Friedenberg favors Medicare for all

Oct. 10--The United States should expand Medicare to cover every American to eliminate constantly increasing health insurance premiums, Democratic congressional candidate Marc Friedenberg said Monday.

In an interview with The Times-Tribune editorial board, Friedenberg, running for office for the first time, said he decided to run after congressional Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The act, passed in 2010 and known commonly as Obamacare, expanded health insurance coverage to 20 million Americans, outlawed discrimination for pre-existing conditions and allowed children to stay on parents' health insurance plans until age 26, among other things.

"Medicare for all is the issue that I like to talk about most. I think it would do the most good for the most Americans," Friedenberg said.

Friedenberg, 34, of Centre County, faces incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, a Lycoming Twp. Republican, for the newly created 12th Congressional District seat. The district includes all of Wyoming, Susquehanna and Bradford counties and all or parts of 12 others west to Centre County.

Friedenberg said many district residents have given up on voting because political contributions control congressmen.

"And that's a shame. I do think that Medicare for all is the kind of thing that will get, not everybody, but does get some people excited," he said.

People between 50 and 64 years old and people with "spotty employment" would benefit the most as would citizens and businesses, who would no longer have to pay insurance premiums.

"That is a lot of this district," he said.

A Medicare system that covers everyone would cost more than $32 trillion over 10 years, according to a recently released study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Medicare's trust fund is already expected to run out of money by 2026.

Universal Medicare would work because it would "add younger, healthier people to the risk pool," he said. It would also give Medicare leverage to save money on prescription drugs and other costs.

On Social Security, Friedenberg said he opposes raising the Social Security retirement age or cutting benefits to solve the program's financial problems. By 2034, the program is expected to have only enough money to pay about three quarters of benefits.

He favors lifting the $128,400 cap on income subject to the Social Security payroll tax.

"I think having the cap lifted is a way to protect the program, and it's more fair," he said.

Friedenberg said he supports government intervention to bring high-speed internet service to rural communities, federal funding to cover half the cost of higher education tuition and border security that includes a lengthy path to citizenship for existing illegal immigrants. He opposes rollbacks of federal regulations governing the banking system, but favors rolling back Marino's bill that reined in the Drug Enforcement Administration's ability to go after companies that flood locales with opioid-based painkillers.

He favors expedited efforts to deal with climate change and public financing of political campaigns to eliminate the corrupting influence of political contributions. He opposes trade tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, but supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade treaty because teaming with other Far East countries will lead to increased competition against China.

"Free trade, with protection for workers, I think that's a good combination," he said.

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