Sanders Urges Democrats to Pass Medicare for All, Challenge Trump

Sanders told host Anderson Cooper that “well over 60%” of Americans want Medicare for All and called the current health system “broken and incredibly expensive.” If Trump vetoes a bill, Sanders said, that would be the president’s constitutional right. But he also said he was unsure Trump would oppose the proposal, describing him as a politician rather than a strongly ideological figure.

Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Ro Khanna of California have also pressed the incoming Congress to pursue the legislation. Sanders said Democrats should not settle for what he called establishment policies after voters gave the party a new majority.

In a 15-minute recorded address posted online, Sanders called for repealing what he described as $1 trillion in Trump cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, saying the changes were needed to prevent 15 million Americans from losing coverage. He also urged restoring ACA tax credits to head off premium increases for 20 million people. Those steps, he said, would not be enough: health care should be treated as a human right, and Medicare for All has the support of 66% of Americans, according to the figures he cited.