The healthcare discussion was brief during the Nov. 20 Democratic debate, with the conversation instead focusing more on foreign policy, social issues and the future of democracy.
After a day of impeachment hearings, defeating President Donald Trump was also a much talked about issue. Healthcare clocked in as the seventh most talked about topic, according to Bloomberg, in a departure from the other debates, which have given healthcare policy the most air time.
Here are four soundbites from the discussion last night on healthcare:
1. "The reason I insist on 'Medicare for All Who Want It' is that that is something that as a governing strategy we can unify the American people around … without the divisive step of ordering people onto it whether they want to or not," said Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., who is running on a public-option healthcare plan.
2. "When people have had a chance to feel it and taste it and live with it, we're going to vote and we're going to want Medicare for All," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., referring to her recently released plan to delay the introduction of a Medicare for All bill until her third year in office, after creating a public option and transitioning more people into a publicly run healthcare plan.
3. "I wrote the damn bill," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., reminded voters. "In the first week of my administration, we will introduce Medicare for All."
4. "[Medicare for All] couldn't pass the United States Senate right now with Democrats. It couldn't pass the House. [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.] is one of those people who doesn't think it makes sense," said former Vice President Joe Biden, who is also in favor of improving on the ACA and adding a public option.
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