Midterm wave sets a course for "Medicare for All" fight

Progressive Democrats who ran on Medicare for All did well in this month's midterm wave, and advocates of government-run coverage now see an opening. Abdul El-Sayed, a senator-elect from Michigan, made the idea central to his campaign. Even so, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill healthcare scholar Jonathan Oberlander notes that the strongest supporters of the policy tended to win by thinner margins than moderates, and he says voters were mostly motivated by inflation, corruption and the Iran war rather than a desire for a federal insurance takeover, according to CBS News.

Oberlander expects the proposal to gain momentum heading into the 2028 presidential primaries, while warning that moderates who flipped seats in Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina may resist it. Michael Cannon of the libertarian Cato Institute opposes the idea, arguing the healthcare industry would fight it fiercely. A recent KFF poll shows backing rising, yet it drops once respondents are told of possible tax increases or slower care.

Voters like Jaime Bardenhagen, a former nurse in Michigan, illustrate the pressure. After the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies lapsed, her premiums climbed from $700 to $1,300 monthly. She supports government coverage and wants Democrats to "do something."

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →