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The incoming chairwoman of a powerful health care subcommittee on Wednesday said that she intends to hold a hearing on several “Medicare for all” proposals, potentially giving the plans a chance to be considered by key lawmakers. “There are several Medicare for all bills that are out there, but they all have a different interpretation,” Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the new chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, told reporters. “I think that it would be interesting to have the authors of these bills come to testify and explain what their bill does and have the members ask them questions.” (Sullivan, 1/16)

Now that Democrats have taken control of the U.S. House of Representatives, they have promised to hold hearings on proposals to move the U.S. toward the type of universal health care found in other industrialized nations, including our northern neighbors in Canada. These proposals range from extending the current Medicare program to people age 55 and older, to a single-payer system that does away with insurance companies and employer-based health insurance altogether. No fewer than eight proposals have been put forward to date, and more will surely follow. (Moeller, 1/16)

Calls are growing among Democrats to expand Medicare. They view opening up the government insurance program for seniors as a way to achieve universal health coverage. But Nashville's health care industry roundly rejects "Medicare for All," despite vocally supporting efforts to expand insurance coverage. (Farmer, 1/15)