Ocasio-Cortez: Healthcare cheaper as a congresswoman than as a waitress
Read full story Mario Tama/Getty Images Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks in Los Angeles, California, in August 2018. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that she paid more than twice as much for healthcare as a waitress than she will as a congresswoman. In a series of tweets, The Congresswoman-elect advocated for the extension of government Medicare coverage to every American. She said it was “frustrating” that Congress members would ” deny other people affordability that they themselves enjoy.”
Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she had to pay more than twice as much for healthcare as a waitress compared to what she will pay as a congresswoman.
Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, said that her healthcare options as a member of Congress were far more affordable compared to those she had when she was working as a waitress, and earning less money, in New York City. “As a waitress, I had to pay more than TWICE what I’d pay as a member of Congress,” she wrote.
Ocasio-Cortez worked as a waitress and bartender to supplement her mother’s income after graduating from university.
She also called for an extension of government Medicare coverage to every American.
“It’s frustrating that Congress members would deny other people affordability that they themselves enjoy. Time for #MedicareForAll.”
Fact checking website Snopes reported that members of Congress choose from a gold-level Obamacare policy and receive federal subsidies that cover 72 percent of the cost of the premiums. Overall, they “pay approximately 28 percent of their annual healthcare premiums through pre-tax payroll deductions,” according to Snopes.
According to health insurance calculator the Keiser Family Foundation, an individual living in New York and earning $27,000 a year – a typical waiter’s salary – would pay $166 a month in premiums for a silver Obamacare policy.
The expansion of Medicare to all Americans was popularized by Senator Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign when Ocasio-Cortez served as one of his volunteers.
Ocasio-Cortez and other Democratic freshmen senators support the platform, and healthcare became the dominant issue for Democrats during the midterm elections. But many centrist Democrats fear the policy would alienate voters and shy away from the idea one government-run system.
A Reuters-Ipsos survey in August found that 70% of Americans are in favor of Medicare for All.
Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter that Americans “don’t want overly complicated choice between pricey, low-quality plans.
” We want an affordable solution that covers our needs, like the rest of the modern world.”
The post Ocasio-Cortez: Healthcare cheaper as a congresswoman than as a waitress appeared first on Denny Boy’s Interesting Blog.
from Denny Boy’s Interesting Blog https://ift.tt/2UiMs41 via Article Source
from Tumblr https://ift.tt/2QFIxiI
No comments:
Post a Comment