Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), one of Congress’ fiercest supporters of the public option, has come out to support the Medicare buy-in proposal in the Senate Democrats’ deal.
“This is one idea I like a lot,” Weiner said in an email to the Daily News, calling the idea “remarkable.”
Winning the support of Weiner, who has championed not only a public option but a universal single-payer system, could be a sign that the Dems’ proposal may yet win over progressives, even without a public option.
The buy-in is a proposal to allow consumers between the ages of 55 and 64 to buy into Medicare.
It’s a plan that “would perhaps get us on the path to a single payer model,” Weiner said. “In a debate that hasn’t focused enough on how to genuinely contain costs and deliver affordable health care, this is one idea I like a lot.”
