Progressive Democrats hold Medicare for All hearing as uninsured ranks grow

Yale study cited at hearing projects 68,000 lives saved annually

The Congressional Progressive Caucus held a Medicare for All hearing on Wednesday as more than half of the House Democratic caucus formally backed the single-payer legislation. The session, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Rep. Debbie Dingell, convened weeks after Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That law included cuts to Medicaid and allowed Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire, according to the lawmakers who spoke at the hearing.

Dingell framed the push for universal coverage as a multigenerational project. Her father-in-law, John D. Dingell Sr., drafted the universal healthcare legislation that laid the foundation for Medicare, and her late husband, John Dingell, introduced Medicare for All legislation repeatedly over his decades in Congress. “I’m going to get this over the finish line before I die, and I don’t plan on dying soon. But I’d like to get it done,” Dingell said.

Dingell told the hearing that the United States spends twice as much per person on healthcare as other countries that operate single-payer systems, yet has 28 million residents without insurance — an increase since 2023 — and worse outcomes including lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality rates. “The only people benefiting are the corporations who are profiting while Americans are struggling,” she said.

National Nurses United, the largest union of nurses in the U.S., testified alongside Public Citizen, Physicians for a National Health Plan, and People’s Action Institute. Dr. Diljeet K. Singh, president of Physicians for a National Health Plan, said in her testimony, “At least 35 cents of every healthcare dollar is wasted on insurance administration and corporate profit, not spent on patient care.”

Jamie Brown, president of National Nurses United, described understaffed units and high patient loads that she attributed to healthcare employers prioritizing profits over care. “The only way to transform our system for the better is to ensure that the profit motive is completely removed from the equation,” Brown said.

Rep. Greg Casar called Medicare for All the Progressive Caucus’s “number one priority for reforming our healthcare system” and said it should be the Democratic Party’s top priority. He cited multimillion-dollar CEO salaries and the millions of dollars healthcare corporations spend on lobbying in response to Republican criticisms that a single-payer system would be too costly.

Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García said, “Healthcare should not be a privilege determined by your job, your income, or your zip code. Yet millions of Americans continue to delay or forgo care because they simply cannot afford it.”

Rep. Adelita Grijalva described growing up near a superfund site, losing family members to cancer, and requiring a hysterectomy at an early age. She urged lawmakers to “address the underlying causes of this sickness of the system, not just treat the symptoms.”

Rep. Melanie Stansbury contrasted the cost of the Trump administration’s war in Iran — $37.5 billion so far — with criticisms of universal healthcare spending. “There is no person that should die because they’re afraid to go to the emergency room,” Stansbury said.

A 2020 Yale epidemiological study cited at the hearing found that Medicare for All would save about 68,000 lives annually and reduce U.S. healthcare spending by roughly 13%, or about $450 billion. The research was raised by multiple speakers as evidence that a single-payer system would both improve outcomes and lower total national costs.

In her closing remarks, Jayapal said, “I think this is the moment where the current system has collapsed under the weight of for-profit insurance companies and all of the entities that stand to benefit. It is going to be a fight to get there. But I believe the American people across party line are with us, and are looking for transformative system where everyone is in and nobody is out, and healthcare is truly a human right.”

The center-left Searchlight Institute has urged Democrats to refrain from endorsing Medicare for All, pointing to a June poll by Tavern Research. That survey found either a majority or plurality in support of single-payer healthcare, but also found that 70% of respondents preferred to keep their current health insurance. The question did not account for the fact that 45% of those surveyed already received their coverage through Medicare or Medicaid, according to details reported at the hearing. A separate November poll by the Medicare for All PAC found 52% of respondents favored a Democratic candidate who backed the policy, compared with 45% who supported a Republican candidate on a standard GOP health platform. Among Democratic voters, support for universal healthcare reached 90%.

Separately, Sen. Andy Kim introduced legislation on Tuesday that would enroll all children in Medicare automatically until age 26.