Candidates Stake Positions
Democratic candidates eager to show their progressive credentials have quickly lined up in support of Medicare expansion but are thus far short on specifics.
Harris declared herself a “big proponent of Medicare-for-all” as she campaigned in South Carolina, an early primary state, over the weekend.
“Access to affordable healthcare should not be a privilege for those who can pay it, it should be a right for everybody,” she said at a town hall in the rural town of Hemingway, offering a personal story about how her mother’s death from cancer was easier to navigate thanks to Medicare.
The California senator’s campaign has said, however, that she would also be open to more moderate, incremental proposals, after she suggested eliminating private health insurance altogether at a CNN town hall in January.
The Senate plan authored by Sanders and co-sponsored by Harris, Gillibrand, Booker and Warren would finance the Medicare expansion through a combination of taxes on employers, individuals, businesses and the wealthy.
The liberal Urban Institute estimated that an earlier, nearly identical Sanders plan would cost $32 trillion over a decade, with the additional taxes raising about $15 trillion.
Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, a business-friendly Democrat, said in an interview with Reuters that he supports attaining universal healthcare “as quickly as possible” but has not made up his mind about a Medicare-for-all proposal, or allowing people younger than 65 to buy into the program.
Senator Amy Klobuchar supports universal healthcare and expanding Medicare, but has not signed onto Sanders’ proposal or committed to any plans that would eliminate private insurance.
Voters at Harris’ events in South Carolina offered mixed views on the best approach.
Xavaier and Jennette Wescott of Charleston said they like their private insurance but might be willing to switch coverage in order to transition to a universal health insurance system.
“For those who need it, it should be instilled,” said Xavaier Wescott, 57, a retired firefighter. “Nowadays it’s hard to get insurance for those who can’t afford, and it’s hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle if you don’t.”
Jennette Wescott suggested a Medicare phase-in for young people.
About 64 percent of Democrats and 48 percent of Republicans in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said they would enroll in Medicare if the eligibility age were lowered and they were given the opportunity.
Brittany Dickson, 28, of Summerville, South Carolina, said her current high-deductible private plan would justify paying additional taxes to finance a Medicare-for-all system. She has a $5,000 deductible before her private insurance kicks in.