Here’s where the Democratic primary candidates stand on health care before NC primary
Health care is one of the most important issues to North Carolina voters, according to a poll released Thursday.
Candidates for the Democratic primary have been touring the country in the lead up to Super Tuesday, when voters in North Carolina and 13 other states will cast ballots with a third of all statewide delegates up for grabs.
They’re making the case to Democratic voters for the presidential nomination, and that includes details on their plans to deal with health care and rising drug costs.
Of Democrats or self-identified liberals in the Elon University Poll, 3 out of 4 said they “support government becoming more involved in paying for health care.” The poll was done in partnership with The News & Observer, Charlotte Observer and The Durham Herald-Sun.
“Given the wide array of health care proposals being debated in the Democratic presidential primaries, we were interested to learn what voters want for health care in terms of general direction and speed of change,” Elon poll director Jason Husser said.
“We found that a slight majority of voters did want to see more government involvement in the healthcare system. However, most North Carolina voters did not want to see major, rapid change to that system, preferring a more gradual approach,” he said in a news release.
Nationally, health care is an important issue for many Democratic voters. “Health care remains a top issue for Democratic voters, independent voters, and the crucial group of voters who haven’t made up their minds yet – swing voters,” according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health care policy nonprofit.
“More than one-third of Democratic voters (36%) say health care is the ‘most important’ issue in their 2020 vote choice as do three in ten independent voters and 28% of swing voters,” the foundation found in a recent poll.
Here’s what the top-polling candidates in the Democratic primary propose for health care in the United States, listed in alphabetical order:
Joe Biden
The former vice president helped then-President Barack Obama pass the Affordable Care Act, which created the healthcare marketplace and opened up public and private health coverage to more people.
According to the plan on Biden’s campaign website, “As president, Biden will protect the Affordable Care Act from these continued attacks. He opposes every effort to get rid of this historic law – including efforts by Republicans, and efforts by Democrats.”
“Instead of starting from scratch and getting rid of private insurance, he has a plan to build on the Affordable Care Act by giving Americans more choice, reducing health care costs, and making our health care system less complex to navigate,” the Biden campaign said.
Pete Buttigieg
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s plan is summed up on his campaign website as “Medicare for all who want it,”which leaves private insurance intact while opening up a public option.
Buttigieg’s campaign said, “Everyone will be able to opt in to an affordable, comprehensive public alternative. This affordable public plan will incentivize private insurers to compete on price and bring down costs. If private insurers are not able to offer something dramatically better, this public plan will create a natural glide-path to Medicare for All.”
“The choice of a public plan empowers people to make their own decisions regarding the type of health care that makes sense for them by leveling the playing field between patients and the health care system,” the campaign said.
Michael Bloomberg
Former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg wants to expand options in the Affordable Care Act and create a “Medicare-like public option,” according to his campaign website.
Bloomberg’s campaign described the public option as “a health plan that will be administered by the federal government but paid for by customer premiums. He will improve consumer choice and increase competition in the private insurance market, pushing down premiums for all. His plan will allow people of modest means who buy the public option to be eligible for the same subsidies that would apply on the health insurance exchanges.”
“Mike’s plan will reverse the Trump administration’s attempts at sabotage. It will expand enrollment efforts, restrict the sale of health plans that don’t meet ACA standards, and defend the law against politically motivated lawsuits,” the Bloomberg campaign said.
Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s campaign website says she supports universal health care by expanding Medicare or Medicaid to create a public option.
“When people are sick, their focus should be on getting better, rather than on how they can afford their prescriptions. Yet drug prices are an increasing burden across our country. Amy has been a champion when it comes to tackling the high costs of prescription drugs,” according to her campaign.
“She has authored proposals to lift the ban on Medicare negotiations for prescription drugs, allow personal importation of safe drugs from countries like Canada, and stop pharmaceutical companies from blocking less-expensive generics.”
Klobuchar says she will pay for her health care proposals by raising taxes on the top two tax brackets, along with prescription drug reforms.
Bernie Sanders
The Vermont senator has made “Medicare for All” a central part of his message to voters.
According to the Sanders campaign website, he wants to “create a Medicare for All, single-payer, national health insurance program to provide everyone in America with comprehensive health care coverage, free at the point of service.” Sanders says he would do that by abolishing private insurance plans and removing all copays, deductibles and premiums.
“Today, more than 30 million Americans still don’t have health insurance and even more are underinsured. Even for those with insurance, costs are so high that medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States,” the Sanders campaign said.
“Incredibly, we spend significantly more of our national GDP on this inadequate health care system—far more per person than any other major country. And despite doing so, Americans have worse health outcomes and a higher infant mortality rate than countries that spend much less on health care. Our people deserve better,” according to the campaign.
The Sanders campaign has released a list of options for funding his Medicare for All proposal, including “a 4 percent income-based premium paid by employees, exempting the first $29,000 in income for a family of four” and “raising the top marginal income tax rate to 52% on income over $10 million.”
Elizabeth Warren
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s plan focuses on a transition to Medicare for All.
“The Affordable Care Act made massive strides in expanding access to health insurance coverage, and we must defend Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act against Republican attempts to rip health coverage away from people. But it’s time for the next step,” Warren said on her campaign website.
“We can fix this system. Medicare for All is the best way to cover every person in America at the lowest possible cost because it eliminates profiteering from our health care and leverages the power of the federal government to rein in spending,” she said.
Warren has sought to differentiate her plan from Sanders’, including a promise that “the changes in our health care system will be fully paid for without raising taxes one penny on middle class families.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 3:01 PM.
