U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are among 16 Senate Democrats who’ve declared support for Vermont Independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” single payer healthcare insurance bill.
Speaking at the launch of the bill in Washington, Gillibrand said she’s supported a single payer health care system ever since she first ran for Congress in a conservative upstate New York district.
“When I called for a not-for-profit public option during my first House race in 2006, in a two-to-one Republican district, it became very clear to me that this is not a partisan issue. Healthcare should be a right, it should not be a privilege, once and for all.”
Gillibrand said she’s included a provision in the bill that would allow people to sign-up for a not-for-profit public option under Obamacare during the transition period to a single payer system.
Blumenthal says he’s also convinced there’s public support for the bill. He says that’s why he’ll be holding public hearings in Connecticut to get the opinions of his constituents.
“And I’m gonna give people in Connecticut a chance to tell me what they think. I’m gonna listen to them and find out what they think. I challenge my Republican colleagues to do the same. Go out there and ask people whether they are in favor of ‘Medicare for All’ and I guarantee you, you’ll get an earful.”
There’s currently no Republican support for the bill.
