Here’s where the Democratic primary candidates stand on health care before SC primary
Health care is one of the top issues for voters in South Carolina headed into Saturday’s Democratic primary, according to a recent Clemson University poll.
Nationally, health care is an important issue for many Democratic voters.
“Health care remains a top issue for Democratic voters, independent voters, and the crucial group of voters who haven’t made up their minds yet – swing voters,” according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health care policy nonprofit.
“More than one-third of Democratic voters (36%) say health care is the ‘most important’ issue in their 2020 vote choice as do three in ten independent voters and 28% of swing voters,” the foundation found in a recent poll.
In both the South Carolina poll and national poll, primary voters said the most important issue was picking a Democratic candidate who could beat President Donald Trump.
Clemson’s Palmetto Poll has Biden firmly in the lead with 35% of the vote. The Clemson poll put Tom Steyer in second place with 17%.
A separate poll released Wednesday by East Carolina University found Biden leading with 31% for likely voters in South Carolina. The ECU poll put Sen. Bernie Sanders in second place at 23% and Steyer at 20%.
Michael Bloomberg is not on the ballot in South Carolina and was not included in the polls.
Here’s what the top-polling candidates in the Democratic primary propose for health care in the United States, listed in alphabetical order:
Joe Biden
The former vice president helped then-President Barack Obama pass the Affordable Care Act, which created the healthcare marketplace and opened up public and private health coverage to more people.
According to the plan on Biden’s campaign website, “As president, Biden will protect the Affordable Care Act from these continued attacks. He opposes every effort to get rid of this historic law – including efforts by Republicans, and efforts by Democrats.”
“Instead of starting from scratch and getting rid of private insurance, he has a plan to build on the Affordable Care Act by giving Americans more choice, reducing health care costs, and making our health care system less complex to navigate,” the Biden campaign said.
Pete Buttigieg
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s plan is summed up on his campaign website as “Medicare for all who want it,”which leaves private insurance intact while opening up a public option.
Buttigieg’s campaign said, “Everyone will be able to opt in to an affordable, comprehensive public alternative. This affordable public plan will incentivize private insurers to compete on price and bring down costs. If private insurers are not able to offer something dramatically better, this public plan will create a natural glide-path to Medicare for All.”
“The choice of a public plan empowers people to make their own decisions regarding the type of health care that makes sense for them by leveling the playing field between patients and the health care system,” the campaign said.
Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s campaign website says she supports universal health care by expanding Medicare or Medicaid to create a public option.
“When people are sick, their focus should be on getting better, rather than on how they can afford their prescriptions. Yet drug prices are an increasing burden across our country. Amy has been a champion when it comes to tackling the high costs of prescription drugs,” according to her campaign.
“She has authored proposals to lift the ban on Medicare negotiations for prescription drugs, allow personal importation of safe drugs from countries like Canada, and stop pharmaceutical companies from blocking less-expensive generics.”
Klobuchar says she will pay for her health care proposals by raising taxes on the top two tax brackets, along with prescription drug reforms.
Bernie Sanders
The Vermont senator has made “Medicare for All” a central part of his message to voters.
According to the Sanders campaign website, he wants to “create a Medicare for All, single-payer, national health insurance program to provide everyone in America with comprehensive health care coverage, free at the point of service.” Sanders says he would do that by abolishing private insurance plans and removing all copays, deductibles and premiums.
“Today, more than 30 million Americans still don’t have health insurance and even more are underinsured. Even for those with insurance, costs are so high that medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States,” the Sanders campaign said.
“Incredibly, we spend significantly more of our national GDP on this inadequate health care system—far more per person than any other major country. And despite doing so, Americans have worse health outcomes and a higher infant mortality rate than countries that spend much less on health care. Our people deserve better,” according to the campaign.
The Sanders campaign has released a list of options for funding his Medicare for All proposal, including “a 4 percent income-based premium paid by employees, exempting the first $29,000 in income for a family of four” and “raising the top marginal income tax rate to 52% on income over $10 million.”
Tom Steyer
Steyer said he supports creating a public option for health insurance to compete with private companies. A public option, his campaign said, will help “drive down costs, expand coverage, and deliver quality care to everyone who lives here, including the undocumented community.”
“Health is the foundation for a full and productive life. Yet for far too long, the corporate stranglehold on our health care system has kept Americans from accessing and affording the health care they need.”
“Predatory drug companies, insurance corporations, and hospitals are squeezing every last dollar possible from the system to bolster their profits. The result leaves more than 28 million Americans with no health insurance and unable to afford basic care,” the Steyer campaign said.
Elizabeth Warren
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s plan focuses on a transition to Medicare for All.
“The Affordable Care Act made massive strides in expanding access to health insurance coverage, and we must defend Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act against Republican attempts to rip health coverage away from people. But it’s time for the next step,” Warren said on her campaign website.
“We can fix this system. Medicare for All is the best way to cover every person in America at the lowest possible cost because it eliminates profiteering from our health care and leverages the power of the federal government to rein in spending,” she said.
Warren has sought to differentiate her plan from Sanders’, including a promise that “the changes in our health care system will be fully paid for without raising taxes one penny on middle class families.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 12:04 PM.
