Sanders Addresses Daines Single-Payer Amendment

The next vote will be on Sen. Steve Daines' (R-Mont.) single-payer amendment.

Daines Amendment #340: Expanded and Improved Medicare For All Act

is amendment is identical to H.R. 676, Representative Conyers' Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. This amendment would provide government-run, single-payer insurance in the U.S. This is a political stunt in the midst of the unprecedented and disastrous process Republicans have undertaken to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Bernie Sanders addressed Sen. Daines' sham amendment on the Senate floor this morning. A partial transcript of his remarks is below:

"Despite the fact that we are dealing with an issue that impacts every single American, which is what health care does, an issue that impacts one-sixth of the American economy, over $3 trillion a year, there has not been one hearing, one public hearing on this bill. This bill has been written behind closed doors. Anyone listening to Senator McCain the other day made that point. Now, how do you deal with one-sixth of the economy and their desire to transform the American health care system without listening to one doctor, without listening to one hospital administration" Writing a bill with a few Republican senators behind closed doors.

"This is unprecedented and disastrous process for health care. And just on those grounds alone, what every member of this senate should agree to -- and Senator McCain made this point -- this process has been awful. Kill it now. Go back to what is called regular process here, regular order. Go back to the committee, start this discussion. Please do not throw 22 million, 23 million people off of health insurance without hearing from doctors, patient advocates, hospital administrators.

"But no, that is not where the Republicans are today. They want to rush this thing through behind closed doors and get a quick vote on this.

"Now, interestingly enough, Mr. President, as I understand it, Senator Daines of Montana today is going to introduce legislation for a Medicare-for-all health care system. That's very interesting. I hope, I hope that this is really a breakthrough on the part of my Republican colleagues. I hope very much that finally they can recognize that maybe the United States of America should join every other major country on earth in guaranteeing health care to all people as a right and not a privilege. And I hope that when Senator Daines comes down here, he will say that, no, it does not make sense to throw 23 million more people off of health care, but in fact we have to move forward, do what Canada does, what Germany does, what France does, what every major country on earth does and guarantee health care to all people. That's right. I hope very much that that is what Senator Daines will be saying.

"But you know what, Mr. President" I kind of think that that is not what he will be saying. I kind of think that in the midst of this discussion in which millions of Americans are wondering whether or not they are going to continue to have health care, what's going to happen to their kids, what's going to happen, I suspect that what Senator Daines is doing is nothing more than an old political trick, trying to embarrass Democrats.

"Will they support the Medicare for all bill introduced by Congressman John Conyers" And at a time when we are engaged in a very serious debate about the future of health care, I think this is not a time for political games.

"Now, Senator Daines is serious about a Medicare for all proposal, let us work together, but now is not the time for political games.

"Senator Daines, as I understand it, is going to offer an amendment, but we don't know what he is amending because we don't even know what is in the legislation that the Republicans will bring forward. How do you amend something when we don't even have a base bill to amend" So this is, I hope I'm wrong. I hope Senator Daines has seen the light, but I suspect not, and I suspect it's just a political game.

"But I do hope, by the way, at some point within this debate, if we can, if not, certainly in the near future, to, in fact, be introducing a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program. It will be somewhat different than my friend John Conyers' bill in the House, but what it will do is say that in America, if you are rich or if you are poor, if you are a man, woman, and child, yes, you are entitled to health care as a human right and not a privilege."

Josh Miller-Lewis

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

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