John Delaney: We Should Be the Party that Keeps What's Working But Fixes What's Broken
FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS, MD - Tonight, John Delaney highlighted his plan for universal health care, BetterCare, at the first Democratic primary debate. Delaney’s plan provides all Americans a government health care plan for free, but allows people the ability to keep their private or union-provided plans if they desire.
Delaney's remarks are transcribed below and can be viewed here.
"They like their private health insurance by the way. It should be noted that 100 million Americans …
"I think we should be the party that keeps what’s working and fixes what's broken. I mean doesn't that make sense? We should give everyone in this country health care as a basic human right for free. Full stop. But we should also give them the option to buy private insurance. Why do we have to stand for taking away something from people?
"Also its bad policy. If you go to every hospital in this country and you ask them one question, which is how would it have been for you last year if every one of your bills were paid at the Medicare rate? Every single hospital administrator said they would close. And the Medicare for All bill requires payments to stay at current Medicare rates.
"So to some extent we're basically supporting a bill that will have every hospital closed. I mean my dad was a union electrician, right, I actually grew up in a working-class family, he loved the health care that the IBEW gave him and I just always think about my dad and anything I would do from a policy perspective he’d look at me and he’d say good job John for getting healthcare for every American, but why are you taking my healthcare away."
Michael Starr Hopkins, Delaney’s National Press Secretary releases the following statement:
"If we want to beat Trump in 2020, we can’t do it by embracing socialism or pandering to the loudest voices in the party - who incorrectly believe that Medicare-for-all is the best path forward. We’ll do it by offering better ideas that improve the lives of all Americans. We must clear about what’s at stake in this election. The cost of doing nothing won’t be nothing, the cost of doing nothing will be the re-election of Donald J. Trump."
Recent polling by Navigator Research on single-payer Medicare for All again reveals that 53% of respondents are opposed to a Medicare for All program that eliminates private insurance. Section 107 of the single-payer Medicare for All legislation authored by Senator Sanders (and cosponsored by Senator Harris, Senator Warren, and others) states that private insurance for any benefits covered by Medicare is illegal.
