{"id":10635,"date":"2018-12-18T10:38:09","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T18:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=10635"},"modified":"2018-12-18T10:38:51","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T18:38:51","slug":"not-the-kind-of-moral-leadership-we-need-critics-pounce-after-schumer-refuses-to-back-medicare-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2018\/12\/18\/not-the-kind-of-moral-leadership-we-need-critics-pounce-after-schumer-refuses-to-back-medicare-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Not the Kind of Moral Leadership We Need&#8217;: Critics Pounce After Schumer Refuses to Back Medicare for All"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"field-wrapper-attribution\" class=\"field-wrapper content-container clearfix inline-fields\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-article-date field--type-datestamp field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\"><span class=\"pb-timestamp\"><span class=\"date-display-single\">December 17, 2018\u00a0<\/span><\/span>by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Common Dreams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-subtitle field--type-text-long field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<div>\n<h4>After the Democratic leader said he wants &#8220;best, cheapest&#8221; healthcare for every American, one critic asked: &#8220;Does Chuck know that free is the cheapest?&#8221;<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"field-wrapper-authors\" class=\"field-wrapper content-container clearfix inline-fields\">\n<div class=\"grouping-prefix\">by\u00a0<span class=\"pb-byline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jake-johnson-staff-writer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jake Johnson, staff writer<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"shr_canvas2\" class=\"shareaholic-canvas shareaholic-ui shareaholic-resolved-canvas ng-scope\" data-app-id=\"6840204\" data-app-id-name=\"headline_above_content\" data-app=\"share_buttons\" data-title=\"'Not the Kind of Moral Leadership We Need': Critics Pounce After Schumer Refuses to Back Medicare for All\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/12\/17\/not-kind-moral-leadership-we-need-critics-pounce-after-schumer-refuses-back-medicare\" data-summary=\"\">\n<div class=\"ng-scope shareaholic-share_buttons\" translate=\"no\">\n<div class=\"shareaholic-share-buttons-container shareaholic-ui shareaholic-no-print shareaholic-flat shareaholic- shareaholic-block shareaholic-horizontal shareaholic-mini\">\n<div class=\"shareaholic-share-buttons-wrapper shareaholic-ui\">\n<div class=\"shareaholic-share-buttons-animation-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"shareaholic-share-buttons-heading shareaholic-custom\">\n<div class=\"shareaholic-share-buttons-heading-text ng-binding\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shareaholic-share-button-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-article-img field--type-image field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"caption-processed\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/cd_large\/public\/headlines\/schumer_medicare_for_all.jpg?itok=nkJb5IBP\" alt=\"\" width=\"955\" height=\"500\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-main-caption field--type-text-long field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<p><em>Pressed by MSNBC&#8217;s Chuck Todd on whether he thinks it&#8217;s time for Democrats to unify around Medicare for All\u2014which has the backing of 84 percent of Democratic voters\u2014Schumer dodged, saying, &#8220;Look, Democrats are for universal access to healthcare, from one end of the party to the other.&#8221; (Photo: MSNBC\/Screengrab)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<p>As Medicare for All advocates\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/actionnetwork.org\/forms\/host-a-medicare-for-all-barnstorm\">gear up<\/a>\u00a0for what promises to be a long and brutal fight against the powerful\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/11\/21\/unlimited-funds-lie-insurance-industry-readies-propaganda-blitz-medicare-all-surges\">industry interests and corporate Democrats<\/a>\u00a0committed to upholding the for-profit status quo, critics accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) of siding with the latter camp after he insisted in an interview on Sunday that &#8220;there are lots of different routes&#8221; to a universal healthcare system and refused to endorse single-payer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"pullquote\">&#8220;Take this as a &#8216;No&#8217; on single-payer, Medicare for All from Chuck Schumer, who represents one of the most Democratic states in the country,&#8221;<br \/>\n\u2014Waleed Shahid, Justice Democrats<\/p>\n<p>Pressed by\u00a0<em>MSNBC<\/em>&#8216;s Chuck Todd on whether he thinks it&#8217;s time for Democrats to unify around Medicare for All\u2014which has the backing of 84 percent of Democratic voters\u2014Schumer dodged, saying, &#8220;Look, Democrats are for universal access to healthcare, from one end of the party to the other.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We want more people covered, everyone covered; we want better healthcare at a lower cost. People have different views as to how to get there. Many are for Medicare for All, some are for Medicare buy-in, some are Medicare over 55, some are Medicaid buy-in, some are public option,&#8221; Schumer added. