A battle is shaping up among Democratic Presidential candidates over healthcare, with several candidates embracing a “Medicare for All” proposal.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders unveiled a new version of his healthcare for all plan, which he first introduced during his 2016 campaign.
Sanders told CBS This Morning that his goal is to eliminate private health insurance and replace it with a government-backed plan that would cover a broad range of health care, including hospital stays and prescription drugs.
Several of Sanders’ opponents have already said they support Medicare for All, including Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Corey Booker. Other Democrats in the race have said they favor expanding government health care but not as aggressively as Sanders.
In all, fourteen Democrats joined Sanders in co-sponsoring the legislation. Opponents slammed the Sanders plan as too expensive—some analysts predict it would cost $30 trillion over ten years—and say Congress would never approve it.
One trade group immediately attacked the plan, saying it would cost Americans the health care coverage they trust and rely on.
A spokesman for President Trump’s campaign has said Medicare for All would kick 180 million people off their current insurance plans.
