A sign at a Medicare for All rally in Los Angeles in February 2017.
/Photo by Molly Adams / Flickr/CC BY 2.0
By Katie O’Connor | Arizona Mirror
A chasm is growing within the Democratic party over the most appropriate route to address the country’s struggling health care system.
Some want moderate policies that build on the Affordable Care Act; others are pushing to remake the system entirely by implementing universal health care.
Arizona Democrats are divided, too.
After health care helped Democrats retake the House in 2018, the topic has once again taken center stage in the 2020 Democratic primary and promises to be one of the top policy items voters consider when they head to the polls next year.
Some candidates, particularly U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, are pushing the conversation further left with a “Medicare for All” proposal. They propose creating a national, comprehensive health insurance program that would replace most current coverage sources, including by eliminating private insurance.
But others are pressing for less extreme options. Former Vice President Joe Biden wants to build on the Affordable Care Act by creating a public option, which would create a government-run insurance plan that people could purchase on the health care exchanges.
In the past year, Democrats have submitted various pieces of legislation that would do everything from overhaul the entire system with Medicare for All, to taking more moderate steps that would essentially expand the reach of the Affordable Care Act.
