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Ann Arbor residents gathered in the Modern Languages Building Saturday afternoon for a healthcare town hall<\/a> featuring U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. The event was moderated by Aaron McCormick, president of the Michigan Nurses Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jayapal has represented<\/a> Seattle in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017 and has introduced significant<\/a> legislation<\/a> aiming to broadly expand Medicare<\/a> \u2014 which currently covers Americans 65 and older and those with certain disabilities \u2014 to cover all Americans. El-Sayed co-authored the book<\/a> \u201cMedicare for All: A Citizen\u2019s Guide,\u201d which has since become one of El-Sayed\u2019s campaign slogans<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n El-Sayed is running against state Sen. Mallory McMorrow<\/a>, D-Royal Oak, and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens<\/a>, D-Mich., in the closely contested<\/a> Democratic primary election<\/a> on Aug. 4. Both McMorrow and Stevens support<\/a> creating a public healthcare option alongside private insurance. El-Sayed has long advocated<\/a> for single-payer<\/a> coverage, a state-run universal health care plan which would entirely replace private health insurance. Jayapal said El-Sayed\u2019s campaign shows promise for candidates in the 2026 and 2028 elections who aim to expand Medicare to the entire population.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to have the White House, the Senate and the House, but we have a new moment,\u201d Jayapal said. \u201cWe have a real opportunity here, and we should not let this go to waste because this may be our moment to actually get this done, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m hearing across the country, and I think that\u2019s what Abdul is hearing across the state.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n