08/03/2026
61 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law.
Now, Republicans are trying to dismantle both programs. Democrats must respond by fighting for Medicare for All.
Creating Medicare & Medicaid was a key victory in the fight for universal healthcare. In 1972, Medicare was expanded to cover people with disabilities. But that’s where progress stopped.
It is well past time that we improve Medicare and expand it to cover everyone.
We must also improve Medicare to cover such vital services as hearing, vision, dental and, perhaps most importantly, long-term care. And we must require the wealthiest to contribute more while eliminating all premiums, co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles.
Currently, we are at a crossroads. While America’s current healthcare system is painfully vulnerable to Republican attacks, there is an opportunity to create a better future where all Americans can rely on guaranteed healthcare.
Democrats MUST fight for Medicare for All.
Though Republicans would deny it, their hostility to Medicare and Medicaid is overwhelming. They are shamelessly chipping away at both Medicare and Medicaid through a series of coordinated attacks.
The attacks take many forms:
❌ The propagandistically-named “Medicare Advantage”
❌ Giving AI the power to overrule doctors and block care
❌ $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the ACA in the Big Ugly Bill
❌ Forcing cancer patients to get back to work causing millions to lose their coverage
Meanwhile, Democrats are working to expand and improve Medicare and Medicaid. They have taken concrete steps to lower prescription drug prices. The Inflation Reduction Act, which gives Medicare the power to negotiate for lower prices, was signed into law by a Democratic president, Joe Biden.
Democrats are fighting to provide those same savings to those with commercial insurance and lower prices in other ways as well. Importantly, a growing number of Democrats are supporting and fighting for improved and expanded Medicare for All.
It may seem daunting to envision achieving Medicare For All in the current political environment, but it’s within sight. SSW President Nancy Altman has written a roadmap to achieving Medicare for All called The Road to Medicare for All: A Call to Action to be released this September.
What would improved and expanded Medicare for All mean?
✅ No premiums, co-pays, co-insurance, or deductibles
✅ Comprehensive healthcare coverage for everyone in America, automatically.
✅ Going to the doctor of your choice, without worrying whether your provider is in your network.
The vision of improved Medicare for All would include all services being covered automatically, including dental, vision, and hearing coverage.
Medicare should also be expanded to cover long-term care, both at home and in nursing homes.
This November’s election will determine the future of Medicare and Medicaid.
Will Republicans make Medicare and Medicaid worse for Americans? Will more hospitals and nursing homes close?
Or will Democrats be able to fight back, defend Medicare + Medicaid, and enact Medicare for All?
With Republicans doing everything they can to disrupt and dismantle the current healthcare system, it is the perfect time to fight for a more durable and universal alternative: improved and expanded Medicare for All.
Instead of a precarious and shaky patchwork system where a disruption to your healthcare is one job loss or plan change away, it is time to fight for a world where healthcare is truly a right, not a privilege.
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