Separating Rhetoric From Fact Can Be Tricky With Politically Divisive ‘Medicare For All’
The New York Times offers a fact check of some of the more pervasive claims and explains why there's such different takes about how much the program will cost. Meanwhile, doctors, hospitals and specialists are gathering their forces to fight against any such proposal. And the topic of health care continues to dominate the 2020 Democratic primary race.
The New York Times:
Examining Conflicting Claims About ‘Medicare For All’
Since Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont drove the idea of “Medicare for all,” or a single-payer health system, to the center of the political debate, few other issues have so divided the Democratic presidential candidates and voters. The result has been a cascade of competing assertions, estimates and statistics about the costs and effects of what would amount to a fundamental overhaul of the size and role of the government and the way Americans receive care. Here’s a fact check of some of these claims. (Qiu, 11/9)
Reuters:
Exclusive: Economist Who Backed Warren Healthcare Plan Has Doubts About Her Wealth Tax
A leading economist who vouched for Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's healthcare reform plan told Reuters on Thursday he doubts its staggering cost can be fully covered alongside her other government programs. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, also voiced skepticism that the wealth tax provision in Warren's plan - a key funding mechanism - will produce predicted levels of revenue because those targeted by the tax will seek to dodge it. (Reid, 11/8)
The Hill:
Strategists Say Warren 'Medicare For All' Plan Could Appeal To Centrists
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s “Medicare for All” funding plan has come under fire from her rivals for the Democratic nomination, but some in her own party say her framing of the issue could ease the concerns of centrist voters. The Massachusetts senator and leading Democratic presidential candidate said when she released her funding plan earlier this month that it “doesn’t raise middle-class taxes by one penny.” (Jagoda, 11/9)
NBC News:
Doctors, Hospitals Take Up Arms Against Democrats' Health Care Changes
Across months of debates, stump speeches, TV appearances and position papers, the face of everything wrong with the U.S. health care industry for Democratic candidates has mostly come down to two groups: private insurers and pharmaceutical companies. But in focusing on those industries, candidates may be leaving supporters unprepared for the fight it would take to pass "Medicare for All" or create a public insurance option. In fact, Democratic proposals already face opposition from well-funded groups representing doctors, specialists and hospitals, many of which would be asked to accept major revenue cuts to finance expanded coverage. (Sarlin, 11/10)
CNBC:
Investors Are Shrugging Off Fear Of Medicare For All – For Now
Ending private health insurance has been one of the rallying cries of Elizabeth Warren’s presidential bid and her rise in the polls has made health care investors nervous. Yet the week after the leading Democratic contender detailed how she’d pay for her Medicare for All plan, prompting widespread debate, investors are seemingly to shrugging off the news altogether. The S&P 500 Managed Care index rose more than 3% last week. Six straight weeks of gains have the large-cap health insurance sector up more 19% for the fourth quarter. (Coombs, 11/10)
The Associated Press:
Harris Zeroes In On Health Care Before Powerful Nevada Union
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris zeroed in on the Democratic Party's debate over health insurance Friday as she made her pitch to one of Nevada's most powerful political forces, the casino workers' union. Leaders and members of the Culinary Union and its parent organization, Unite Here, have made it clear they don't favor "Medicare for all" plans like those proposed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren that would eliminate private insurance. (Price, 11/8)
WBUR:
'Just The Right Policy': Pete Buttigieg On His 'Medicare For All Who Want It' Plan
Buttigieg would offer public health insurance to those who want it while also keeping private health care plans available. Other candidates' proposals, including "Medicare for All" — backed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — would replace the current system with a single-payer, government-run program and eliminate private insurance altogether. (Simon and Glenn, 11/8)
Stat:
More Than Ever, Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Want To Take On Pharma. Here’s How They’d Do It
President Trump has made drug pricing a key policy tenet of his three-year tenure in the White House. And as his drug pricing policy has grown more aggressive in the past year, his Democratic challengers in the 2020 election have responded in kind. The increasingly aggressive Democratic platform follows roughly a decade of stagnation. Since the mid-2000s, Democratic lawmakers have focused far more on expanding access to health insurance than they have on prescription drug policy. (Facher, 11/11)
