op-ed, Sanders says the coronavirus outbreak has exposed the “absurdity and cruelty of our employer-based, private health insurance system” as “tens of millions of Americans” lose their jobs, incomes and healthcare as a result of the pandemic.

“Poor and working-class people are suffering higher rates of sickness and are dying at much higher rates than wealthy people,” he writes.

Biden, who Sanders endorsed in a livestream last week, does not support government-run healthcare and has refused to shift his stance in recent weeks in spite of the coronavirus outbreak, instead proposing to lower the Medicare eligibility age to 60.

The disagreement between the two over healthcare policy and other platform ideas raised speculation about how the former vice president would rally Sanders’ supporters into his camp as the primary wound down.

Though Sanders unequivocally conveyed his support for Biden last week, he has said he will continue to remain on the ballot in upcoming state primaries to hold as much sway as possible during the party convention; meanwhile, progressive activist groups sent the former vice president a list of demands to earn their vote in November.

Support for Medicare-for-All has ticked up in recent weeks, according to a Morning Consult poll, with net support rising 9 points from February to March to 55% nationally.

Big number

In an ABC News/Washington Post poll last month, four out of five Sanders supporters said they would vote for Biden in November, while 15% said they would cross over to pull the lever for President Trump.

Crucial quote

Sanders sought to quell any rebellion within the party during an interview with the Associated Press last week, arguing not supporting Biden was “irresponsible.”.

“I believe that it’s irresponsible for anybody to say, ‘Well, I disagree with Joe Biden — I disagree with Joe Biden! — and therefore I’m not going to be involved.'”

Tangent

Trump, for his part, has sought to dismantle the healthcare programs that his predecessor, President Barack Obama, signed that expanded coverage to millions of Americans.

“Not having a plan for the rising uninsured yet seems to be a blind spot,” Dan Eberhart, an oil executive and Trump donor, told NBC News. “The Democrats took the House in the 2018 midterms largely by having better answers on health care, so I think this could be a massive political liability in the fall.”

Bernie Promotes Medicare-For-All In New Op-Ed, Days After Endorsing Biden

TOPLINE

KEY FACTS

Big number

Crucial quote

Tangent

Further reading

Speak Your Mind

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Get in Touch

Recommend for You

Oh hi there It’s nice to meet you.

Subscribe and receive our weekly newsletter packed with awesome articles that really matters to you!

You might also like

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

About Us

Follow Us

Support Us & Be a Patreon

Add QNewsHub to your Homescreen!

Oh hi there
It’s nice to meet you.