On the heels of what appeared to be Trumpcare’s final collapse on Monday and in the midst of growing grassroots demands for Democratic lawmakers to embrace a “bold” agenda, former Vice President Al Gore said at an event on Tuesday that he believes the United States should move toward a single-payer system that guarantees healthcare for every American.
“I believe we ought to have single-payer healthcare.”
—Al Gore”The private sector has not shown any ability to provide good, affordable healthcare for all,” Gore said at Borough of Manhattan Community College, where he was promoting his new climate change documentary. “I believe we ought to have single-payer healthcare.”
As the Huffington Post‘s Alexander Kaufman notes, Gore has in the past unenthusiastically expressed support for single-payer.
“I think we’ve reached a point where the entire healthcare system is in impending crisis,” Gore said in 2002. “I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we should begin drafting a single-payer national health insurance plan.”
Gore is one of the most prominent Democrats to speak publicly in support of a Medicare-for-All type system as Republicans attempt to move ahead with their long-shot effort to repeal Obamacare without a replacement. Others who have recently endorsed single-payer include Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).
In recent months, public support for Medicare for All has surged, leading some commentators to argue that it is the “inevitable” successor to the prevailing for-profit healthcare model.
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