Rep. Keith Ellison is taking up the Medicare-for-all mantle in the House
Ellison is now the lead sponsor of the Houses single-payer bill.
By Ella Nilsen
Progressive Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) has taken on the mantle of Medicare-for-all in the House of Representatives.
On Wednesday, Ellison received unanimous consent from his House colleagues to become the lead sponsor of the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act originally introduced by former Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). (Conyers resigned in December in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct and harassment claims from former female staffers.)
The bill, more commonly known as the House version of the Medicare-for-all bill, would guarantee universal health care in the United States (Sen. Bernie Sanders is the lead sponsor of the Senate version). It enjoys support from 121 House Democrats more than 60 percent of the caucus.
To be clear, it has no chance of going anywhere in the current Republican-controlled Congress. But its a signal of the policies Democrats could pursue if theyre able to take back the House in 2018 and, furthermore, a signal that more congressional Democrats are getting behind progressive health care policies.
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https://www.vox.com/2018/3/7/17092850/ellison-conyers-medicare-for-all-house-congress-single-payer