Medicare for All

Ady Barkan speaks at the premiere of his documentary Not Going Quietly in August 2021 in Los Angeles.

Ady Barkan, activist who championed health care reform, dies of ALS at 39

2:25pm November 02, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

The activist and attorney had long fought for progressive causes. After his ALS diagnosis in 2016, Barkan became a leading voice in the fight for health care reform — even as his health deteriorated.

Former Vice President Joe Biden at a press conference in Wilmington, Del., in mid-March. His bid this week to allow 60-year-olds to get Medicare "reflects the reality," he says, "that, even after the current crisis ends, older Americans are likely to find

Biden's Health Play In A COVID-19 Economy: Lower Medicare's Eligibility Age To 60

5:00am April 11, 2020

by Julie Rovner

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden proposes letting 60-year-olds enroll in Medicare. He'd pay for the expansion out of general tax revenue, he says, not the Medicare fund.

Hartford is home to the Connecticut State Capitol and state legislature — as well as to major U.S. insurance firms. In 2019, those insurers spent what it took to defeat Connecticut's version of a "public option" in health care, despite strong support am

Insurers Sank Connecticut's 'Public Option.' Would A National Version Survive?

1:17pm February 26, 2020

by Shefali Luthra

Even in a solidly blue state where voters were demanding relief from the high cost of health care, the idea of a government-run public option for health insurance faced a "steam train of opposition."

Glenn Hurst gives Jeannette Massen a checkup at the Northcrest Living Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. As they prepare to caucus, voters weigh which candidate to support and what health care should look like in the future.

As Caucus Day Nears, Iowa Voters Guided By Big Health Care Changes

1:49pm January 31, 2020

Health care has consistently polled as the No. 1 issue for Iowa voters. As they prepare to caucus, voters weigh which candidate to support and what health care should look like in the future.

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As Democratic presidential candidates prepare to debate again on Tuesday night, health care proposals are likely to come up, as they did during the November 20 debate. Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., (left) Former vice president Joe

Medicare for All? A Public Option? Health Care Terms, Explained

12:38pm January 14, 2020

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Democratic presidential candidates and the pundits who discuss them throw out a lot of terms describing plans for a new and improved health care system. But what do they all mean?

Sheila Morrison of Derry, N.H., says health care is her top issue as a voter. When asked what she hopes to accomplish with her vote, Morrison says: "Improve my life and the life of people like me."

Health & Safety

What Matters To Health Care Voters: 5 Voices From New Hampshire

6:03pm December 19, 2019

Health care is shaping up to be a major issue in the 2020 elections and is dividing the field of Democratic presidential candidates. But what drives voters? Here are a few of their stories.

Presidential candidates recognize health care is a key voting concern. But polled Democrats don't yet agree on the best solution.

Health & Safety

Which Health Care Strategy Has The Edge Among Democrats And Swing Voters?

12:00pm December 03, 2019

by Julie Rovner

Fans of "Medicare for All" are betting that most Democrats who vote have moved left since 2008, at least on health care. But results from a mix of recent polls suggest voters' views aren't clear-cut.

Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden (left), Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (right) debate different ways to expand health coverage in America.

Health & Safety

Why Even Universal Health Coverage Isn't Enough

9:54am November 15, 2019

by Suhas Gondi

As U.S. presidential candidates prep for their next debate, a doctor-to-be asks them, and us all, to remember that even universal access to health care won't fix other disparities that hurt health.

"The profession we love has been taken over," psychiatrist and novelist Samuel Shem tells NPR, "with us sitting there in front of screens all day, doing data entry in a computer factory."

Novelist Doctor Skewers Corporate Medicine In 'Man's 4th Best Hospital'

9:00am November 13, 2019

by Mara Gordon

Samuel Shem's 1978 novel, The House of God, was a sardonic look at U.S. medicine through a young doctor's eyes. Shem's new fiction checks in with the same crew in the age of medicine by smartphone.

"We make sure that everybody can afford [public health insurance], but we don't require you to take it. And partly I think that's just the right policy, because I think people should be able to choose," Pete Buttigieg said.

'Just The Right Policy': Pete Buttigieg On His 'Medicare For All Who Want It' Plan

1:21pm November 08, 2019

The South Bend, Ind., mayor explains his health care overhaul plan — "Medicare for All," as well as private insurance — and differentiates it from other Democratic presidential candidates' plans.

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