Incoming chair of US Senate panel will seek healthcare overhaul, but unclear on details

WASHINGTON — Oregon Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden plans to press for “the boldest” healthcare bill possible after he takes over as Finance Committee chairman next year, but he didn’t commit to Medicare for All, a longstanding policy goal for progressives, during a briefing Monday. Wyden told reporters in the Capitol that while he supports legislation that would eliminate private health insurance companies and put all Americans on a Medicare-like health program, he needed time to discuss legislation with his colleagues. “I’m sure that when I get out and talk to my colleagues, there’s going to be differing views on the issue, different opinions,” he said. Wyden added he believes the country’s health insurance network is “broken” and a “mess” that’s in need of significant overhaul. But he declined to say exactly when or how the committee would change the system. “It’s a jerry-built kind of creature that defies common sense,” he said.

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