Campaign 2020 January 29, 2019

How Far Will Democrats Take The Medicare-For-All Idea? Kamala Harris Proposes Eliminating Private Insurance

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 21: U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speaks to reporters after announcing her candidacy for President of the United States, at Howard University, her alma mater, on January 21, 2019 in Washington, DC. Harris is the first African-American woman to announce a run for the White House in 2020. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)

Health care was a huge issue for Democrats in the 2018 election. Expect it to be just as big in 2020. A handful of the potential candidates support a Medicare-for-all plan, but some candidates are taking it a step further. Monday night on a CNN town hall Kamala Harris said she not only supports the Medicare-for-all but she also supports getting rid of private insurers, a plan also reportedly supported by Kirsten Gillibrand and Bernie Sanders

Calling for Medicare for All, Kamala Harris says of private insurance: ”Let’s eliminate all of that. Let’s move on.” pic.twitter.com/xT2I5IZDfT
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) January 29, 2019

Telling 150 million people who currently have private insurance that it could be eliminated was an eye-opening position to take, and it certainly opens up Harris to a lot of criticism.

Asked about Kamala Harris’ endorsement of Medicare for All, Klobuchar says she supports a public option, but stops short of Harris’ position.
“I believe we need to provide universal coverage to every American… There are many ways you could get there.” pic.twitter.com/TsB2TF6BiD
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 29, 2019

.@HowardSchultz calls @SenKamalaHarris' Medicare for All proposal "not American." She said: "everyone gets access to medical care, and you don't have to go through the process of going though an insurance company…going through the paperwork…Let's eliminate all of that." pic.twitter.com/RHcAOUbCl2
— Adam Brewster (@adam_brew) January 29, 2019

It’s still very early and candidates are floating these trial balloons to see how they hold up. What if it came down to a choice of Medicare-for-all vs. Donald Trump’s attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act?

Do I think that Medicare for All position could be a liability for the Dem nominee in 2020? Yes. But, neither Trump nor Rs have presented their solution to fixing health care system. Only record to run on today is a failed attempt to repeal Obamacare.
— Amy Walter (@amyewalter) January 29, 2019