How does Elizabeth Warren sell MfA to the General Election voters?

[brooklynite]

This will be the core question if she wins the nomination. She either has to modify her plan to allow people to keep a private plan IF THEY WANT TO, or come up with a truly compelling message to convince tens of millions of people to change their current preference.

(nb - I'm convinced that Bernie Sanders CANNOT sell this to the electorate)

[Skidmore]

1. Neither

have completely sold it to primary voters.

[bearsfootball516]

2. I don't know if the country is ready for MFA yet.

On a nationwide scale, expanding Obamacare is overwhelmingly popular.

[Hortensis]

5. :) Obamacare is overwhelmingly popular.

But, "ready for"? Are you thinking of the part that strips everyone of the right to choose and imposes one plan on all? If that's it, I agree.

Even theoretically, few feel the appeal of the universalist ideals of one solution for all, and that's before people are actually asked to sacrifice unnecessarily for it.

[Kurt V.]

3. this won't be the core question but yes she needs to modify it.

private insurance needs to be available as a supplement. also i didn't choose my insurer, my employer did.

[still_one]

4. A big part of whether it can be effectively "sold" is how and who will pay for it, and how much it

would cost.

You cannot just broadly say by taxing the 1 to 2% of the wealthiest, because that won't be enough to cover the costs.

The other thing not addressed with M4A, is that a healthcare provider is not obligated to take those covered under Medicare, which ties into what the OP was saying with allowing people to keep their private plans.

Also, I think many people don't understand the costs associated with Medicare Part A, B, D, supplemental plans, advantage plans etc. It isn't free.

To give you an idea, just for Part A, if people were to buy into Part A today, because they didn't pay Medicare Taxes, the costs would be:

"Most people don't pay a monthly premium for Part A (sometimes called "premium-free Part A&quot . If you buy Part A, you'll pay up to $437 each month. If you paid Medicare taxes for less than 30 quarters, the standard Part A premium is $437. If you paid Medicare taxes for 30-39 quarters, the standard Part A premium is $240."

Here is a breakdown of other associated costs:

https://www.medicare.gov/your-medicare-costs/medicare-costs-at-a-glance

The bottom line is how will it be paid for needs to be detailed, adding a whole influx of people who haven't paid Medicare Taxes throughout their lives, has to be paid somehow

[DownriverDem]

8. Also

what happens to the folks already on Medicare? Medicare Part B comes out of their Social Security. How do they fit into Medicare for All. No one talks about them

[still_one]

13. They have already paid into it. Adding 200 million new people, or however

many who haven’t paid the bro it will have to buy in I guess

I really don’t think this has been thought out very well except it is a good talking point

[Hortensis]

6. Propublica: "It's an advertising slogan; it's not a scientific concept..."

“When you say Medicare-for-all, there are eight different flavors,” with each dependent on each presidential candidate’s platform, said John McDonough, a professor at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health who was instrumental in both Massachusetts’ universal health care plan and the Affordable Care Act. “It’s an advertising slogan; it’s not a scientific concept.”

A Kaiser Family Foundation report from July found that about three-fourths of the country supports expanding public health insurance programs, including allowing those 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare.

But the report showed that how politicians talk about the issue matters, with 63% responding favorably to the terms “Medicare-for-all” and “universal health coverage.”

Those positive feelings begin dissipating when it’s called a “single-payer national health insurance system,” dropping to 49%.

They essentially evaporate if it means eliminating private insurance, increasing taxes or disrupting the current Medicare system, with about 60% opposing a national health care plan.

So she needs to get rid of the extremist provision of stripping Americans of their freedom of choice, assure people they'll end up paying less (and answer questions about taxes by spinning the topic to the wealthy's taxes), and that it won't "mess with my Social Security." But keep the highly marketable name.

Propublica's Sept 6 article has a little graph showing where the candidates are on MfA. The three who support completing the ACA to provide universal coverage need to say that and mostly avoid the "single payer provision" term.

Medicare-for-All Is Not Medicare, and Not Really for All. So What Does It Actually Mean?
https://www.propublica.org/article/medicare-for-all-is-not-medicare-and-not-really-for-all-so-what-does-it-actually-mean

...All 20 Democratic candidates say health care is a human right, and universal coverage has been a cornerstone of the Democratic Party’s platform.

About 81% of Democrats and left-leaning independents say the federal government has a responsibility to ensure health insurance for all Americans, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll. The opposite is true of Republicans and right-leaning voters, 77% of whom say this is not the government’s responsibility.

[DownriverDem]

10. What about those already on Medicare?

So will those on Medicare now be kicked off and into the new program? What does it mean for those already on Medicare? They are paying for Medicare Part B and for a supplemental policy to cover what isn't in Medicare Part A and Part B. I never hear anything about how it will work for those already on Medicare.

[Hortensis]

14. Assume it would. Pretty sure it couldn't work if it didn't

wrap in people old enough to be guaranteed huge bills, already incurring or at some point not too distant. However, "8 versions..."

As I think I said, my husband and I have MC + 4 policies apiece. It's actually 3 and 4 additional policies apiece -- my husband doesn't have a medication policy. That and the Part B critical to making sure we don't have to sell our home to pay the uncovered 20% plus from MC are a big monthly outlay.

All politicians know that older people vote in higher numbers than younger because we've had longer to wise up, but in this case it'd also be because it's an especially critical issue for a number of reasons. I don't know anyone comfortable with the prospect of becoming destitute and having to go live with their kids, if they have any, or who isn't hoping to leave at least something, and preferably a lot more, to family.

[DownriverDem]

7. My Question

What happens to the folks already on Medicare? They pay for Medicare Part B out of their Social Security. No one talks about what happens to them.

[JI7]

9. i don't think it's that big an issue for her.

[Demsrule86]

12. It is a big issue for the country and the ACA gave us our majority in the House...I do not support

MFA ...I vote blue no matter what but we will lose many votes...Trump will win.

[Demsrule86]

11. She can't we will lose if she wins the nomination...but I don't think she will.

[GulfCoast66]

15. General Election voters? Most Democratic Primary voters don't buy it.

The majority of voters of both parties get their healthcare from their employer.

Most will happily vote for plans to cover all Americans and prevent healthcare related bankruptcies. Few will vote away their own insurance.

We run a candidate all in on MFA we lose. We run to save and expand the ACA we will. Like we did in 18.

[DrFunkenstein]

16. I'd Say She Left Herself Wiggle Room

Ms. I Have A Plan For That has conspicuously NOT put out her own plan for MFA.

For someone so disciplined on the trail, this is more likely a calculation rather than an oversight.