ABC This Week interviews during 2019: on Health Care


Andrew Yang: Would expand Medicare but not offer a public option

"Our health care plan would be based on Medicare and expanding it over time to more and more Americans," Yang responded. "You'd lower the eligibility age and then you make it widely accessible." Yang's plan stops short of offering the public option plan that even moderate candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have committed to implementing.
Source: ABC This Week interview for 2019 Democratic primary Dec 29, 2019

Steve Bullock: Health care reform without disrupting the entire system

We can get access and affordability to people and get them decent healthcare without disrupting 180 million people or completely getting rid of private insurance. Allow the federal government to negotiate for prescription drugs, take on out-of-network billing and surprise charges. When I'm talking to folks, many of them think that their insurance premiums are too high or that these out-of-network charges didn't happen, but they're not saying let's completely upend and disrupt the entire
Source: ABC This Week interviews in 2019 Jul 21, 2019

Bernie Sanders: People will spend less money on Medicare for All

It's not a question of paying more taxes or not, it's a question of not paying any premiums. Let's say you're self-employed and you're spending $15,000 or $20,000 a year on out-of-pocket expenses, premiums and so forth. And I said, you're going to pay $7,000 or $8,000 more in taxes but you're not going to have to pay your premiums. You're probably going to say where can I sign up? People are going to spend less on Medicare for All.
Source: ABC This Week 2019 interview series Jun 30, 2019

Julian Castro: Denying health care for undocumented is un-American

What I would like every American taxpayer to know is that right now, number one, undocumented immigrants already pay a lot of taxes. Secondly, we already pay for the health care of undocumented immigrants. It's called the emergency room. People show up in the emergency room and they get care, as they should. And then third, it is the right thing to do. We're not going to let people living in this country die because they can't see a doctor. That's not who we are as Americans.
Source: ABC This Week 2019 interview Jun 30, 2019

Cory Booker: Health care is a right; public option is step towards goal

In the wealthiest nation on the planet Earth, everyone should have access to health care. I think the best way to get there is Medicare for All and I'm going to work towards that goal. I want to be pushing on a pathway towards getting to everyone having coverage, and part of that is going to be Medicare for all who want it. I have a clear goal in mind, healthcare as a right. I think the best way to get there is Medicare for All. I'm also a realist.
Source: ABC This Week 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 12, 2019

Tim Ryan: Prevention should be key focus

75% of health care costs today come from chronic diseases that are actually preventable. We need to completely transform our health care system where we're incentivizing doctors and patients and health care providers to keep people healthy. We just don't want health care for people when they get sick, of course we want that, we want a health care system that actually keeps people healthy, and that's the transformational approach I'm going to take.
Source: ABC This Week 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls Apr 14, 2019

Amy Klobuchar: For public option, taking on Big Pharma

As president, I would immediately put in a public option proposal to Congress and that could be for Medicaid or Medicare. But that is also a way to get to our goal of universal health care coverage. I would make sure that we have negotiations for prices under Medicare, that we bring in less expensive drugs from places like Canada and that we stop the practice where big pharma pays off their competitors to keep their products off the market.
Source: ABC This Week 2019 interviews for 2020 Democratic primary Mar 31, 2019

Pete Buttigieg: Single payer can still allow role for private insurance

If the framework we're using is Medicare, a lot of people who have Medicare also have Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage, something like that. There can be a role for the private sector.

I just don't believe that leaving Americans to the tender mercies of corporations is the best way to organize the health sector in this country. The bottom line is most citizens in most developed countries, enjoy access to this kind of health care and Americans don't. It's wrong.

Source: ABC This Week 2019 interviews for 2020 Democratic primary Feb 3, 2019

  • The above quotations are from ABC This Week interviews during 2019
    (Martha Raddatz interviewing candidates for 2019-2020 races).
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Health Care.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by John Kasich on Health Care.
  • Click here for more quotes by John Hickenlooper on Health Care.
2020 Presidential contenders on Health Care:
  Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN) 		Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Nov 17, 2021