Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democratic Voters In Iowa Worry About 'The Little Guys' Whose Jobs Might Be Affected By 'Medicare For All'
Kim Motl doesn鈥檛 work in the health insurance industry. But her friends and neighbors do. So when she saw Sen. Elizabeth Warren recently in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Motl pressed the Democratic presidential candidate about her 鈥淢edicare for All鈥 plan, which would replace private insurance with a government-run system. 鈥淲hat about the little guys that work in the insurance business, that support our communities? The secretary that works for them, but maybe supports their family, what happens to them?鈥 the 64-year-old housing advocate asked the senator. (Jaffe, 12/14)
Democratic presidential candidates are debating Medicare For All, but that term isn't a good descriptor of the plans being put forth. Clarifying this health care vocabulary helps the debate. (Simmons-Duffin, 12/11)
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Saturday that South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg's "Medicare for all who want it" health care hybrid would be "unfair" to working families.聽...Buttigieg, like many candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for president, outlined a health care plan that stops short of Sanders' goal. Instead, Buttigieg proposes giving people a choice between buying into a public option of health care coverage or private insurance. And that's its fatal flaw, Sanders said. It would overload the government with the most expensive patients, he said. (Coltran, 12/14)
Diane Chojnowski and Denyce Rusch were among the Iowans who braved light snowfall and temperatures in the teens to see Senator Bernie Sanders on Sunday afternoon, a few hours before Senator Elizabeth Warren was also due in this liberal pillar of eastern Iowa. But after Ms. Chojnowski and Ms. Rusch praised Ms. Sanders, they turned to a predicament far more bothersome than the winter weather: choosing between the two progressive candidates. (Martin, 12/16)
White House hopeful Andrew Yang on Saturday unveiled a plan to address health care for children and adults with disabilities. Yang, an entrepreneur whose son is autistic, said his plan would expand care for those who have disabilities and ensure that plans cover preventative care for those who need it.聽 (Axelrod, 12/14)
During the tour, Yang also聽released a policy on controlling the cost of prescription drugs, which includes allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, as well as establishing public manufacturing facilities to make generic drugs. (Miskimen, 12/12)
The House Democratic leadership PAC announced Friday it will spend $2.5 million on ads touting the caucus鈥 recent health care win 鈥 a significant ramp-up in battleground districts just ahead of next week鈥檚 impeachment vote. The spending from the House Majority PAC, which includes television and digital ads, marks its biggest buy of the 2020 cycle so far. And for many vulnerable Democrats, it鈥檚 much-needed reinforcement against the ever-escalating onslaught of GOP attack ads. (Ferris, 12/13)