Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supports Medicare for All, and the incoming congresswoman from New York doesn’t understand why other members of the House don’t get in line with it as well.
The incoming representative took to Twitter on Saturday to share her frustration that Congress members who enjoy cheap government healthcare for themselves don’t support it being extended to all Americans as well. Ocasio-Cortez supports Medicare being expanded so it is available for all Americans, making healthcare more affordable and accessible than it is now.
It would be cheaper for Americans as well. Ocasio-Cortez shared that back when she worked as a waitress, her health insurance deductibles were twice as high as they will be once she is sworn into Congress in January.
“It’s frustrating that Congressmembers would deny other people affordability that they themselves enjoy. Time for #MedicareForAll,” she added.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been one of the leaders in the movement to adopt what is being packaged as Medicare for All, the health care reform once known as single-payer or universal health care that has become increasingly popular. Polls show that a majority of Americas would not back this form of health care over the current (and usually more expensive) alternatives. Even Republicans have come around to supporting it.
As the Hill noted, a recent poll taken around the midterm elections found that the party once sharply opposed to universal health care has now come around to the idea.
“The survey, conducted by Hill.TV and the HarrisX polling company, found that 52 percent of Republicans polled said they supported the option, while 48 percent said they opposed it.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could be at the leading edge of a more efficient health care system. As TruthOut reported, a new study from the Political Economy Research Institute showed that a single-payer system could be implemented simply and would have significant cost savings compared to the current system.
Researchers looked at the Medicare for All Act of 2017 put forward by Senator Bernie Sanders, finding that “based on 2017 U.S. healthcare expenditure figures, the cumulative savings for the first decade operating under Medicare for All would be $5.1 trillion, equal to 2.1 percent of cumulative GDP, without accounting for broader macroeconomic benefits such as increased productivity, greater income equality, and net job creation through lower operating costs for small- and medium-sized businesses.”
Ocasio-Cortez: It’s “frustrating” that lawmakers oppose Medicare-for-All while enjoying cheap government insurance https://t.co/CSGYYNTifd pic.twitter.com/2Lfr67dG36
— The Hill (@thehill) December 2, 2018
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has pledged to push for Medicare for All once she becomes a member of the new Democratic majority early next year.
