SINGLE PAYER NEWS: DECEMBER 2 – DECEMBER 8, 2018

DECEMBER 7

Politico (Excerpt)
SINGLE PAYER — Long-term care will be included when the New York Health Act is reintroduced, Assembly Health Chairman Richard Gottfried said. The addition of long-term home care and nursing home care would add another $20 billion or so to the price tag. “[I]t means no New York family will have to wipe out lifetime savings, and no family member will have to give up a career, to provide long-term care for a loved one,” he testified.

— Gottfried also said the Legislature would not override a veto from Gov. Andrew Cuomo if the New York Health Act is sent to his desk and rejected. “We almost never do that, even if we had the votes to do that,” he said. “But I don’t think we’re going to need to go there.” Incoming Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said similar things last month.

— Former health commissioner Mary Bassett returned to City Hall to testify at the hearing. Bassett currently works at the Harvard School of Public Health after stepping down following a four-year stint in the de Blasio administration.
NOTE: Accessing full content of this item requires a subscription to the Politico Pro Newsletter at politicopro.com.

At hearing, City Council gives warm reception to single-payer
Crain’s Health Pulse
News
Dec. 7, 2018

BlueCross BlueShield CEO Anderson: Revenue has grown at a steady rate
Buffalo Biz First
News
Dec. 7, 2018

Single-payer gets even more costly
Empire Center
Blog
Dec. 7, 2018

‘A freshman, but not a rookie’: Donna Shalala starts her new career ‘in Congress
Miami Herald
News
Dec. 7, 2018

Bernie Sanders Explains to Colbert Why Trump Is No George H.W. Bush
Daily Beast
News
Dec. 7, 2018

‘It’s funny cuz it’s true’: Donald Trump Jr. trolls Ocasio-Cortez with meme implying socialists eat dogs
Washington Post
News
Dec. 7, 2018

An ‘unprecedented’ number of Democrats in Congress want to be president
Washington Post
News
Dec. 7, 2018

DECEMBER 6

State of Politics (Extras)
The growing Realities of Single Payer coalition, which includes employers, unions, taxpayers and provider; issued a statement today took urging the NYC City Council to “Do No harm” outlining three big concerns regarding the impact of the NY Health Act – higher taxes, less access to care, and lose your current plan.

HHS defends key drug pricing proposal
Politico
News
Dec. 6, 2018

Dems Call for Health Care for All Texans
Austin Chronicle
News
Dec. 6, 2018

Perspective | Health care is not free
The Lane Report
Opinion (Pat Breibert)
Dec. 6, 2018
NOTE: Freibert is a former Kentucky state representative.

City Council backs Albany bill to create ‘Medicare for all’
NY Post
News
Dec. 6, 2018

Nancy Pelosi’s incredible comeback
The Hill
News
Dec. 6, 2018

Doctor, former insurance exec and think-tank rep join talk show, debate future of U.S. health care
St. Louis Public Radio
News
Dec. 6, 2018

Health Care Spending Was Nearly Flat Last Year
Mother Jones
News
Dec. 6, 2018

DECEMBER 5

Labor divided over Albany’s ambitious single-payer health care bill
Politico NY
News
Dec. 5, 2018

California Democrats ready new assault on Donald Trump
Politico
News
Dec. 5, 2018

Healthcare Association of NY Lays Out Single Payer Complications
State of Politics
News
Dec. 5, 2018

What you don’t know about Medicare for All can hurt you
The Post & Courier
Opinion (Sally Pipes)
Dec. 5, 2018

The poster-child for the Democratic Party
Standard Democrat
Opinion (Michael Jensen)
Dec. 5, 2018
NOTE: Jensen is the publisher of the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Missouri.

Medicare for all? Rep. Frank Pallone says the votes aren’t there
Asbury Park Press
News
Dec. 5, 2018

Why this progressive Texan can’t get excited about Beto O’Rourke
Washington Post
Column (Elizabeth Bruenig)
Dec. 5, 2018

Laying the Foundation for a Constructive Discussion of Healthcare in 2019
Rockefeller Institute
Blog
Dec. 5, 2018

Red Jahncke: A GOP strategy for 2020
Times Union
Opinion (Red Jahncke)
Dec. 5, 2018
NOTE: Jahncke is president of Townsend Group Intl, LLC – a Greenwich-based consulting firm.

