Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
If Raising Taxes On Middle Class Is A Political Third-Rail, How Will Warren Pay For Health Plan? She Has Some Options.
Politico: How Warren Could Pay For 'Medicare For All'
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s pledge to reveal how she'd pay for her "Medicare for All" plan carries big risks, no matter which path she takes. Taxing the wealthy won’t cover the trillions in cost. Raising taxes on the middle class is a political third rail. Other options, like reducing health care benefits or raising payroll taxes are also politically dicey. Small wonder then that the top-tier Democrat — whose motto is that she has a plan for everything — doesn’t have one yet for how to pay for universal health care. (Ollstein, 10/21)
Reuters: Democratic 2020 Hopeful Warren Still Weighing Medicare For All Financing Options
One explanation, according to sources close to Warren’s campaign, is that the U.S. senator from Massachusetts is still considering financing options and at least one under review does not include a middle-class tax hike. “I’ve been working for a long time on this question about what the costs will be and how to pay for it and I’m getting close. It’s just got a little more work that it needs on it before it’s ready,” Warren told reporters in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday, adding that she will be “ready to put out a plan soon on exactly what the costs will be.” (Becker, 10/21)
WBUR: Health Care Reform, From Baker's Bill To The Economics Of 'Medicare For All'
Gov. Charlie Baker's new health care bill focuses on primary care, behavioral health and prescription drug prices. On the national stage, Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Medicare for All proposal is facing deeper scrutiny over its potential cost. A WBUR poll released today found that while Warren is currently the top choice for Massachusetts voters in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, her health care proposal is not. (Dearing and Citorik, 10/23)
Meanwhile, in other elections news —
Des Moines Register: Pete Buttigieg Seeks To Carve Out Lane For Himself Over Health Care
The South Bend, Indiana, mayor is betting other Iowans are also scrutinizing Medicare for All, the policy idea that's dominated the health care conversation this election cycle. He's used television appearances and ads in recent weeks to proclaim that Medicare for All will take away choice for Americans. "Iowans, by nature, are practical," [Mayor Pete] Buttigieg told the Des Moines Register. "I think this is a state where people are strong in progressive values, and also looking for a way to deliver on those values that's not polarizing." (Rodriguez, 10/23)
