Biden, Sanders Duke It Out Over Health Care In Public Scuffle That Highlights Party Tensions Over High-Profile Issue
Presidential hopefuls Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden would take separate paths on how to address health care, with Sanders going for an overhaul approach and Biden favoring building on what exists. The two philosophies have come to divide a crowded pack of Democrats as the election season starts kicking into gear, and in the past few days Sanders and Biden have been publicly swiping at each other over the issue. Meanwhile, governors are particularly worried about candidates' rhetoric about getting rid of private insurers.
The New York Times:
Sanders And Biden Fight Over Health Care, And It’s Personal
Senator Bernie Sanders does not understand Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s position on health care. To Mr. Sanders, the health care system is broken, and the only way to fix it is to replace it with his signature policy plan known as Medicare for All. “I am disappointed, I have to say, in Joe, who is a friend of mine, really distorting what Medicare for All is about,” Mr. Sanders said in an interview hours before he delivered a speech on Wednesday defending his health care proposal. “And unfortunately, he is sounding like Donald Trump. He is sounding like the health care industry in that regard.” (Ember and Glueck, 7/18)
The Hill:
Sanders: Biden 'Sounding Like Donald Trump' On Medicare For All
Asked to respond, Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said: "Joe Biden was instrumental to making Affordable Care Act and its hard-won benefits a reality for millions of Americans. He disagrees with any Republican, Democrat, or Independent who wants to dismantle the ACA at a time when we should be protecting and building on it." (Sullivan, 7/18)
Bloomberg:
Biden, Sanders Health Care Feud Exposes Democrats To 2020 Peril
The tension points to a broader power struggle in Washington and on the campaign trail that pits long-dominant moderates like Biden against an insurgent wing led by Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. But a prolonged battle risks entrenching bitterness between the factions that threatens party unity heading into the general election. (Kapur, 7/19)
The Hill:
Health Care Moves To Center Stage In Democratic Primary Fight
Politically, health care was a winning issue for Democrats in 2018, and could be again in 2020. Polls regularly show health care as a top priority, and voters say they trust Democrats on the issue more than Republicans. But centrists worry about jeopardizing that advantage. (Weixel, 7/18)
Boston Globe:
Health Care Unified Democrats In 2018. Now It’s Dividing Them
After two years of Republicans’ unsuccessful attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Democrats won back the House majority in 2018 with a unified focus on health care. Now the scalpels are out, and the issue is swiftly becoming one of the clearest dividing lines in the Democratic presidential primary. (Bidgood, 7/18)
The New York Times:
Anxious Democratic Governors Urge 2020 Field Not To Veer Too Far Left
After claiming governorships from Republicans in seven states last year, including in crucial presidential battlegrounds like Wisconsin and Michigan, Democratic governors should have good reason to celebrate. But there was as much anxiety as optimism when the governors gathered for their annual fund-raising retreat on Nantucket last weekend and grappled with why a party that won with a pragmatic message in 2018 is now veering sharply to the left. A group of governors are alarmed that their party’s presidential candidates are embracing policies they see as unrealistic and politically risky. And they are especially concerned about proposals that would eliminate private health insurance. (Martin, 7/19)
CNBC:
These 2020 Democrats Want 'Medicare For All,' But With Private Insurance
Other candidates have staked out a middle ground by calling for Medicare for All while also looking to preserve private insurance. Three candidates calling for this mixed approach also co-sponsored Sanders’ bill: Sens. Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand. (Sen. Elizabeth Warren also co-sponsored the bill, but she supports Sanders’ desire to end private insurance.) Other hopefuls — including former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Rep. Tim Ryan — have said they support a Medicare for All system that preserves private insurance, but Booker, Harris and Gillibrand stand out in light of their sponsorship of Sanders’ bill. (Rod, 7/18)
Kaiser Health News:
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Biden Doubles Down On Obamacare
Former Vice President Joe Biden has said if he’s elected president he would build on the Affordable Care Act rather than move to a whole new health care system, such as the “Medicare for All” plan supported by some of his primary opponents for the Democratic nomination. But his campaign’s new health plan would include many things Congress tried and failed to pass as part of the health law, including a government-run “public option” plan that would be widely available. (7/18)
Meanwhile —
The Hill:
Buttigieg Vows 'Fairer, More Just Health Care' After Young Man Dies Rationing Insulin
White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg (D) vowed to implement a “fairer” and “more just” health care system if elected president after a 21-year-old man, Jesimya David Scherer-Radcliff, died in Minnesota after rationing insulin for his diabetes. ...Many of the 25 Democrats running for president have vowed to lower prescription drug costs, saying high prices force some patients to choose whether to treat their ailments. (Axelrod, 7/18)
Politico:
John Delaney On Drug Prices, Why Clinton Lost, Biking Across Iowa
Former Rep. John Delaney spoke to POLITICO Thursday as part of a series of interviews with Democrats seeking to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020. Here are key excerpts from the hour-long conversation. ... "My plan, which is called BetterCare, leaves Medicare alone. Medicare is not perfect, but it's probably the least broken part of our health care...But what I do is I create a new plan that everyone gets from when they're born until they're 65. So, and it's a basic federal plan that every citizen gets for free. So, every citizen in this country will be covered by health care, that they won't have to pay for it. And I get rid of Medicaid as part of that, because Medicaid is the most broken program in this country. Reimbursement rates are so insufficient, that they're inadequate provider networks all over the country. (7/19)
