El-Sayed also included a mock design of a gold “Trumpcare” card that’s reminiscent of an earlier effort from the Trump administration to launch a “gold card” visa program meant to provide foreign nationals with a fast-track to residency status. The card also prominently features Trump’s name.
The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to Moneywise’s request for comment.
‘Donald, if you’re watching…’
El-Sayed’s public reachout arrives at a moment when Democratic lawmakers are assessing the environment for future bipartisan cooperation following their sweeping midterm wins earlier this month.
Democrats are set to retake Congress on Jan. 3, but are split on how to handle Trump. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is pushing Democrats to pass popular bills that dare Trump into vetoing them, such as a ban on stock trading by members of Congress and the executive branch.
In el-Sayed’s case, he appears to believe he can team up with Trump in the last two years of his presidency on widening access to health coverage.
“Donald, if you’re watching, we can put your name on it,” el-Sayed said in a Nov. 10 interview on CNN. “I know you like to put your name on stuff. You can finally meet the unmet promise in America to guarantee everybody healthcare. So, it’s on the table if you want to do it.”
He continued: “I don’t care what it’s called. I want people to have healthcare in this country.”
What’s next for Medicare for All
Medicare for All gained steam on the progressive left during Trump’s first term. Medicare for All is usually interpreted to represent a single-payer system that delivers comprehensive health coverage — medical, dental and vision — to Americans through the federal government while significantly shrinking or abolishing private insurance. People would not be on the hook for co-pays, deductibles or premiums.
That’s the model also touted by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has reintroduced the same bill over the years. Other Democrats, however, favor incremental steps that don’t totally scrap private insurance but, instead, retain a so-called “public option” that allows individuals to pick between private and public health plans, strengthening competition in the process.
The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has polled Americans’ attitudes towards Medicare for All since 2017. An October survey from KFF indicated that about 66% of Americans endorse the concept of receiving health insurance from one government plan. It’s a notable increase from the 53% of Americans who favored it in Oct. 2020, the last time the poll was taken.
Joseph Zeballos-Roig is a policy and politics journalist based in Washington D.C with a focus on economics. He is experienced in connecting the significance of events in the capital to the lives of everyday Americans whether its taxes, tariffs, interest rates or federal programs.
