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 As with the previous four debates, Wednesday's televised clash in
Atlanta is likely to be dominated by the intra-party battle over how
best to expand healthcare coverage to millions of Americans.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has emerged as a top contender to
challenge Republican President Donald Trump, has faced criticism
from moderate rivals including former Vice President Joe Biden over
her Medicare for All proposal, which would eventually eliminate most
private insurance in favor of a government-run plan.
In polling data made public on Wednesday, the nonprofit Kaiser
Family Foundation found 53% of Americans favored Medicare for All.
However, two-thirds approved of a "public option" plan like that
proposed by Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and
other moderate candidates, which would offer a government plan to
compete with private insurance rather than replace it.
The nonprofit Progressive Change Institute, whose political arm, the
Progressive Change Campaign Coalition (PCCC), has endorsed Warren,
released its own poll on Tuesday showing that 66% of registered
voters nationally - and 63% in political battleground states -
support Medicare for All.
The dueling data reflects the extent to which many Americans are
still fuzzy on Medicare for All's details, some strategists said.
Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in 2018
powered by victories in moderate districts that were largely
credited to the party's disciplined messaging on healthcare.
Democratic candidates focused on Republican efforts to dismantle the
Affordable Care Act, thereby eliminating protections for people with
pre-existing medical conditions.
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That contrast has largely faded from the presidential campaign
trail, overshadowed by an extended back-and-forth over Medicare for
All and its feasibility.
Warren was attacked at the last debate for refusing to say whether
her proposal would raise middle-class taxes. She has since issued a
detailed plan asserting the overhaul can be paid for by taxing
corporations and the wealthy alone while driving down costs. Her
rivals have responded by saying that her assumptions are
unrealistic.
"It's a little bit of a mystery to me why Democrats want to carve
themselves up over health care, an issue they have a big advantage
on," said Drew Altman, president and chief executive of the Kaiser
Family Foundation.
Some party leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have
warned that the focus on Medicare for All could cost Democrats with
swing voters next year.
A separate Kaiser survey released on Tuesday of voters in the
presidential battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,
Michigan and Minnesota found that more than 60% of swing voters view
eliminating private insurance as a bad idea.
PCCC co-founder Adam Green argued that the public option polls
better because voters have heard about it for a decade. Green said
the ongoing debate over Medicare for All is a route to build broader
support.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax and Amanda Becker; Editing by Colleen
Jenkins and Leslie Adler)
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