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to support a plan that can pass, and that can provide the best, cheapest healthcare for all Americans.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Single-payer advocates were quick to note in response to Schumer&#8217;s interview that the &#8220;best, cheapest&#8221; way to provide healthcare for every American\u2014as demonstrated by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/07\/30\/koch-funded-hit-piece-backfires-shows-medicare-all-would-save-300-billion-over-ten\">study<\/a>\u00a0after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/11\/30\/easy-pay-something-costs-less-new-study-shows-medicare-all-would-save-us-51-trillionhttps:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/11\/30\/easy-pay-something-costs-less-new-study-shows-medicare-all-would-save-us-51-trillion\">study<\/a>\u2014is Sen. Bernie Sanders&#8217; (I-Vt.) Medicare for All plan, which was co-sponsored by 16 Senate Democrats\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2017\/09\/13\/everyone-covered-no-one-goes-broke-sanders-introduces-medicare-all-bill\">when it was reintroduced last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Does Chuck know that free is the cheapest?&#8221;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/michaelwhitney\/status\/1074381825475260416\">asked<\/a>\u00a0<em>The Intercept<\/em>&#8216;s Michael Whitney, alluding to the fact that Sanders&#8217;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/berniesanders.com\/issues\/medicare-for-all\/\">Medicare for All plan<\/a>\u00a0would eliminate premiums, co-pays, and deductibles while providing comprehensive coverage to every American.<\/p>\n<p>While Schumer was careful to not explicitly denounce Medicare for All, critics interpreted his remarks as confirmation that he has no plans to join the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/07\/19\/launch-medicare-all-caucus-met-applause-62-house-democrats-demand-healthcare-every\">rapidly growing number<\/a>\u00a0of congressional Democrats backing single-payer over\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/views\/2017\/07\/20\/public-option-doomed-start\">incremental improvements<\/a>\u00a0to America&#8217;s for-profit system, which has left tens of millions of Americans without insurance.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Take this as a &#8216;No&#8217; on single-payer, Medicare for All from Chuck Schumer, who represents one of the most Democratic states in the country,&#8221; Waleed Shahid, communications director for Justice Democrats, wrote on Twitter following Schumer&#8217;s\u00a0<em>MSNBC<\/em>\u00a0appearance. &#8220;That&#8217;s not the kind of moral leadership we need in this moment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Schumer&#8217;s refusal to back Medicare for All came just days after a federal judge deemed the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional\u2014a ruling\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/12\/15\/federal-courts-disastrous-affordable-care-act-ruling-only-bolsters-case-medicare-all\">many characterized<\/a>\u00a0as the latest sign that it&#8217;s time for the U.S. to move beyond its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/daveweigel\/status\/1073961467647528963\">overly complex, market-based<\/a>\u00a0status quo to a straightforward and popular system that guarantees healthcare to all as a right.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is an outrageous, disastrous decision that threatens the healthcare and lives of millions of people. It must be overturned,&#8221; Sen. Sanders wrote on Twitter. &#8220;We must move forward to make healthcare a right for every American.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Though Schumer insisted that he will only support a healthcare &#8220;plan that can pass,&#8221; there is no evidence that any of the non-Medicare for All alternatives he mentioned have a better chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate than Sanders&#8217; single-payer plan.<\/p>\n<p>In the House, meanwhile, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/healthcare\/416824-left-wants-a-vote-on-single-payer-bill-in-new-congress\">majority of the Democratic caucus<\/a>\u00a0supports single-payer, and incoming Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) has said she plans to push for a vote on Medicare for All legislation early in the next Congress.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"field-wrapper-copyright-cond\" class=\"field-wrapper content-container clearfix\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-copyright field--type-text field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\"><em>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 17, 2018\u00a0by Common Dreams After the Democratic leader said he wants &#8220;best, cheapest&#8221; healthcare for every American, one critic asked: &#8220;Does Chuck know that free is the cheapest?&#8221; by\u00a0Jake Johnson, staff writer Pressed by MSNBC&#8217;s Chuck Todd on whether he thinks it&#8217;s time for Democrats to unify around Medicare&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2018\/12\/18\/not-the-kind-of-moral-leadership-we-need-critics-pounce-after-schumer-refuses-to-back-medicare-for-all\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10635"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10637,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635\/revisions\/10637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}