Foresight 2020: Health Care

Voters think health care is the top issue facing America today, according to a recent poll by RealClearPolitics.

This is one of the latest of many surveys which demonstrate that health care is a leading concern for many voters.

The Washington Post compiled a database of what each Democratc candidate thinks on health care — nearly every candidate supports creating a public option to expand health care coverage, but the field is more divided on other issues, like whether the federal government should produce and sell generic drugs to decrease the costs of medication.

Many candidates also appeared at a Planned Parenthood forum in South Carolina this week, where they discussed another hot button health care issue — abortion.

NPR reporter Sarah McCammon spoke to voter Lyric Swinton, who said that she's looking for candidates to be uncompromising on access to abortion.

I think that maybe sometime in the past there might’ve been room for [compromise], but not anymore. I think that because so many of our rights are under attack and so many of the ideals that our party holds near and dear are under attack, there’s no room for any gray area.

We also spoke last week about the rising cost of insulin. One of our guests, Lija Greenseid, told us that she spends $14,000 per year on the medication for her daughter's type-1 diabetes. “There are no choices,” Greenseid said. “Until, hopefully, someday there’s a cure, we will be paying those prices to keep her alive.”

Ahead of the first debate of the 2020 presidential election cycle, we compare where the candidates stand on health care and what the American people want from a president on health care after 2020.

Produced by Stacia Brown.

GUESTS

James Capretta, Resident fellow and Milton Friedman chair, American Enterprise Institute; former associate director at the White House Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush

Ceci Connolly, President and CEO, Alliance of Community Health Plans; co-author of “Landmark: The Inside Story of America’s New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All” @CeciConnolly

Dan Diamond, Health Reporter, POLITICO; Host, “Pulse Check” Podcast; @ddiamond

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