Sep 19, 2019

Voters want 2020 Democrats to get more personal on health care

Marisa Fernandez

Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden on the debate stage Sept. 12. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Democrats want 2020 presidential candidates to start talking about subjects much closer to their pocketbooks, Morning Consult reports.

Why it matters: Voters are tired of watching 2020 candidates debate on stage whether "Medicare for All" should get rid of private insurance or how much it would cost taxpayers.

By the numbers: Instead, 1 out of 4 polled want them to talk about subjects like copays and deductibles.

  • Even more potential Democratic primary voters said they were most interested in the topic of individual health costs.

Flashback: ABC's George Stephanopoulos kicked off last week's debate by asking again whether Americans should anticipate tax increases from the candidates' health care plans.

  • Voters are ready for fresh material. For example, another 22% out of 533 voters polled said they want the next debate to address prescription drug costs — a subject that hasn't come up at all onstage.

Go deeper: Medicare for All: Where the Democratic candidates stand

Go deeper

Jacob Knutson

Poll: Most Democratic voters value focus on "kitchen-table concerns"

In a quarterly poll of 1,200 likely 2020 Democratic primary voters for Third Way, a center-left think tank, David Binder Research found that there it still a significant chunk of undecided voters up for grabs 4 months before the Iowa caucuses.

Why it matters: Voters said they want a candidate who will focus on "kitchen-table concerns" like reducing health care costs and the economy, but a majority of the polled voters said they were willing to put aside policy preferences to beat President Trump.

Go deeperArrowOct 3, 2019
Marisa Fernandez, Rashaan Ayesh

Medicare for All: Where the Democratic candidates stand

Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Photo: Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidates are laying out plans for expanding health-care coverage, with Medicare for All overpowering the conversation.

The big picture: Most 2020 Democrats say they buy into the concept of universal health care, except they vary on how to achieve it — and on which plan would be more appealing to achieve nationwide support.

Go deeper.ArrowUpdated Oct 2, 2019
Sam Baker

Four health care questions for a better Democratic debate

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

If tonight’s Democratic debate is anything like the earlier ones, it will feature an extended back-and-forth about whether to eliminate private health insurance, and then move on from health care. But there’s a whole lot more that’s also worth asking about.

The big picture: We basically know what the candidates will say about the question of private insurance, because they’ve said it all before. So here are four other questions that might also help illuminate the choice voters face on such a deeply personal, wildly complex topic.

Go deeperArrowOct 15, 2019