Sanders says he will introduce ‘Medicare for all’ bill

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is planning to introduce a single-payer healthcare bill in Congress.

The Vermont senator said during a town hall Saturday he plans to introduce a “Medicare for all” bill “within a couple of weeks,” Vermont Public Radio reported.

“It is a commonsense proposal, and I think once the American people understand it, we can go forward with it,” Sanders said after the town hall meeting.

During the town hall, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said he would introduce the same bill in the House.

{mosads}“Well, you know, it’s a goal. In this Congress, we won’t pass it,” Welch said after the town hall.  “But I think we have to do keep the goal out there, because we need in this country, like any industrialized country, a healthcare system that’s affordable, accessible and universal.”

Welch said he will “reach out to [his] Republican colleagues with specific proposals about some of the things we can do to fix some of the issues in the Affordable Care Act.”

The comments come after Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Friday pulled the American Health Care Act, the GOP’s healthcare proposal, amid dwindling support among Republicans.