Early Skirmishes Over Health Care Between 2020 Progressives, Moderates May Hint At Volatile Election Ahead
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) stoked the fire this week with her statements about cutting out the private insurance industry if that's what it took to enact "Medicare for All." Moderates, such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), pushed back on the proposal. “We have no center in either party, and we have extremes in both parties,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic strategist based in New York. “The question is, ‘How does that work itself out? Not well. Not well because it creates greater conflict." Meanwhile, Republicans are repurposing past talking points to try to paint Democrats as radical and scary.
Politico:
Democrats' Divisions Bust Open As 2020 Primary Heats Up
That didn’t take long. Barely a month into the 2020 Democratic primary, rifts between the party’s liberal and moderate factions burst open this week — pried loose by an intraparty feud over health care and taxes that could define the battle to take on President Donald Trump. It started with Sen. Kamala Harris’ comments at a town hall Monday that she backed eliminating the health insurance industry in order to achieve Medicare for all. Distancing herself from the proposal on CNN the next day, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) cautioned against immediately “changing our entire insurance system where over half of Americans get private insurance.” (Siders and Cadelago, 1/31)
The Washington Post:
Republicans Seize On Liberal Positions To Paint Democrats As Radical
Sen. Kamala D. Harris is raising the possibility of eliminating private health insurance. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other prominent Democrats are floating new and far-reaching plans to tax the wealthy. In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam voiced support for state legislation that would reduce restrictions on late-term abortions. Democrats, after two years largely spent simply opposing everything President Trump advocated, are defining themselves lately in ways Republicans are seizing on to portray them as far outside the American mainstream. (Viser, 1/31)
Boston Globe:
What Does ‘Medicare For All’ Mean?
The term “Medicare for all” has been thrown around a lot lately by politicians and pundits. But, as recent polls show, there’s widespread confusion among people about what the term means and what would happen if the United States were to adopt such a program. (Rocheleau, 1/31)
Kaiser Health News:
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Live From D.C.: A Look Ahead At Health Policy In 2019
The 2020 presidential campaign has begun and health is a big part of it, with Democratic candidates pledging their support for “Medicare-for-all” and many of its variations. Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats are both promising to do something about drug prices and “surprise” medical bills. But whether they can translate that agreement on the broad problem to a detailed solution remains to be seen. (1/31)