Hope for a Radical Middle
Jewish Journal
News
Dec. 5, 2018

For Ayanna Pressley, ‘Destroyer Of Glass Ceilings’, D.C. Is Just Another ‘Gentle Battle’
WBUR
News
Dec. 5, 2018

Key Democrats Are Selling Medicare Buy-in Over Medicare for All
Bloomberg Government
Blog
Dec. 5, 2018

‘Medicare for All’ Skeptic Richard Neal Can Block Progressive Health Care Bills From His New Committee Perch
Sludge
News
Dec. 5, 2018

DECEMBER 4

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s $21 trillion mistake
Washington Post
News
Dec. 4, 2018

California Democrats plan to extend Medicaid to illegal immigrants
Washington Examiner
News
Dec. 4, 2018

Investigations Won’t Defeat Trumpism. Strengthening Democracy Will.
Politico
Opinion (Rob Goodman)
Dec. 4, 2018
NOTE: Rob Goodman is a political theorist at McGill University and a former congressional speechwriter.

The Trump Administration Let Florida Make It Harder to Pay for Health Care
Palm Beach New Times
News
Dec. 4, 2018

Fact-checkers bust Ocasio-Cortez for false claim about Pentagon spending
NY Post
News
Dec. 4, 2018

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she paid twice as much for insurance as a waitress as she will in Congress
CNBC
News
Dec. 4, 2018

Progressive Lawmakers Hold Health Care Rally Outside Centrist Harvard Conference
Huffington Post
News
Dec. 4, 2018

From Bernie to Beto, a progressive era begins
The Hill
Opinion (Brent Budowsky)
Dec. 4, 2018
NOTE: Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Rep. Alexander (D-Ark.), who was chief deputy majority whip of the House of Representatives.

Will the Congressional Progressive Caucus become the Freedom Caucus of the left?
MinnPost
News
Dec. 4, 2018

DECEMBER 3

Politico (Excerpt)
SINGLE PAYER — New York City unions are gearing up to fight legislation that would establish New York State as the health insurance provider for all residents, worried the sweeping bill would curtail their benefits and negotiating power. … Why it matters: These unions’ members are potentially getting a better deal than they would under the current legislation. The sponsors say they’re addressing the issue, but it illustrates one of the pressure points that will crop up now that Democrats have the votes to potentially pass such a bill and it becomes a live ball.
NOTE: Accessing full content of this item requires a subscription to the Politico Pro Newsletter at politicopro.com.

It’s not hard to figure out Cuomo’s gameplan for 2020
NYP
Column (Bob McManus)
Dec. 3, 2018

Must single-payer health care come with higher taxes?
WBFO
News
Dec. 3, 2018

Editorial: Challenges mount for new legislators
Times Herald-Record
Editorial
Dec. 3, 2018

Exciting Time for Single-payer Healthcare Advocates
The Westchester Examiner
Opinion (Madeline Zevon)
Dec. 3, 2018
NOTE: Zevon is Health Care Chair of the League of Women Voters of Westchester and Co-Chair of the New York State League of Women Voters.

Democrats have a mega-majority in the California Legislature. Expect them to swing for the fences
LA Times
News
Dec. 3, 2018

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggests ‘Medicare for all’ be paid for by Pentagon waste
Washington Examiner
News
Dec. 3, 2018

The $21 trillion Pentagon accounting error that can’t pay for Medicare-for-all, explained
Vox
News
Dec. 3, 2018

Medicare for All is a double-edged sword for Democrats
Axios
News
Dec. 3, 2018

DECEMBER 2

Richard Brodsky: What kind of leadership do we want in the state Senate?
Times Union
Opinion (Richard Brodsky)
Dec. 2, 2018
NOTE: Brodsky is a former state Assembly member.

Look who is getting protected from single-payer health insurance
NYP
Editorial
Dec. 2, 2018

Ocasio-Cortez says ‘death panels’ exist in private health insurance market
The Hill
News
Dec. 2, 2018

Liz Cheney pledges to battle ‘socialist set of agendas’ in Democratic-controlled House
Washington Examiner
News
Dec. 2, 2018