'There's room for him to move': Progressives press Biden on health care

[TomCADem]

I think there is a far better chance of getting significant improvement in health care access with Joe Biden. As a historical example, Lyndon Johnson was seen as a master Senate negotiator, but a bit on the conservative side. Yet, once in office, he pass a whole slate of progressive legislation from Medicare to the Voters Rights Act due in part to the fact that folks did not see him as an idealogue.

Joe Biden was instrumental in the passage of both the ACA and the Iran deal. While he definitely is not an idealogue, neither was Lyndon Johnson, yet both have a track record of significant legislative accomplishments.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/25/biden-health-care-left-207639

With Sanders out of the primary and Capitol Hill consumed by COVID-19 relief, progressive elected officials and advocates now view Biden — who recently suggested he would veto Medicare for All — as their best chance at moving the country closer to single-payer health care.

Though Biden is a moderate, they think there is promise in the fact that he is setting up task forces with Sanders to advise him on policy. Sanders is eyeing Rep. Pramila Jayapal and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed — both top Medicare for All advocates — for the task force focused on health care, according to people familiar with his plans. The two would represent a radical change from policy thinkers in Biden’s orbit.

“I'd be fooling myself if I thought Joe Biden would embrace Medicare for All. But I do think there’s room for him to move much more than he has so far,” said Jayapal, who is the lead author of the House’s single-payer bill and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

“We are continuously considering and evaluating additional policies that would build upon Vice President Biden's progressive agenda,” said a Biden aide. “We are focused on identifying common ground, establishing where we can work together, and ensuring we broaden our coalition to defeat Donald Trump.”