There were several Democratic Presidential candidates that came through Greene County last week.

One major topic that each talked about was healthcare. Former U.S. Representative John Delany of Maryland calls the overall healthcare system a “tragedy for uninsured Americans.” He says there needs to be investments in innovation so that there can be cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer, and that the quality of healthcare needs to be evenly distributed. Delaney argues that his plan, “Better Care,” doesn’t take away someone’s private health insurance, like what he claims other Democratic candidates are running on with “Medicare for all.”

“Under ‘Better Care,’ Medicare, we leave it alone. Everyone else gets a basic plan as a right. But they can opt out and get a tax credit and use that to go buy private (health) insurance.”

Rural Political Coordinator for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Iowa Campaign John Russell says Warren’s “Medicare for all plan” will not change anyone’s current providers, but who pays will change.

“Under this system, total cost out of your pocket for healthcare, are going to go down. What we’re talking about is one single payer that can bring bargaining power to reduce healthcare prices for everybody. Supplemental insurance, private insurance on top of the ‘Medicare for all plan’ is allowed under Senator Warren’s plan.”

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota wants to focus on affordability for the country’s healthcare system.

“Unleash the power of seniors, through Medicare, to negotiate for better prices, as well as allowing less expensive drugs from other countries like Canada (to be imported into America). (I would) Allow for more competition for our healthcare and bring down premiums by having something called a ‘public option,’ which is a non-profit option. So that I think it’ll create pressure on the insurance companies to lower their rates.”

To hear more from each candidate,  click the respective Let’s Talk links below.

 

Let’s Talk Greene County (8/15/2019)-Senator Warren’s Campaign

Let’s Talk Greene County (8/13/2019)-Presidential Candidate Klobuchar

Let’s Talk Greene County (2/13/2019)-Democratic Presidential Candidate John Delaney