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The Liberal Democrats' ambitious plan to transfer the Americans to a government-run "Medicare-for-all" system took a step forward Tuesday, as the House held a moving first hearing on the proposal – and the Republicans have vigorously stepped back, warning that the program would offer them lower health care at a huge cost.
The Rules Committee hearing was held to review the 2019 Medicare for All Act, introduced by representatives Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. And Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., And co-sponsored by more than 100 Democrats in the House.
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Presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have all endorsed a version of the proposal, moving the party's plan of limits into the mainstream of democracy in the coming weeks. 2020 elections.
The hearing was moving, especially during the testimony of activist Ady Barkan, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2016 and who testified to his difficulties with the health sector to get coverage for the treatment of his condition.
Supporters seated near him wiped tears in his eyes as he spoke of becoming more and more paralyzed by this disease. He testified via a computer system that follows the movement of his eyes and converts the text into speech.
"This health system only works if you are a pharmaceutical or health care executive who wants to maximize his profit to the detriment of people like me," he said. "It's just unreasonable to pay $ 9,000 a month for lifesaving medical care, while the insurance industry is making record profits."
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"It's wrong and it has to stop," he said.
Despite warnings that most "Medicare-for-all" plans would largely suppress private insurance, Democrats have downplayed their opponents' assertion that it would have negative effects on Americans. .
"People are not going to lose their health care with Medicare-for-all, you would have the opportunity to keep your doctors and go to your current hospitals – the only difference is that you would not have to deal with insurance companies, "said President Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
But Republicans disagreed, saying it would lead to a deterioration of care and a decrease in choice.
"Medicare for All" would force all Americans to pay more taxes, wait longer to receive care, and receive potentially worse or even more dangerous care for our current Medicare beneficiaries, "said Representative Tom Cole, R-Okla.
Republicans have called witnesses who warned that the removal of private health care for a government-run system would be costly (by some estimates the cost would reach $ 32 trillion, although that would partly offset what the Americans already spend on premiums and deductibles) and fewer choices.
"It's hard to see how consumers would be more empowered by a single payer in a country that values diversity," said Grace Marie-Turner of the Galen Institute. "Is there a massive program, with a list of benefits and a set of rules that will work for everyone?"
Republicans and Allied groups have relapsed heavily on public health insurance, suggesting that this was the latest example of the Democratic Party in a leftist movement that adheres to socialist ideas.
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"This is only the latest evidence that congressional Democrats are quickly being consumed by socialism. Medicare for all means socialism under another name. It is a takeover of private health insurance by the government, on which more than 200 million Americans, including 38 million small businesses, depend. The financial cost, estimated at $ 33 trillion, would cripple our economy and probably plunge us into a recession, "said Alfredo Ortiz, CEO of Job Creators Network, in a statement.
"The time has come for reasonable democrats to speak up and reject the opposition" Medicare for All "Americans deserve a real debate on health care, not just idle ideas and cheap slogans" , did he declare.
The hearing takes place in the midst of lukewarm support from Democratic leaders in politics. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Was publicly skeptical about Medicare-for-all and Politico announced this month that one of its advisers, Wendell Primus, had urged health advocates to express their concerns about this plan.
Pelosi said in February that Medicare-for-all would not be "as beneficial as the Affordable Care Act."
"It's not catastrophic [coverage] – you have to go and buy it. He does not have a dentist. This is not as good as the plans you can buy under the Affordable Care Act. So I tell them, come in with your ideas, but understand that we will either have to improve Medicare – for everyone, including seniors – otherwise people will not get what they think they are, "she says. said in an interview with Rolling Stone. "And by the way, how will he get paid?"
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The response sparked fears among the progressives, who feared that the hearing would be nothing more than "theater of deliberation", accusing Primus of having participated in the planning of the hearing.
But congressional Democrats strongly rejected these claims, saying that only the Rules Committee – not the President's office or anyone in the leadership of the Democratic Party – had the final say on the procedure and that the hearing was designed to consider the proposal.
Fox News's Gregg Re contributed to this report.
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