Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed took a jab at President Trump on Tuesday, telling CNN he would happily rename Medicare-for-All “Trumpcare-for-All” if it would persuade the president to sign the bill into law.
It might sound like a joke, but El-Sayed assured CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he was entirely serious. His reasoning was simple. President Trump likes putting his name on things. And El-Sayed apparently doesn’t care whose name is on the program, as long as he can make American taxpayers foot the bill for government-run healthcare.
🇺🇸 El-Sayed offers to put TRUMP'S NAME on Medicare for All if he backs it "Donald, if you're watching, we can put your name on it. I know you like to put your name on stuff." Trumpcare? Writer: Marie https://t.co/t84t93LnHp
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 11, 2026
"Well, you know, Medicare for All has been a big platform of yours that you have pushed, and you've said that you want to get it passed. You've said that you would even call it Trumpcare-for-All if that's what it took," Kaitlin Collins said.
"Donald, if you're watching, we can put your name on it," El-Sayed said. "I know you like to put your name on stuff. You can finally meet the unmet promise in America to guarantee everybody health care. So it's on the table if you want to do it."
"But are you being serious?" Collins asked. "Are you being funny?"
"No, I'm absolutely serious," the Senator elect said. "Like, I don't care what it's called. I want people to have health care in this country. Really, like, what you call it is a secondary issue. If we're able to guarantee everybody cradle-to-grave coverage without a copay, a premium, or deductible, the security of knowing that whatever happens in your life, you're going to be able to see a doctor without getting hit by a bill that is going to put you into arrears, where you're gonna have to worry about medical debt, $225 billion in this country already, I think that would be a win. So if he wants to call it Trumpcare-for-All, like, I'm game."
Medicare for All is a top priority for many progressives and DSA-aligned politicians heading into Congress. For all the branding, it is simply a single-payer health insurance system that would replace most private coverage with a government-run plan. The program would replace most private coverage, with private insurers prohibited from offering plans that duplicate its benefits. That is a significant change from the status quo, however appealing supporters try to make it sound.
Canada and some European countries offer a warning about what can go wrong. In Canada and the United Kingdom, lengthy waits leave some patients waiting more than a year for a specialist appointment. Healthcare worker shortages and difficult working conditions add to the strain on services. And across Europe, out-of-pocket costs for medicines, dental care, and medical devices leave millions still struggling to pay. That is hardly a model Americans should rush to embrace.
Amid the push for programs like Medicare for All, it is important to remember that these programs will only make healthcare more expensive. Since Medicaid was signed into law, costs for the average American have continued to rise. Obamacare made matters worse, and further government expansion will only continue that trend. Why? Because when the people receiving healthcare are not the ones paying, it becomes easy to overcharge patients and perform unnecessary procedures or exams. That disconnect keeps prices rising beyond what they should be.
And as with everything the government gets involved in, price is no object when American taxpayers are on the hook.