PHOTOGRAPHS BY KAREEM BLACK FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK
The Long Campaign Bernie Sanders
“I want to thank Afscme for
supporting the idea of a ‘Medicare
for All’ single-payer program,” the
Independent Vermont senator said
to cheers. He threw in an “I wrote
the damn bill!” for good measure, a
throwback to his fiery performance
at the CNN debate on July 30.
Sanders has had to fight the
notion that his ideas are more
popular than he is. This is especially
true regarding health care. In
2016, running for the Democratic
presidential nomination, he was
dubbed extreme, even radical,
for proposing that Medicare, the
50-year-old public insurance
program for senior
citizens, be expanded
to cover all Americans.
Today, 12 of the top
20 candidates for the
2020 nomination have
a plan to achieve some
version of universal
health care.
“Oh goodness, that
should be a right,” saidJanelle Fisher, 36, a
licensed psychologist
from Sacramento
attending the event.
“Everyone should have
access to health care
that actually fits their
needs and doesn’t leave
them saddled with all
this debt or having to
file bankruptcy.” But
Sanders’s Medicare
for All isn’t her favorite.
“To be honest, Kamala
Harris’s plan stood out
to me,” she said, calling
the California senator’s
proposed
10-year rollout
more realistic
than Sanders’s
four-year
timetable.
While
health care consistently
polls as a top issue
for Democrats, more
of them would preferto build on the Affordable Care
Act than adopt an entirely new
system. A late July Kaiser Family
Foundation poll found that just 39%
of likely Democratic voters favor
Medicare for All over more modest
improvements to existing laws.
Sanders told union members
that Medicare for All removes the
uncertainty when they switch jobs
or renegotiate their contracts. “Let
us not forget, 500,000 people
in this country this year will go
bankrupt after they leave the
hospital,” he said. “That will not
happen under Medicare for All.”
Sanders enjoys a home field
advantage with labor crowds, and
this one was no exception. Privately,
however, some had questions
about their existing coverage, said
Kathryn Lybarger, 52, a union leader
and gardener at the University of
California at Berkeley.
“What about union
members who have
negotiated fantastic
health plans? Will they
be able to keep that?
“Here’s the thing,”
she continued. “It would
be nice to actually take
the question of health
care—something that’s
a basic human right—off
the table and not have to
negotiate it anymore.”
Sanders has been
polling well behind
former Vice President
Joe Biden and is neck
and neck with Harris
and Massachusetts
Senator Elizabeth
Warren, all of whom
had slots at the forum.
Who impressed
Lybarger the most?
“There’s a really strong
field here,” she said. “I think most
all those candidates would do a
fantastic job.” �Emma Kinery
Photos by Kareem BlackIt took Bernie Sanders about a minute and a half
to start talking about health care in his opening
remarks at the Aug. 3 American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees 2020
Public Service Forum in Las Vegas.LybargerHealth Plans● BIDEN
Proposal: Affordable
Care Act, plus public
option
The cost: $750 billion
over 10 years, per the
campaign
Will private insurance
still exist?: Yes
● HARRIS
Proposal: Single-
payer program with
universal coverage
The cost: TBD
Will private insurance
still exist?: Yes
● SANDERS
Proposal: Medicare
for All
The cost: $32 trillion
over 10 years,
according to the
Mercatus Center
at George Mason
University
Will private insurance
still exist?: No35The Issue● Extend Medicare
coverage to all
Americans within
four years