Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., and former Vice President Joe Biden created a task force to outline several policy recommendations that update the healthcare platform of Mr. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Five things to know:
1. The task force proposes expanding government health coverage, but doesn't go as far as implementing a system like "Medicare for All."
2. Instead, coverage would be expanded under a public option, which is not new to Mr. Biden's healthcare agenda. The public option would be automatically provided to low-income Americans and be available to other Americans on an income-based scale, according to The New York Times.
3. The task force outlined other healthcare-related recommendations. Updates include waiving out-of-pocket expenses for certain prescriptions and lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60, according to the Times.
4. Recommendations were made to assist Americans who have lost health insurance because of COVID-19-related unemployment. The task force recommended special insurance options in these situations, like the federal government covering the cost of continuing coverage under the COBRA law, according to the Times.
5. The task force also signaled more pressure could be put on hospitals and pharmaceutical companies looking to merge under a Biden-led White House. Tougher scrutiny would be placed on mergers' effects on labor markets, low-income and racially marginalized communities and racial equity.
Read the full list of recommendations here.
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