The first group of Democratic candidates made their differences known quickly Wednesday night, as night one of Democratic debates got underway with a spirited back-and-forth over health care. When asked which of the candidates on stage would favor abolishing private insurance in favor of a government-run program, only Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Bill De Blasio raised their hands. When candidates say a government-only health plan is too ambitious, Warren said, “what they’re really telling you is they just won’t fight for it.” “Well health care is a basic human right,” she continued, to applause. “And I will fight for a basic human right.”
Other candidates had a more muted response on the possibility of Medicare For All. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke said he wanted people to access Medicare if needed while keeping private insurance—immediately spurring a charged rebuttal from De Blasio that private insurance is “not working.” “Why are you defending private insurance?” De Blasio asked. The mayor’s response prompted a debate among the candidates about the necessity of private insurance. “Why do we have to stand for taking something away from people?” former Rep. John Delaney asked, while pointing to his father’s love of his union health insurance and the price hospitals would pay if all bills were charged at a Medicare rate. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard similarly, pointed out that in countries with a public health care option, many retain a private option, too. “Health care is not just a human right, it should be an American right,” Sen. Cory Booker said in his response, noting that while he “believe[s] the best way to get there is Medicare for All,” his “urgency” on the issue makes him favor keeping private insurance companies around now.
The health care debate allowed for some distance between the candidates, after an opening round in which they stressed a similar message about spurring an economy that works better for working Americans. “I’m really trying to understand where there may or may not be daylight between you,” moderator Lester Holt stressed.
The responses went beyond Medicare for All, as candidates railed against high prescription drug prices and the opioid crisis. Booker said he believed pharmaceutical companies should be held criminally responsible for the crisis, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar described President Donald Trump’s plan to cap drug prices as “all foam and no beer.” The issue of reproductive rights was pushed heavily by male candidates; Julian Castro noted, “I don’t only believe in reproductive freedom, I believe in reproductive justice.” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee noted that he was the only candidate to have “executive experience” in handling the issue, pointing to legislation passed under his watch that both codified abortion rights and created a public health care option. With Gabbard, Warren, and Klobuchar onstage, however, Klobuchar had a simple rebuttal: “I just want to say there are three women up here who have fought pretty hard for a woman’s right to choose.”
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