ICYMI: Medicare for All is Back, But Not Going Anywhere 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, the Medicare for All Act of 2023 in both the Senate and House was introduced. The legislation would create a new federal government-controlled health insurance system that would result in higher taxes and increase health insurance premiums for those with private coverage. In response to the bill, Partnership issued a statement highlighting the need for building on what is working to ensure all Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health coverage and care.  

Axios and Fierce Healthcare report: 

• “The reintroduction keeps single-payer health care advocacy in the national conversation, even if it doesn’t stand a chance in the current Congress and likely won’t be a focal point of the 2024 presidential election.” (Axios, 5/23/23) 
• “Those ideas have dropped off the table, and it’ll be interesting to see if President Biden returns to them as part of his agenda for [the] next term,” Levitt said. (Axios, 5/23/23) 
• The bill was reintroduced with “14 Senate Democrats and 110 House Democrats on board with the measure.” (Fierce Healthcare, 5/18/23)  
  • Progressives claimed the Medicare for All Act 2023 bill having more original co-sponsors than ever before, “the bill actually has the same number of original co-sponsors as it did in the 117th Congress.” (Axios, 5/23/23) 

What’s next for Medicare for All 

Axios 

Medicare for All is back for the 118th Congress — but even its advocates acknowledge there’s a ways to go before there’s any serious movement on single-payer health care. 

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Industry groups are sticking with the tried-and-true attack lines. “Every American deserves access to affordable, high-quality health coverage and care — however one-size-fits-all proposals like Medicare for All that result in government-controlled health care won’t help us get there,” Partnership for America’s Health Care Future executive director Lauren Crawford Shaver said in a news release. 

Progressives reintroduce ‘Medicare for All’ bill 

Fierce Healthcare  

Medicare for All faces strong opposition from all corners of the industry. In a statement, the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, which represents payers and providers, urged legislators to take a more “common sense approach” to ensuring coverage is accessible to everyone. 

“Every American deserves access to affordable, high-quality health coverage and care—however one-size-fits-all proposals like Medicare for All that result in government-controlled health care won’t help us get there,” said Executive Director Lauren Crawford Shaver. “With more and more states seeing failed public option approaches, it is more important than ever that Americans have access to quality and affordable health care—not a system that would force them to pay more and wait longer for worse care. ” 

Read Partnership’s release here.  

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