Medicare-For-All Continues To Play Big For Democrats On The 2020 Campaign Trail
Democratic presidential hopefuls can't avoid the topic, especially after one of the front runners, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), reintroduced his signature proposal. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports on efforts from within the health insurance industry to deal with it.
NPR:
The Issue Of Medicare For All Is Dominating The 2020 Democratic Field
Several 2020 Democratic candidates support Medicare for All, but what would that proposal look like in action? (Kodjak, 4/11)
The Associated Press:
Top Senate Dem Stops Short Of Embracing 'Medicare For All'
The Senate’s top Democrat stopped short of throwing his weight behind Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” plan Thursday, calling it one of several proposals his party is advancing to strengthen health care. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., made the comments to reporters a day after Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate, rolled out his latest version of the measure. The Vermont independent’s package is supported by many liberals and several other presidential contenders, but many moderates fear it’s an easy target for Republicans to characterize as socialist and a pathway to huge tax increases. Health care seems likely to be a major issue in next year’s presidential and congressional elections. (Fram, 4/11)
The Hill:
Sanders Campaign To Trump: 'We Welcome This Fight' On 'Medicare For All'
Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) campaign on Thursday hit back at President Trump, a day after the White House attacked Sanders’s “Medicare for all” bill. “This campaign's message to Trump is simple: we welcome this fight because we are going to defeat you in the election and guarantee health care as a right to all people,” Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said in a statement. (Sullivan, 4/11)
The Associated Press:
Sanders Starts Campaign Swing With Wisconsin Rally
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders returns to the friendly terrain of Wisconsin on Friday to kick off a swing through pivotal states that are part of the Democratic "blue wall" strategy for 2020. ... The Sanders campaign said his message on trade, unions, working families and health care resonates in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest. Earlier this week, Sanders unveiled his latest "Medicare for All" proposal, an idea that has influenced Democratic state lawmakers in Wisconsin who are advocating for similar statewide health insurance coverage. (4/11)
The Washington Post:
‘We’ve Done A Lot More Than You Would Think’: How The Health-Insurance Industry Is Working To Pull Democrats Away From Medicare-For-All
At a company town hall meeting in late February, a UnitedHealthcare executive assured employees that the private health insurance giant was indeed working to undercut support for Democratic lawmakers’ push for Medicare-for-all. But the company, he said, is trying to tread lightly. “One of the things you said: ‘We’re really quiet’ or ‘It seems like we’re quiet.’ Um, we’ve done a lot more than you would think,” chief executive Steve Nelson said in response to an employee’s question about the company’s role in the Medicare-for-all debate, according to a video of his remarks obtained by The Washington Post. “You want to be kind of thoughtful about how you show up and have these kind of conversations, because the last thing you want to do is become the poster child during the presidential campaign." (Stein, 4/12)
