Rep. Ro Khanna: US should be moving toward Medicare for all to cure inequities

[ad_1] After an onslaught of criticism towards the insurance coverage trade following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., expressed sympathy for the sufferer, however acknowledged the talk it sparked over inequities within the well being care system.

"There isn't a justification for violence," Khanna advised ABC "This Week" anchor Martha Raddatz. "However the outpouring afterwards has not stunned me."

Thompson's killing led to an ongoing huge manhunt for the suspected killer and sparked rampant dialogue on-line about the price of well being care and the insurance coverage trade in the US.

Khanna stated he agrees with the evaluation of unbiased Sen. Bernie Sanders, who wrote: "We waste a whole bunch of billions a yr on well being care administrative bills that make insurance coverage CEOs and rich stockholders extremely wealthy whereas 85 million Individuals go uninsured or underinsured. Well being care is a human proper. We'd like Medicare for All."

Rep. Ro Khanna seems on "This Week," Dec. 8. 2024.

ABC Information

Khanna stated that the U.S. must be transferring towards Medicare for all.

"After years, Sanders is successful this debate," Khanna stated.

Khanna has stated he helps Trump's efforts to create a "Division of Authorities Effectivity" to chop wasteful federal spending. The president-elect appointed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramawamy to guide the hassle and the pair was on Capitol Hill this week to debate their plans.

Khanna advised Raddatz that "they need to have a look at the extraordinary waste," inspecting Medicare and personal well being prices, in addition to protection spending.

"I feel in the case of protection, getting higher protection for worth and reducing prices, there will be enormous bipartisan cooperation," stated Khanna.

The congressman emphasised that cuts to Social Safety, the Client Monetary Safety Bureau, and Medicare shouldn't be on the desk.

Regardless of bipartisan calls to deal with federal spending, the US' debt stands at greater than $36 trillion.

Khanna stated he has communicated with Musk concerning his cost-cutting efforts and praised the SpaceX founder's work with the Obama administration for the non-public sector to have interaction in area exploration.

Khanna was additionally requested about his ideas on the looming risk of a ban of TikTok within the U.S. until it finds a brand new proprietor following a Federal Appeals Court docket ruling on Friday that rejected TikTok's bid to overturn the regulation.

In earlier interviews on "This Week," Khanna spoke about his opposition to a invoice that may require TikTok to divest from its Chinese language guardian firm or face a ban.

“I do not assume it should go First Modification scrutiny as a result of I feel there are much less restrictive options,” he advised “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl in April.