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WARREN FACES SKEPTICISM OVER ‘MEDICARE FOR ALL’ ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL: Elizabeth Warren‘s embrace of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders‘ “Medicare For All” proposal is beginning to dog her on the campaign trail, writes congressional reporter Naomi Lim.
The senator from Massachusetts and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate’s catchphrase “I’ve got a plan for that” doesn’t apply to a healthcare platform because hers is largely modeled on the longstanding idea pushed by Sanders, a socialist running for the nomination on a far-left plank.
Warren has proudly declared during the opening debate over the summer in Miami she was “with Bernie” on his signature single-payer proposal.
But in two town halls in New Hampshire this week and then again on Saturday in Rock Hill, South Carolina, likely Democratic voters seized the microphone and requested more information on “Medicare For All” and pressed her on how the program would be funded, including whether it would result in a middle class tax hike.
When pushed by reporters on whether it was sustainable to keep dodging the potential of a tax increase, the fierce Wall Street critic and former consumer advocate said, “The system is not protecting middle-class families, and that’s what I hear for everybody who asks me questions.”
Warren, rising in the polls against former Vice President Joe Biden, said, “I think that’s the heart of what’s broken in our system and what we need to fix, and I’m going to talk about it every chance I get.”
Warren’s comments come after a voter on Friday in Hollis, New Hampshire, inquired whether the union-negotiated benefits she shares with her husband would be subjected to a “Cadillac tax,” a never-implemented Obamacare provision that would have slugged generous packages.
“I want to get insurance that covers everybody. I don’t want to tax anybody. I’m not trying to make this harder on your family. I just want it to cover all the families,” the former public school teacher and Harvard Law School professor said.
Another voter, a retired physician, had earlier asked how Warren would pay for her “one-provider healthcare system.” She responded, “Big corporations and really wealthy people are going to see their costs go up.”
But the senator’s issues with “Medicare For All” also extend to coverage. On Wednesday, a Warren supporter in Keene, New Hampshire, hoped for more details on the multiple sclerosis disability definition. She acknowledged “‘Medicare For All’ is a framework,” the bill not addressing specifics related to his concern. On Saturday, she was prodded on its four-year transition period.
Healthcare has emerged as a wedge policy among White House hopefuls seeking the right to challenge President Trump next year, the topic dominating the primary debates so far. Kaiser Family Foundation polling summarized this month traced growing support for a national healthcare plan but little understanding regarding how “Medicare For All” would affect the insurance landscape. KFF also found most Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents would prefer to build on rather than replace Obamacare.
Good morning and welcome to the Washington Examiner’s Daily on Healthcare! This newsletter is written by senior healthcare reporter Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and healthcare reporter Cassidy Morrison (@CassMorrison94). You can reach us with tips, calendar items, or suggestions at [email protected]. If someone forwarded you this email and you’d like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe here.
TRUMP READIES EXECUTIVE ORDER ON HEALTHCARE: The president is headed to The Villages, Florida, on Thursday to sign an executive order on Medicare that will also promote Medicare Advantage. The order is intended to stand in contrast to Democratic proposals to expand Medicare to more people, and to cast Trump’s opponents as determined to destroy Medicare for seniors.
Trump is positioning himself as a defender of Medicare despite the fact that Republicans have long been the party that wants to overhaul the program. Conservatives for decades have wanted to provide seniors with credits so they can buy their own coverage, a move that Democrats say would “privatize” the program.
OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS CONTINUES TALKS WITH VERMONT HOSPITAL: The University of Vermont Medical Center said Friday that it’s still having conversations with the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services over allegations that it forced a Catholic nurse to assist in an abortion. OCR had given UVMC until Friday to issue a formal response after sending a notice last month. Neither side had an update to share other than to say discussions were ongoing.
WALDEN PROJECTS OPTIMISM THAT SURPRISE BILLING LEGISLATION CAN MAKE IT THROUGH BUSY CONGRESSIONAL CALENDAR: Republican Greg Walden told Washington Examiner reporters that he’s optimistic that the No Surprises Act to stop surprise medical billing, which passed out of the Energy and Commerce committee in July, could still get to the House floor for a full vote. Congress is on break for two weeks, and with the start of impeachment proceedings in the House, even bipartisan, bicameral legislation like The No Surprises Act could fall by the wayside. “We are making progress, there’s still discussions. I’ve talked to some of the senators who are involved and I think we’re going to find a path forward,” Walden said Friday about the bill he co-sponsors.
The No Surprises Act, also sponsored by Democrat Frank Pallone, would protect patients from paying more than the median cost of in-network emergency healthcare and would prohibit providers from charging patients for care that their insurers will not cover. “There’s obviously some pretty strongly held philosophical views about how to do this and we want to get it right,” Walden said. “I think the foundation is the consumer shouldn’t get whacked unfairly, if you follow the rules.”
CDC WARNS TO PUBLIC TO AVOID VAPING THC: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that people should “particularly” avoid using substances that have THC, after government scientists found data showing that vaping devices containing THC, the high-inducing chemical in marijuana, are likely responsible for mystery lung injuries that have affected at least 805 people and caused 12 deaths. The CDC is still urging people to avoid e-cigarettes altogether, but the latest development will give e-cigarette industry representatives a leg up in arguing against the Trump administration’s proposed restrictions on nicotine vaping and e-cigarette sales.
The Rundown
The Colorado Sun As Coloradans struggle to pay for health coverage, cheaper alternatives come with their own perils
Stat AI needs patients’ voices in order to revolutionize health care
The Washington Post Purdue Pharma family profits from sale of ski resorts in regions plagued by opioid addiction
Bloomberg Abortion appeals waiting as Supreme Court returns for new term
The Chicago Tribune Rural hospital closings reach crisis stage, leaving millions without nearby health care
Calendar
MONDAY | Sept. 30
Congress in recess.
THURSDAY | Oct. 3
9:30 a.m. Kennedy-King College in Chicago, Illinois. House Energy and Commerce Committee field hearing on “The Public Health Threat of Gun Violence.” Details.
President Trump to sign executive order on Medicare.
