AMIRAH SEQUIERA: This was really a historic moment in the fight for a Medicare for All single-payer healthcare system in the United States because it was the first time that a group of members of Congress have come together in an organized fashion to say we believe a single-payer Medicare for All system is the solution to the healthcare crisis in this country and we are going to work together to achieve that. So for Medicare for All single-payer activists across the country, this was really a groundbreaking day. And to add to that, the caucus, when the caucus was introduced, there were 66 members in the caucus. We are now at 74 members in the House of Representatives who are in this new Medicare for All caucus, which is a big percentage of the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives. And so these numbers are going to be coming together to really dive into the details of a single-payer system – how we make this work, how we improve Medicare so that we can improve it and expand it so it provides the health care that every person living in this country needs. So it was a really exciting day. We’re very grateful to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and Congressman Keith Ellison, who are serving as the co-chairs of this caucus and help bring these now 74 members to work together to achieve Medicare for All.
BETWEEN THE LINES: Can you describe the broad outlines of Medicare for All and what it would look like given the fact that people around the country are more or less familiar with Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, which has not performed as many people hoped. So many people left behind. Of course, there are rising costs because the system, Obamacare, is still rooted in the private, for-profit health insurance industry. And then of course you have the Trump administration attacking the good things that the ACA did in so many ways that it’s a shadow of its former self. And even then it’s a perfect form. It really wouldn’t have met the needs of everybody in the country, but do tell us what Medicare for All would look like.
AMIRAH SEQUIERA: Well, the Affordable Care Act has allowed this country to make huge gains and making sure that more people are insured especially through Medicaid expansion. Even in its perfect form, it could not have allowed for the low-cost universal healthcare that we need. So Medicare for All system is a single-payer system. It would be similar to the healthcare system in Canada. And we’re lucky because we already have a single-payer system in this country and that’s the Medicare program. So right now, Americans over the age of 65 get health insurance through the Medicare program. And so the way single-payer works is, it’s basically a sociaiized insurance model where everybody is in one basic insurance system through Medicare. And what that means is then the Medicare program is the single-payer for the healthcare system. So what we would do is in a Medicare for All system, we will take the current Medicare system – we would improve it so that would include things like dental coverage, optical coverage, prescription drug coverage and we’d expand it to include everybody in the country, not only people over the age of 65. So every person in the United States, no matter your race, gender, where you live, where you’re from, would have quality therapeutic healthcare. You could see any doctor, you could see any hospital, any specialist, you would show up with your Medicare card and you would get the care you need without a copay, without a deductible and without a premium.
BETWEEN THE LINES: With the launching of this Medicare for All caucus in the House of Representatives, does this signal that one of the two major political parties in this country is about to fully advocate for single-payer system in the United States? And I guess I’m looking towards 2020 when the national conventions occur. Will the Democratic party, in your view, adopt Medicare for All as an important part of its party platform?
AMIRAH SEQUIERA: The Democratic Party would be crazy not to. Certainly the launch of this caucus signifies a huge shift, the incredible support on the federal bill with 122 members supporting the bill in the House and 16 members supporting the bill in the Senate. But it’s up to us. It’s up to regular people to hold those members of Congress accountable. It’s not enough to just show support by signing onto a bill. You need to fight for this change and hopefully we will see a new and improved progressive Democratic party going into the 2020 elections. You know, I think this is an incredibly exciting time for Medicare for All because there are literally hundreds of people running for office in the midterms who are running on Medicare for All and they’re running on Medicare for All because they believe in it, right? Because it’s what every day people in this country want. And that’s what the Bernie campaign showed us when Sen. Sanders ran in 2016. The excitement around his campaign because of the Medicare for All proposal along with a few others. It’s undeniable that this country wants to see a shift to Medicare for All, and so I think this is a really exciting time. I’m really looking forward to hopefully seeing a lot of people elected in various offices locally, statewide, and federal leaders who support Medicare for All.
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