As House Dems Assemble Budget, A Health Care Reckoning Is On The Horizon Between Centrists And Progressives
Where to move forward with health care has become a sharply dividing issue with the Democrats. Moderates want to make improvements to the health law, while the left-wing is charging full-tilt toward "Medicare for All." With their budget, Democrats will signal what their health care priorities are, and the road to decide that will likely be far from smooth.
The New York Times:
Democrats Pledged To Lower Health Costs. They Just Haven’t Figured Out How.
No issue animated the Democrats’ 2018 congressional campaigns like health care and the promises to expand access to insurance and to lower costs. But as House Democrats sit down to draft their vision of governance in the coming weeks, lawmakers find themselves badly divided on the issue that delivered their majority. Centrists from swing districts, with the tacit support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, favor incremental moves to shore up the Affordable Care Act and to lower the out-of-pocket costs of prescription drugs and medical care. They are pushing a variety of measures, such as shutting down cheap, short-term insurance plans that do not cover pre-existing medical conditions and allowing people to buy into Medicare at age 50 or 55. (Stolberg and Pear, 3/18)
In other news —
The Hill:
O'Rourke Faces Pressure From Left On 'Medicare For All'
Beto O'Rourke has offered conflicting messages on 'Medicare for all,' drawing fire from progressive activists who accuse him of backing off an idea they say he once supported. The issue has become an important litmus test for those on the party's left and an early question for O'Rourke, who announced his presidential run on Thursday. (Sullivan, 3/117)
Texas Tribune:
Beto O'Rourke Works To Find His Footing On Health Care During Iowa Tour
Beto O'Rourke has long advocated for "universal, guaranteed, high-quality health care for all." But how exactly does he think the country should get there? It is a question that hung over O'Rourke's first few days as a presidential candidate here in this crucial early voting state, where voters and reporters sought more clarity on his approach to arguably the biggest issue in the Democratic primary. (Stivek, 3/17)
