DENVER — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg campaigned on Medicare for All Who Want It in 2020. Six years later, he sees a “convergence” in the party around the proposal.
On the sidelines of the What’s Next Democratic conference in Denver, the former Biden official said it is “interesting how some folks have even updated their definition of Medicare for all to match the plan that I was putting forward then.”
“I stand by it,” he said of his 2020 presidential pitch. “I still think it’s the right policy.”
Buttigieg, a floated 2028 contender, has advocated a “Medicare-style plan” that would serve as the default coverage option, while allowing people to opt for a private insurance plan if they prefer.
“I’ve seen a kind of a convergence among lots of different corners in the party toward that Medicare for All Who Want It plan,” Buttigieg said.
Sen.-elect Abdul el Sayed (D-MI) campaigned on expanding Medicare coverage to cover vision, dental, and hearing. But his campaign platform also says that a Medicare for all plan “does not have to ban additional private insurance through unions or employers.”
Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-TX) stayed away from the “Medicare for all” terminology in his campaign platform. But his platform calls for every American, regardless of age, to join Medicare, and provide an affordable healthcare option to bring down costs “for those who don’t participate by increasing competition with private insurance.”
In Denver, Talarico called for the passage of “universal healthcare so no one in this country goes bankrupt just because they get sick.”
In October, Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released a Medicare for All proposal that allows private insurance and would open “Medicare to everyone who wants it.”
JEFFRIES PANEL DISRUPTED BY PROGRESSIVE PROTESTERS AT POST-ELECTION CONFERENCE
Medicare for all has been championed by progressive Democrats for years, with progressive kingmaker Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) among its most prominent advocates.
Sanders himself has called for legislation to expand Medicare but doesn’t instantly get rid of employer-sponsored insurance, according to Politico.