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Photo by DonkeyHotey | CC BY 2.0

Lori Kearns is the health policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

She’s been making the rounds in recent weeks telling single payer supporters that Senator Sanders will not introduce his single payer bill into the Senate next year.

Why not?

Because party unity is more important than single payer.

Sanders apparently believes that single payer will get in the way of electing a Democratic Senate in 2018.

Wouldn’t want to confront Democratic Senate candidates with the deaths of their constituents due to Obamacare, would you?

One reason why Sanders soared during the primary was his constant refrain that we need to cover every American with a single payer health care system.

This resonated with the American people, with polls showing that three-fifths of Americans — including a majority of those who want the Obamacare repealed, and even 41 percent of Republicans — favoring a “federally funded healthcare program providing insurance for all Americans.”

Translate — single payer.

Everybody in. Nobody out.

If Sanders believes it, where is the bill?

Why won’t Sanders re-introduce it in the upcoming session?

Because he is now in the Democratic leadership in the Senate — handpicked by Wall Street favorite incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-New York.)

And if the Democrats say no, Sanders says no.

Call it death by Democrat.

And death by Obamacare.

Narrow networks.

High deductibles and co-pays.

Skyrocketing premiums.

Twenty nine million Americans still uninsured.

And more than 28,000 preventable deaths a year due to lack of health insurance.

All under Obamacare.

And Sanders won’t introduce his single payer bill because the Democrats tell him not to?

During the battle over Obamacare on the Hill in 2009, I asked Sanders why he was supporting Obamacare when he stood for single payer.

Sanders was a student of the difference — Obamacare controlled by the health insurance companies and written by their lobbyists — single payer a public system that cuts the health insurance companies out of the game.

Sanders looked at me, snarled, told me not to lecture him and walked away.

Goodbye single payer. Hello Chuck Schumer.