How to take on Uncle Bernie
Sen. Bernie Sanders, who champions Medicare-for-all, will face nine fellow candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination next Thursday on the second night of the debates—most of whom don’t agree with his prescription.
John Hickenlooper, former vice president Joe Biden and Michael Bennet are among those who will share the stage and who have pushed back against a system that would outlaw private insurance. I doubt Biden will want to “punch down” at Sanders, but Hickenlooper and Bennet could create buzz and enhance their vice presidential prospects by debunking Sanders’ idea.
A new poll from progressive polling firm Navigator Research shows that even among Democrats, a public option allowing people who want to buy into Medicare to do so is more popular than Medicare-for-all. Furthermore, most voters simply don’t understand what Medicare-for-all means.
Sanders’ opponents should be clear: “Under Medicare-for-all, if you like your plan, you can’t keep it.”
Those who want to knock Sanders down a peg or save their party from making a huge political error should highlight this: Sanders will eliminate your private insurance. A public option allows you to buy into Medicare but also
permits you to keep your plan if you like it.
And politically speaking, the Medicare-for-all scheme is never going to happen. “We could cover everyone from birth through a Medicare-for-all style plan. But for that to happen, progressive Democrats would have to have substantial control of the White House, the House and Senate, and overcome fierce interest group opposition,” Drew Altman explains. “And to win passage, it’s possible that a political compromise would be necessary that would exclude coverage for the millions who are ineligible for coverage now due to their immigration status.”
To sum up, someone on that stage next Thursday should make sure voters understand that Medicare-for-all doesn’t cover “all,” doesn’t allow you to keep your plan, and doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance of becoming law. It’s indicative of much of the Sanders approach: Make the perfect the enemy of the good, take positions designed to put Democrats on defense, and jettison the advantage that Democrats presently have on health care.
Navigator’s poll shows, “Democrats in Congress have had an advantage on health care over Republicans in Congress, ranging from 6 percent to 16 percent (12 percent this month), and over President Trump, ranging from 12 percent to 20 percent (17 percent this month).”
It really comes down to this: Do Democrats want to win or not?