Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed faces criticism over shift in single-payer healthcare statements
Abdul el Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, stated in a recent podcast interview that voters who want private insurance would be able to keep it under his healthcare plan. In past statements from 2019 through 2021, el Sayed described his single-payer "Medicare for All" proposal as eliminating private insurance entirely, with the federal government as the sole payer.
Single source · Not corroborated
Abdul el Sayed, Michigan's 2026 Democratic Senate nominee and a longtime single-payer healthcare advocate, told listeners of a recent podcast that under his plan, "If you would like to have a private insurer, you're welcome to do that." The statement stands in contrast to a series of his own prior public remarks spanning several years.
Between 2019 and 2021, el Sayed made several statements describing "Medicare for All" as a system that would eliminate private insurance. In 2019, he said the plan "eliminates your private one" and that "the federal government is the only payer." In 2020, he said "the only insurer in town is Medicare" and confirmed that private insurance would "go away." In 2021, he said the scheme was designed to "collectivize" the system and that private healthcare "should not exist." During the 2022 midterm cycle, he stated, according to the Washington Examiner, "I advocate for a government takeover of health insurance because health insurance offers no value in the American healthcare system."
The Washington Examiner's coverage, written by Guy Benson, framed the pre-election statement as an intentional misrepresentation to Michigan voters. The piece argued that el Sayed's policy position has not changed and that his recent reassurances are inconsistent with his recorded prior statements. The Examiner also cited nonpartisan and left-leaning cost estimates placing single-payer healthcare at more than $3 trillion annually in new federal spending, and pointed to Vermont and California as states that pursued but abandoned the goal.