Ten Democratic candidates dove into several healthcare policy issues during the Democratic presidential debate June 27, which was the second debate of the week after 10 other candidates faced off June 26.
Five healthcare takeaways:
1. When the moderator asked the 10 presidential candidates if they would eliminate private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and California Sen. Kamala Harris were the only two who raised their hands, according to The New York Times. They joined Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who publicly endorsed a government-run plan during the first night of the debate.
2. Other candidates said they support maintaining a private insurance system, at least in the immediate future. Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., endorsed "Medicare for all who want it," according to The Washington Post. He said offering Medicare for those who want it "will be a natural guide path to the single payer environment," according to The New York Times.
3. Former Vice President Joe Biden said he supports a plan to build on the ACA. "I'm against any Democrat who wants to take down Obamacare and any Republican who wants to take it away," Mr. Biden said, according to The Hill.
4. Health insurance and pharmaceutical companies received criticism during the debate. "The function of the healthcare system today is to make billions in profits for the insurance companies and last year — if you can believe it — while we pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and I will lower prices in half in this country top 10 companies made $69 billion in profit," Mr. Sanders said, according to ABC News.
5. Mr. Sanders' comments came after candidates during the first night of the debate called for more scrutiny of pharmaceutical companies. Read the top healthcare takeaways from the first night of the debate here.
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