‘Seniors are getting ripped off’: progressive congressman Mark Pocan on

Democrats may not control the House of Representatives any more, but Congressman Mark Pocan is not giving up on his legislative agenda. Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat and the former co-chair of the congressional progressive caucus (CPC), instead focuses on playing “the long game” of policymaking.

Pocan’s commitment to promoting progressive policies will be on display on Wednesday, as he reintroduces the Save Medicare Act. The congressman points to his advocacy for the legislation as just one example of how progressives can keep advancing their ideals in a Republican-controlled House and ensure that Democrats will be ready to act when they regain full control of Congress.

“I’ve been in local, state and federal government. Each time, you can impact more people’s lives, but it takes exponentially longer to get things done,” Pocan told the Guardian. “You’re always in the long game.”

Pocan’s legislative to-do list is extensive. When he chaired the CPC, Pocan called for a new kind of American foreign policy, suggesting that portions of the Pentagon’s budget should be reallocated to other services. He has demanded that the nation’s wealthiest citizens and corporations pay fair taxes to help cover the cost of the climate crisis and increasingly expensive childcare.

He has also been an original co-sponsor of the Medicare for All bill since he joined the House in 2013, and used his perch as CPC co-chair to rally support for a single-payer national health insurance system.

Over his decade in the House, Pocan has seen progressive proposals like Medicare for All gain steam within the Democratic caucus and across the country. If progressives can continue to make the case for such policy changes, Pocan said, then Democrats will be better positioned to regain control of Congress in 2024. Right now, he feels confident that they will.

“I think we can then finally respond to the issues that the public is asking for,” Pocan said. “The more we can build that support and awareness on our issues, the better off we are in two years to make sure that they become a reality.”

Pocan views actions like the reintroduction of the Save Medicare Act as a small step in that years-long effort to build a federal government that better responds to the needs of average Americans. The bill that he will reintroduce on Wednesday is aimed at fortifying the traditional Medicare system, which provides health insurance coverage to older Americans. The Save Medicare Act, which will be introduced by Pocan and fellow progressive members Ro Khanna of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, was originally brought up for consideration late last year, but Democrats failed to pass the legislation before Republicans officially took control of the House last month.

The bill targets Medicare Advantage plans, which Pocan and his allies say have been turned into a cash grab for insurance companies. The program, in which healthcare coverage options from private insurance companies serve as an alternative to traditional Medicare, was initially designed as a cost-cutting…