Hillary Clinton Wins Praise from Bernie Sanders Over Health Care Proposal

Hillary Clinton unveiled a health care proposal Saturday that incorporates much of what her opponent Bernie Sanders has pushed for, in a second move this week that is apparently aimed at securing an endorsement from Sanders.

In a statement, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president announced her support to expand Medicaid, offer a "public-option" for health insurance and double funding for primary care services at community health centers. The centers, which largely serve communities in rural areas, have long been a priority for the senator from Vermont who fought to include $11 billion in funding for the centers in the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

Clinton said she would support people 55 or older to buy into Medicare while protecting the traditional Medicare program. Clinton first came out in support of giving people the option to buy into Medicare in May during the current election cycle as a result of the effect the Sanders campaign had on Clinton to take more progressive stances.

Her campaign noted that she has supported the "public-option" health insurance plan back to her 2008 presidential campaign and has opted for those below the required age to buy into Medicare as far back as 2001, when she was a senator in New York.

“We have more work to do to finish our long fight to provide universal, quality, affordable health care to everyone in America,” Clinton said in a statement. ”Already, the Affordable Care Act has expanded coverage to 20 million Americans. As president, I will make sure Republicans never succeed in their attempts to strip away their care and that the remaining uninsured should be able to get the affordable coverage they need to stay healthy.”

Sanders revealed his "Medicare-for-all" or single-payer health reform plan in January, which would overhaul the current system in the country and would require the federal government to provide coverage to everyone in the country.

Soon after the plan was unveiled, Sanders praised the steps taken by the Clinton campaign.

"Today's proposal by Hillary Clinton is an important step toward expanding health insurance and health care access to millions of Americans," Sanders said.

In a conference call with reporters, Sanders did not confirm reports that he will endorse Clinton at an event in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the Washington Post reported. Regarding the endorsement, he said he would have more to say in the very near future.

Clinton's announcement comes after a proposal earlier this week for providing free tuition at public colleges and universities to families making up to $125,000 a year. Sanders called the plan a "bold initiative."

Her campaign confirmed details about her visit to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where an "organizing event" is planned at Portsmouth High School at 11 a.m. At the event, Clinton will “discuss her commitment to building an America that is stronger together and an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top,” according to a statement. There was no mention that Sanders would be at the event, but it is where he is expected to officially endorse Clinton.

Sanders and his allies moved to push a long list of policies on the platform of the Democratic National Committee at a meeting in Orlando, Florida, moving the party more to the left. Their biggest push was to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the Democratic Party platform, a fight that Sanders and his allies lost. The amendment brought by the Sanders campaign would have prevented the trade deal from ever coming to a vote in Congress, Bloomberg reported.

Both Clinton and Sanders oppose TPP, but Sanders has been more vocal, saying the deal hurts American workers.

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