Kamala Harris Unveils Health Plan That Would Expand Medicare But Keep Private Insurers In The Fold
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a 2020 presidential hopeful, splits the difference between the plans from rivals Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden. Her plan would give consumers a choice of joining a government plan modeled on Medicare or choosing from insurance policies modeled on those in Medicare Advantage, and would be run by private insurers rather than the government. “If they want to play by our rules, they can be in the system. If not, they have to get out," Harris said of the insurance companies. Her shifting position on whether they would be included in her health plan has brought her criticism in the past.
Politico:
Kamala Harris' New Health Plan: Medicare For All — With Private Insurers
Sen. Kamala Harris on Monday unveiled a plan to achieve universal coverage by growing Medicare with the help of private insurers, an effort that splits the difference with her chief Democratic presidential rivals and finally equips the California Democrat with her own signature health proposal ahead of this week’s debates. “Medicare works,” Harris writes in a Medium essay posted Monday morning. “Now, let’s expand it to all Americans and give everyone access to comprehensive health care.” (Diamond and Cadelago, 7/29)
The New York Times:
Kamala Harris Sets Up Debate Showdown On Health Care With New Plan
Instead of completely replacing private coverage with a government-run, single-payer system based on traditional Medicare, Ms. Harris would allow people to choose plans modeled on Medicare Advantage, which would be run not by the government but by private insurers. More than one-third of the Medicare population already chooses Medicare Advantage, which offers extra benefits and limits out-of-pocket costs but is strict about which doctors and hospitals enrollees can use. Her plan would also allow people to choose a somewhat expanded version of traditional, government-run Medicare. But by preserving a major role for private insurers — and calling for a 10-year phase-in period instead of the four-year transition that Mr. Sanders envisions — it could go a long way toward neutralizing fierce opposition from insurance companies, many of which have profited handsomely from Medicare Advantage plans. (Goodnough and Herndon, 7/29)
Sacramento Bee:
Some Private Insurance OK In Kamala Harris Medicare-For-All Plan
Those insurers will have to “adhere to strict Medicare requirements on costs and benefits,” Harris writes in a post on the web site Medium published Monday. It is, she says, similar to today’s private Medicare plans, also known as Medicare Advantage, which covers about a third of seniors on Medicare today. “Unlike the current system, private plans in the new Medicare system will be held to stricter consumer protection standards than they are today, such as getting reimbursed less than what the Medicare plan will cost to operate, to ensure that they are delivering meaningful value,” Harris writes. (Cadei, 7/29)
CBS News:
Medicare For All: Kamala Harris Releases 'Medicare For All' Proposal Ahead Of Second Democratic Debate
The plan also calls for an audit of prescription drug costs. Harris wants a 10-year phase-in period as opposed to Sanders' plan, which called for a four-year transition. Her plan would automatically enroll newborns and those uninsured. The Harris campaign said that extending the transition period would decrease the overall cost of Medicare for All, but it did not specify what that new estimated cost would be. Sanders estimates that his plan could cost up to $40 trillion over a decade. (Ramirez, 7/29)
NPR:
Kamala Harris Releases 'Medicare For All' Plan With A Role For Private Insurers
Harris would have a 10-year transition, and both would allow a public option, where Americans below age 65 could buy into the government's Medicare program, in the first year. This comes with costs and benefits — on the one hand, it's a more extended time to make a big transition in how America does health care. On the other hand, a 10-year phase-in window necessarily means counting on the transition to continue smoothly under the next president — whichever party he or she might come from. (Kurtzleben, 7/29)
CNN:
Kamala Harris Stakes Out Middle-Ground In 'Medicare For All' Debate
"We will allow private insurers to offer Medicare plans as part of this system that adhere to strict Medicare requirements on costs and benefits," writes Harris. "Medicare will set the rules of the road for these plans, including price and quality, and private insurance companies will play by those rules, not the other way around." But this means she would still jettison employer-sponsored health plans, which now cover more than 150 million Americans. (Lah, Luhby and Krieg, 7/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Kamala Harris' 'Medicare For All' Plan Includes A Role For Private Health Insurance
The balancing act could also open Harris up to criticism from the left and right. Forceful single-payer advocates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders are averse to participation from corporate health insurers, while moderates like former Vice President Joe Biden have warned that Medicare for all would be too disruptive, particularly for the many Americans who get healthcare through their employers. (Mason, 7/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
Kamala Harris Unveils Plan To Transform Health Care To A Federal System
Ms. Harris, who has been criticized by some more progressive members of her party for her lack of clarity on her support for Medicare for All, released the plan a day before the start of the second round of Democratic presidential debates, where health care is expected to be a key topic. In the last debate series in June, Ms. Harris raised her hand when candidates were asked if they would abolish private health insurance, but she said the next day she had misunderstood the question. (Armour and Parti, 7/29)
The Associated Press:
Kamala Harris Releases New Details Of Her Health Care Plan
Sanders has said as recently as this month that the sweeping overhaul of the U.S. health system he envisions could cost up to $40 trillion over a decade, and he has said that one option for paying for it would be a 4% tax hike on families making more than $29,000 each year. Harris said that "hits the middle class too hard," and she is calling for exempting households making less than $100,000 each year from that 4% tax, with "a higher income threshold for middle-class families living in high-cost areas." (Summers, 7/29)
Bloomberg:
Kamala Harris Offers ‘Medicare For All’ That Keeps Private Plans
“I would describe the Harris plan as an effort to balance idealism and pragmatism,” said Andy Slavitt, who oversaw health care programs under the Obama administration and provided input to the Harris campaign on the new plan. He said using Medicare Advantage was “a clever approach” to preserving a role for private insurance. (Kapur, 7/29)
Read Kamala Harris' plan on Medium: My Plan For Medicare For All
