Rep. Ro Khanna: US should move toward Medicare for All to address inequity

After a wave of criticism of the insurance industry following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Rep. Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, expressed sympathy for the victim but acknowledged the debate she has raised about inequalities in the health system.

“There is no justification for violence,” Khanna told Martha Raddatz, anchor of ABC’s “This Week.” “But the outpouring that followed didn’t surprise me.”

Thompson’s killing sparked a massive manhunt for the suspected killer and sparked a frenzied online discussion about the cost of U.S. health care and the insurance industry.

Khanna said he agreed with the assessment of independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who wrote, “We waste hundreds of billions a year on health care administrative expenses that make health care CEOs lose money.” insurance and incredibly wealthy shareholders while 85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured. is a human right. We need Medicare for All.

Khanna said the United States should move toward Medicare for All.

“After years, Sanders is winning this debate,” Khanna said.

Khanna said he supports Trump’s efforts to create a “Department of Government Efficiency” to reduce wasteful federal spending. The president-elect named Elon Musk and Vivek Ramawamy to lead the effort and both men were on Capitol Hill this week to discuss their plans.

Khanna told Raddatz that “they should look at the extraordinary waste,” looking at Medicare and private health costs, as well as defense spending.

“I think when it comes to defense, to get better defense in terms of value and cost reduction, there can be a tremendous amount of bipartisan cooperation,” Khanna said.

The congressman stressed that cuts to Social Security, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Medicare should not be considered.

Despite bipartisan calls for federal spending cuts, the U.S. debt stands at more than $36 trillion.

Khanna said he had communicated with Musk about his cost-cutting efforts and praised the SpaceX founder’s work with the Obama administration to get the private sector engaged in space exploration.

Khanna was also asked about his thoughts on the looming possibility of a ban on TikTok in the United States unless it finds a new owner following a federal appeals court ruling on Friday that rejected TikTok’s attempt to overturn the law.

In previous interviews on “This Week,” Khanna spoke about her opposition to a bill that would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company or face a ban.

“I don’t think it’s going to pass First Amendment scrutiny because I think there are less restrictive alternatives,” he told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl in April.

On Sunday, Khanna said he still believed TikTok would not face a ban, noting how many politicians themselves are on the platform.

“Let’s see where this goes with the Supreme Court,” he said.