Sen. Bernie Sanders unveils new 'Medicare for All' plan with support from some 2020 rivals

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont unveiled a new version of his “Medicare for All” plan on Wednesday, shaking up the 2020 presidential race by reopening the debate over his call to eliminate private health insurance.

“It is not a radical idea to say that in the United States, every American who goes to a doctor should be able to afford the prescription drug he or she needs,” Sanders said. “Health care is a human right, not a privilege.”

Four of Sanders’ fellow senators and rivals for the Democratic nomination are set to sign onto the updated single-payer health care proposal. The bill’s reintroduction promises to shine a light on Democratic presidential candidates’ disparate visions for the long term future of American health care.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, supports a so-called public option, versions of which would allow Americans to buy into Medicare or Medicaid.

Four other Democratic senators also running for president — Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand — back Sanders’ single-payer plan, which would replace the current mix of private and government health insurance in the U.S. with a new system run by the government. But they also have signed onto at least one version of a public option.

Warren pointed to “a lot of different pathways” to universal coverage during a CNN town hall last month: “What we’re all looking for is the lowest cost way to make sure that everybody gets covered.”

At: http://time.com/5567621/bernie-sanders-medicare-for-all-plan/

Health care: A Yooman right.