Here's What Medicare For All Supporters In Congress Can Actually Do
- Remove the Medicare for All opponent who chairs the key committee: The current chairman of the Ways and Means Committee — which is one of the key panels overseeing Medicare for All proposals — is Rep. Richard Neal, who has played a singularly destructive role on behalf of his health care industry and Wall Street donors. He opposes Medicare for All, and he recently, he has tried to water down surprise billing legislation in the middle of the pandemic. Pelosi can remove Neal as the panel’s chairman and next in line in seniority is Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who is a much more progressive lawmaker. In terms of changing the actual power dynamic, changing the leadership of this committee would do as much or more in one fell swoop than securing a doomed floor vote.
- Schedule a vote on existing legislation to let states create single-payer health care systems: Rep. Ro Khanna has authored legislation empowering the Health and Human Services Secretary to approve waivers to states that want to create their own Medicare for All programs. As The Daily Poster previously reported, incoming HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has been an outspoken supporter of Medicare for All and has said he supports efforts to pass such programs in states — including in his home state of California, which recently considered such legislation. Unlike Medicare for All legislation — which is unfortunately probably still doomed to defeat right now — Khanna’s bill may actually have a shot to immediately pass the House and put Becerra on the spot to deliver on his past rhetoric. And an additional bonus: his bill could also humiliate Republican opponents who so often claim to support devolving power to states, but whose votes against the proposal will expose their hypocrisy.
- Schedule a vote on a resolution demanding Biden use executive authority to expand Medicare: The American Prospect has reported that thanks to provisions in the Affordable Care Act, President Joe Biden will have the unilateral executive authority to expand Medicare coverage during the pandemic. The House can pass a resolution demanding that he immediately take this action. A resolution like this should be a no-brainer.
- Include provisions in year-end spending bills that create a presidential commission charged with crafting a Medicare for All program: President Obama created a commission to cut Social Security. Progressives can flip the script and create a commission charged with evaluating other countries’ universal health care systems, and coming up with proposals to guarantee health care to all Americans. Granted, this is what Congress exists to do — but forcing a Democratic administration to come up with proposals could also advance the cause by forcing the executive branch to take the concept seriously.
- Author a discharge petition to force a vote on Medicare for All: A discharge petition is designed to let rank-and-file members of the House circumvent normal rules and committee procedures to force a floor vote on an issue. Creating a discharge petition on Medicare for All would help clarify who actually supports the program, and who is merely co-sponsoring Medicare for All legislation as a performative-but-empty gesture.