Two swing-state Democrats offer middle ground on health care
By Paul Kane October 16 at 11:58 AM
A pair of swing-state Democrats are offering new legislation that would create Medicare-style options for non-elderly workers, with a heavy focus on rural areas that have few insurers offering coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
The proposal, from Sens. Michael F. Bennet (Colo.) and Tim Kaine (Va.), is politically significant because it tries to build on the existing law rather than the tear-it-all-down proposal of a national health-care system that is being offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Often called “single payer,” the Sanders proposal has gained steam among liberal activists who felt that last year’s failed presidential campaign by Hillary Clinton lacked a big progressive idea to galvanize the Democratic base. The single-payer plan, sometimes called “Medicare for All,” has already been embraced by many of the potential Democratic contenders for president in 2020, including prominent Senate Democrats such as Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Kamala D. Harris (Calif.).
However, overall, it has drawn only a third of the members of the Senate Democratic Caucus as co-sponsors, and even some supporters say the single-payer proposal is more of an “aspirational” goal. No one is certain how to finance an idea that would use Medicare as the basis for all health plans. Many Democrats worry that it would require huge tax increases that would kill the plan politically.
This shows the Democratic gap between those looking at the mood of national activists who will play a key role in selecting the party’s 2020 presidential nominee and those running in competitive congressional races next year that will determine the majorities in the House and Senate.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/two-swing-state-democrats-offer-middle-ground-on-health-care/2017/10/16/7c78abca-b1ea-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html
