Abdul El-Sayed Links US Healthcare Disparities to Slavery, Calls Opposition to Immigrant Care Racist
The Michigan Senate candidate asserted that structural racism is a primary reason the U.S. lacks a universal healthcare system.
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has stated that slavery profoundly influenced the American healthcare system and characterized opposition to taxpayer-funded healthcare for undocumented immigrants as a "deliberate, racist attack."
In a 2022 interview, El-Sayed, a doctor, contended that systemic racism hinders the nation's ability to invest in public goods and affects healthcare reimbursement based on race. "Racism continues to flummox our capacity as a society to invest in collective public goods," he said, adding that it remains "more powerful than the self-interest of… lower income white folks… in legacy confederacy states."
El-Sayed argued that "structural racism" is a key factor preventing the U.S. from adopting Medicare for All or a similar universal healthcare system. He explained that the current privatized and partitioned healthcare insurance system leads to varying reimbursement rates for care based on a patient's income, which he linked to skin color due to structural racism.
He also asserted that Black bodies are valued at a lower rate than white children in U.S. healthcare. According to El-Sayed, opposition to Medicare for All is fueled by "Reagan-esque trope[s]" and concerns about the care being "unearned."
El-Sayed, who has advocated for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, expressed support for using taxpayer funds to provide healthcare for undocumented immigrants. He preemptively addressed potential objections by stating, "They’ll say, well, you know, your health care monies are going to pay for those undocumented folks — which will be a deliberate, racist attack."
These remarks follow the removal of other past videos from El-Sayed's YouTube channel, including those where he criticized Fourth of July fireworks, questioned the ethics of American football, and suggested abolishing the Second Amendment.
The candidate has also faced scrutiny for not disavowing commentator Hasan Piker, who previously made controversial remarks about 9/11. El-Sayed has also distanced himself from the Democratic Socialists of America, despite endorsements from figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
During a recent interview on "Meet the Press," El-Sayed defended the potential cost of Medicare for All and suggested middle-class Americans could support it through taxes. "I want to be held accountable for what I say and what I do rather than this idea that we’re so stuck in cancel culture that all of us agreed was a bad idea back in 2020," he stated.
He proposed that instead of paying high premiums to insurance executives, individuals could contribute slightly more in taxes for healthcare that remains consistent regardless of employment status, age, or marital changes. "I think that’s a trade that’s worth making," El-Sayed said.
El-Sayed is currently in a close race for the U.S. Senate against Republican challenger Mike Rogers, leading by a narrow margin according to recent polling averages.