The House Rules Committee is set to hold the first congressional hearing on Medicare-for-all legislation on Tuesday, as the progressive pitch to reshape American health care dominates policy discussions in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
The bill, which does not include a funding mechanism, also would preserve health care and medical benefits from the Veterans Administration and Indian Health Service, and give consumers two years to phase in to the program. After Democrats' successful midterm campaigns zeroed in on preexisting conditions coverage, Republicans on Capitol Hill have seized on the other party's health care debate ahead of 2020, using procedural votes and committee meetings to highlight questions about Medicare for all's cost and potential impact on private health insurance.
Democratic leaders said Tuesday's hearing will be the first of several in the House on Medicare-for-all legislation. The House Budget Committee will hold a hearing in May on a forthcoming analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office of single-payer health care, according to a spokesperson.
The hearing has also energized activists: More than 400 nurses stormed the nation's capital Monday ahead of the hearings in support of the legislation.