05.12.22

Graham: If Democrats Think “Medicare for All” Is So Great, Why Not Vote On It?

WASHINGTON – Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today participated in a hearing Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) called to discuss the budgetary effects of his “Medicare for All” proposal.

  • GRAHAM: “You have control of the Senate floor. I welcome a vote on Medicare for All on the floor of the United States Senate this year… If not, why not? Because most of your Democrat colleagues would jump out the window if they had to vote on this.”  https://youtu.be/8Yb5MC3eGC4?t=27
  • GRAHAM: “The private health care that you have today as an American would go away... everyone in America goes into a single payer system run by the federal government.” https://youtu.be/8Yb5MC3eGC4?t=125
  • GRAHAM: “Medicare is an important program. I’d like to save it. I don’t want to sunset it… I sure as hell don’t want to invite hundreds of millions of people onto the Medicare system that haven’t paid a dime.” https://youtu.be/8Yb5MC3eGC4?t=161
  • GRAHAM: “We’re talking about the most massive increase in spending known to the United States. How would that affect inflation? Not well. It absolutely would crush an economy that needs some help.” https://youtu.be/8Yb5MC3eGC4?t=256
  • GRAHAM: “One-size-fits-all for health care could cost as much as $40 trillion over the first ten years…The economic consequences to this plan for the American taxpayer would be unimaginable.”  https://youtu.be/8Yb5MC3eGC4?t=337
  • GRAHAM: “There are better ways. Let’s save Medicare as it exists. But for people under 65, let’s try to get better quality by getting the health care dollars outside of Medicare in the hands of people closer to the patient. Let’s get money down to the states, get flexibility and inventing new preventive health care systems. And give consumers the choice they don’t have today.”   https://youtu.be/8Yb5MC3eGC4?t=381

Watch Graham’s Opening Statement

Watch Graham’s Questions

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