Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How To Make Sense Of The Democrats' Health Plans That Can Sound 'Closer To Bumper Stickers' Than Detailed Policy
San Francisco Chronicle: Explaining The Democrats’ Health Care Plans, In Plain English
Count on two things happening at Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate: The candidates will distill their complex health care proposals into convoluted 30-second sound bites. Few Americans will understand what they’re saying. (Garofoli, 9/12)
The Boston Globe: What Exactly Is Medicare For All? It Depends On Whom You Ask
What does Medicare for All mean? It represents a fundamental restructuring of the US health care system, giving government a greater role in a system now dominated by private companies. The phrase often stands for a national single-payer system, but it has become a catch-all, representing a spectrum of different ideas to expand access to health care and tackle rising costs. (Dayal McCluskey, 9/11)
The Wall Street Journal: What To Watch For In The Houston Democratic Debate
The winnowing phase of the Democratic primary kicks into high gear Thursday in Houston when the top presidential candidates debate on stage together for the first time in a one-night event. Only 10 candidates met the Democratic National Committee’s higher thresholds for the third debate—half the number that qualified for the last two debates, which were split into two nights. (Parti, Naranjo and Collins, 9/11)
Meanwhile —
The Hill: Poll: Biden Proposal More Popular Than 'Medicare For All' In General Election
A new poll finds that more voters favor an optional government-run health insurance plan, as former Vice President Joe Biden advocates, than full-scale "Medicare for All" that eliminates private health insurance, as advocated by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The poll could give credence to Biden's argument against his main two rivals in the Democratic White House race, Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), that an optional plan is more popular in a general election than the full-scale Medicare for All that Sanders and Warren advocate. (Sullivan, 9/11)
