While liberals often say that their ultimate goal in health care is "Medicare for all," the current debate over the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act should show us that if there's a path to a universal and secure health-care system, it may be more likely to come through Medicaid, which is now America's largest insurer. That is, if Medicaid can survive the next two weeks.
Republicans in the Senate are hoping to vote before the July 4 congressional recess on their health-care plan, which they will do without holding a single public hearing or committee markup (where amendments are voted on). In fact, their terror that the public might actually get a look at their bill is so complete that most of the Republican senators haven't even been told what's in it. But one thing we do know is that it represents an outright assault on Medicaid, despite the fact that supposedly moderate GOP senators were reluctant to eviscerate the program that has benefited so many of their constituents
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