U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) is set to be part of a roundtable on Medicare for All on Saturday in Dearborn. The event is sponsored by Michigan for Single Payer Healthcare, Southpaw Michigan and Greater Detroit Democratic Socialists of America.
Dingell is an original co-sponsor of the U.S. House bill and one of the leading advocates of its passage. In April, the Medicare for All Act of 2019 got a hearing on Capitol Hill — the first one ever — in the U.S. House Rules Committee.
“The time is now to ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable healthcare,” Dingell said in April. “Medicare for All is the beginning of a national conversation about how to improve healthcare and bring down costs.”
She succeeded her husband, former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in history who introduced a single-payer health care bill every term. He passed away in February at the age of 92. He succeeded his father, John Dingell Sr., who began the fight for health care for all.
Medicare for All bill backed by some Michigan Dems gets historic U.S. House hearing
Medicare for All has been embraced by progressives as a way to guarantee health coverage for all Americans and has been endorsed by several Democratic presidential hopefuls, including U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).
The town hall is slated from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Arab American National Museum Annex, 13624 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.
Also slated to be on the panel is Abdul El-Sayed, an Ann Arbor physician who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018. He went on to found Southpaw Michigan.
State Reps. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) and Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor) also are scheduled to be part of the event. Last term, Rabhi introduced legislation for single-payer health care in Michigan.
