Thread by @JillPiggott

@carmenxbrook #MedicareForAll Act of 2019: Introduced in the House 2/27/19.

House members who support the bill: 118. Number of additional House members needed for passage: 100.

congress.gov/bill/116th-con…

@carmenxbrook #MedicareForAll Act of 2019: Introduced by #Bernie 4/10/19.

Senators who support the bill: 15. Number of additional Senators needed for passage: 45 w/ filibuster, 36 w/o filibuster. congress.gov/bill/116th-con…

@carmenxbrook IF #Republicans hold the Senate, NO #healthcare bills will pass. McConnell & the GOP are killing 400 bills, most bipartisan, passed by the House incl'g multiple bills on rx drug prices, #vets' healthcare, preexisting conditions. See the list here: threadreaderapp.com/thread/1305516…

@carmenxbrook #Healthcare activists: #VoteBlue to #FlipTheSenate because McConnell & the #Republican majority block everything (see list above).

#MedicareForAll activists: #Bernie introduced #M4A in 2019. Even if he were president, the bill's down 145 votes in Congress (136 w/o filibuster).

@carmenxbrook Congress won't pass #MedicareForAll. The votes aren't there. (I lead a healthcare activist org. I lobbied FOR #M4A in '19. I've been doing this since the Clinton Adm & Hillarycare.) But there ARE majority votes if we flip the Senate for new expanded public option.

@carmenxbrook New public option would immediately cover everyone #Medicaid eligible inc'g people in red states where Govs refused #ACA funding. It'd be open to anyone, inc'g businesses. Countries w/ universal healthcare use a hybrid public-private model like the 1 #Biden's proposing.

@carmenxbrook #Canada's singlepayer system, for ex, doesn't cover prescription meds. People buy private insurance to cover drug costs. Scandinavian countries use private insurance to cut down waiting lists or private insurance to supplement limited guaranteed coverage.

@carmenxbrook 1>#M4A would need 145 (maybe 136) more votes to pass Congress.
2>#Biden has plan for universal healthcare that does have majority #dem support but requires a #democratic Senate.
3>Trump asked Supreme Court to overturn all of #ACA inc'g preexisting condition protections.

@carmenxbrook 4>Supreme Court (with majority of justices appointed by #Republicans) hears case for overturning #ACA whether or not Trump wins.

If Trump wins & they overturn it, he won't "replace it." #Medicaid expansion $$ goes away. Exchanges & subsidies go away.

@carmenxbrook 5>Two oldest Justices by a decade are both liberal (#RBG & Stevens). Ginsburg has Stage 4 Cancer. Next president might get 2 more seats. Trump already has 2 justices, both of whom won't turn 90 til mid-2050s.

#Healthcare activists: #VoteBiden if you want #SCOTUS to protect us.

@carmenxbrook #Bernie was right when he said #progressives had won the "ideological debate." He was wrong to suggest his election would make 145 members of Congress change their intended votes on #M4A.

🔵Progressives got universal #healthcare on Nov's ballot. #VoteBidenHarris #VoteBlue