Several Democrats Eyeing a Presidential Run Embrace 'Medicare-for-All'

Several Democratic presidential hopefuls are touting "Medicare-for-all" as a plank for their campaigns, reports National Public Radio . Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has promoted the approach in her push to eliminate all private insurance. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), in addition to Harris, co-sponsored Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 2017 proposal for setting up a national, single-payer health system. The bill would mandate that all beneficiaries get a Medicare card, while participating physicians would have to sign annual agreements. How government would pay for the system remains a sticking point, as it already covers a lot of healthcare spending via Medicare, Medicaid, military healthcare, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Much of the remainder is paid via employer health insurance plans and individual health insurance and payments by beneficiaries. Among Sanders' suggested payment scheme options are increasing taxes on employers who would no longer be paying insurance premiums, raising individual income taxes, and higher taxes on the wealthy. Warren has proposed a 2 percent tax on the wealth of an individual that tops $50 million and 3 percent on assets of more than $1 billion.