Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisJoe Biden looks to expand election battleground into Trump country Fox's Napolitano: Supreme Court confirmation hearings will be 'World War III of political battles' Rush Limbaugh encourages Senate to skip hearings for Trump's SCOTUS nominee MORE (D-Calif.) announced during a town hall on Wednesday that she would support Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersJacobin editor: Primarying Schumer would force him to fight Trump's SCOTUS nominee Trump campaign plays up Biden's skills ahead of Cleveland debate: 'He's actually quite good' Young voters backing Biden by 2:1 margin: poll MORE's (I-Vt.) "Medicare for All" bill, which would institute a single-payer health insurance system.

"I intend to co-sponsor the 'Medicare for All' bill because it’s just the right thing to do," Harris announced Wednesday at a town hall in Oakland.

"It's not just about what is morally and ethically right, it also makes sense just from a fiscal standpoint," she said.

The decision to co-sponsor Sanders's bill is Harris's first instance of publicly supporting single-payer.

In July, Harris said she supported single-payer "as a concept" but that lawmakers still needed to "work out the details."

ADVERTISEMENT

Sanders said earlier this week that he was building support for his “Medicare for All” bill.

“You’re seeing more and more movement toward ‘Medicare for All,'" Sanders said. "When the people are saying we need healthcare for everyone, as more and more Americans come on board, it will become politically possible.”

The former presidential candidate's backing for the policy has raised questions about whether he and his supporters might launch primary challenges against Democrats who do not back a single-payer plan.

Sanders on Wednesday thanked Harris over Twitter for her announcement as well.

"Thank you Kamala Harris for your support. Let's make health care a right, not a privilege," he tweeted.