Democrats to Hold Hearing on Medicare for All Next Week

The House Rules Committee will hold a hearing on Medicare for All next week.

The powerful House Rules Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Debbie Dingell’s (D-MI) Medicare for All legislation that holds over 100 co-sponsors.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the chairman of the House Rules Committee and co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement, “It’s a serious proposal that deserves serious consideration on Capitol Hill as we work toward universal coverage.”

The House Rules Committee’s hearing on Medicare for All strikes a notable contrast as the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees have yet to hold a hearing on the legislation, exemplifying the contrast between moderate and progressive Democrats.

“Health care is a human right and I’m proud the Rules Committee will be holding this hearing on the Medicare for All Act as this Majority discusses ways to strengthen our health care system for everyone,” Jayapal said in a statement this week.

Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has supported hearings for Medicare for All, she has declined to back the legislation. In a report released in February, Pelosi told Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) executives they would serve as an ally to the health insurance industry against Medicare for All.

Other healthcare companies have remained divided on the issue of Medicare for All.

Humana CEO Bruce Broussard refused to join the healthcare industry fight against Medicare for All; in March, Broussard said that Medicare for All would amount to a “great opportunity” for the industry to expand the “population that it’s coordinating with.”

In contrast, UnitedHealthcare CEO Dave Wichmann said in April that Medicare for All would have “severe’ impact on the economy and jobs and would not meet its objective of expanding healthcare access for all Americans.

“The options are clear between a government-sponsored or government-run system and the one we have to offer,” Wichmann said, adding that Medicare for All’s cost would “surely have a severe impact on the economy and jobs — all without fundamentally increasing access to care.”