The bill presents a drastic change to the healthcare system, one that may be too much for the leadership and electorally vulnerable senators to embrace publicly. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had a lukewarm reception, telling reporters that he would be “looking at all of” the Democrats’ proposals, stopping short of endorsing the bill.
Senator Dianne Feinstein also had a guarded reaction. “My understanding is, the cost of single-payer is enormous,” she said. Feinstein’s home state of California saw its own proposed version of a single payer system fail earlier in the year.
The debate over and passage of Obamacare in 2010 drained the Obama administration of much political capital and resulted in heavy congressional losses for Democrats in the following elections.
Bill Schur, writing for Politico, warns that the Democrats are foolishly tying their entire party platform to this issue for the foreseeable future. “The Democratic Party now is, for all intents and purposes, the party of single-payer health insurance. Big mistake,” he argues, adding that they “are committing themselves to years more of treacherous health care debate.”
