Sanders calls for Democrats to pass ‘Medicare for All’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday called for Democrats to pass “Medicare for All” when they take control of the Senate in January.

“Healthcare must be considered as a human right, not a privilege. That means passing Medicare for All legislation now supported by 66 percent of the American people,” Sanders said in a video .

Sanders will likely be the next chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where he will have a major platform to push for a Medicare for All agenda in the next Congress.

Progressives see Tuesday’s Democratic landslide as evidence their policies can win anywhere.

Buoyed by the victory of candidates like Abdul El-Sayed (D) in Michigan, progressives in the House and Senate are expected to make a significant push for single-payer healthcare.

Sanders said Democrats should build up to Medicare for All by immediately passing a bill expanding Medicare coverage while keeping people’s private insurance intact.

“As an immediate first step, Democrats must lower the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 55, expand Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing, and guarantee universal health care coverage for every child from birth through age 19,” Sanders said.

While major change is unlikely in the next two years with President Trump still in office, Sanders pushed for it to be done through reconciliation, a parliamentary procedure that lets the Senate bypass the filibuster to pass budget bills with only 51 votes.

Republicans used reconciliation to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid. Sanders said rolling back those cuts should also be a priority, as well as restoring the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies.