Harris health plan stops short of overhaul Sanders envisions
In a split with
Medicare for All has become a defining issue in the Democratic primary, with the most progressive candidates calling for a revolutionary approach to providing insurance coverage for all Americans at a lower price. Harris' proposal, released a day before the second round of presidential debates begins, essentially seeks to thread the
But it also could open Harris to criticism that she's trying to appease all corners while doing little to stake out a position of her own. She's already had to repeatedly clarify her positions on fundamental aspects of the
A top adviser to
"This new, have-it-every-which-way approach pushes the extremely challenging implementation of the Medicare for All part of this plan ten years into the future, meaning it would not occur on the watch of even a two-term administration," said Biden's deputy campaign manager,
Harris also got hit from the left over her health care tightrope walk. Sanders campaign manager
Although Harris signed onto Sanders' Medicare for All legislation in
"I have a vision of what it should be, and the existing plans that are being offered did not express what I wanted," Harris told reporters while campaigning in
Spiro likened Harris' plan to the current design of Medicare and Medicaid, which he said "shows it's possible to have a government program that provides benefits through private options that is very cost-efficient." He declined to say whether he consulted with the campaign on its plan beyond providing information on Medicare Extra, his group's proposed alternative to Sanders' Medicare for All.
Advocates of Sanders' single-payer insurance plan were quick to criticize the Harris proposal.
"This plan continues to give private insurance a very central role in the health care system," he said. "We have seen for decades that that does not work."
Harris has repeatedly been forced to clear up her stance on Medicare for All. She has previously appeared to suggest that she supported abolishing private insurance, later clarifying that she does not.
Sanders and Harris will debate on different nights during this week's second primary debates, so they won't clash directly on health care. But liberals who will share the stage with Harris, including
Sanders said this month that the sweeping overhaul of the
Harris is calling for exempting households making less than
To pay for the difference, Harris wants to tax stock trades at 0.2% of the value of the transaction, 0.1% for bonds and 0.002% for derivatives.
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