Rep. Pramila Jayapal said most people do not like their private insurance plans.
While appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday, the Washington state Democrat was asked how she justifies “Medicare for all” to voters who like private-operating insurance.
“Well, I would just say, first of all, that nobody likes their private insurance plan. What they like is their doctor,” said Jayapal. “And, if you look at all the polling, when people are asked if they want to give up their private insurance, the support goes down a little. If you take the next question, which is, ‘If you could keep your doctor but you were going to have to give up your private insurance plan,’ the support goes up even higher.”
Jayapal, who endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, also criticized the idea of employer-provided insurance, claiming it limits employees’ options.
“I think this is a red herring to say that these plans provide choice. What really provides choice is to guarantee insurance for all Americans,” she added.
Sanders, who cemented his status as the party’s front-runner to take on President Trump in November over the weekend, has called for a Medicare for All system that eliminates private health insurance. Jayapal has taken her proposal in the House even further than Sanders’s plan by suggesting more generous benefits.
According to Gallup, a majority has preferred that healthcare in the United States be operated by private insurers every year since 2010, with the exception of 2017. Additionally, 79% of the public believed that the quality of healthcare is either “excellent” or “good,” and 61% were “satisfied” with the total cost of healthcare as of last year.
