Posted from Politico by: Christiano Lima
Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday he planned to introduce a single-payer health care plan to Congress, inviting Republican leaders to negotiate the measure.
“I’m going to introduce a Medicare-for-all single-payer program,” Sanders told anchor Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The Vermont senator, who has repeatedly stated his support for such a plan in the past, said he hoped to garner bipartisan support for the plan.
The former Democratic presidential candidate said such a plan could help to deliver on President Donald Trump’s pursuit of lowering prescription drug prices, adding that he’d look to work with the White House on the legislation.
“President Trump, come on board. Let’s work together,” Sanders said. “Let’s end the absurdity of Americans paying by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.”
Republicans, who hold a 237-193 edge in the House, seemingly had been in a position to pass health-care legislation without Democratic votes, but last week’s debacle set up the possibility that Trump might seek to reach out to Democrats.
The Vermont senator also ripped the Republican health care bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act as “a disastrous piece of legislation,” echoing his comments Friday that the bill would’ve merely served as a tax break for the wealthy.
“The American people wanted it defeated,” he said. “And I’m glad that we were able to accomplish that.”
