CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2019: on Health Care


Andrew Yang: Medicare-for-All but with private insurance

Q: What about Medicare-for-All?

A: There is a way to provide Medicare-for-All that does not prohibit private insurance. The goal has to be to demonstrate to the American people that this Medicare plan is superior to your current insurance without pulling the rug out from under you and saying that the insurance no longer exists. Medicare for all means that you have a Medicare program that everyone can be enrolled in.

Q: So you're adopting the label, but not the bill?

A: That's correct.

Source: CNN State of the Union on 2019 Democratic primary Nov 3, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Cap annual costs for prescription drugs at $200

Under Medicare for all, we'll cap what any American pays for prescription drugs at $200 a year. We're going to take on the pharmaceutical industry. The function of health care is not to allow the health care industry, as they did last year, to make $100 billion in profit, while so many of our people are uninsured, underinsured, and paying more than they can afford to pay.
Source: CNN State of the Union interview for 2019 Democratic primary Aug 25, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Medicare for All: higher taxes but lower healthcare costs

Under Medicare for all, similar to what Canada has, people are not going to pay any premiums. They're not going to pay any deductibles. They are not going to pay any co-payments. I do believe that, in a progressive way, people will have to pay taxes. The wealthy will obviously pay the lion's share of those taxes. People will be paying, in some cases, more in taxes, but, overall, because they're not going to pay premiums, deductibles, co-payments, they will be paying less for their health care.
Source: CNN "SOTU" 2019 on 2020 candidates Jul 28, 2019

Joe Biden: Would bring back the individual mandate

BIDEN: I think there should be health care for everyone. I have a plan how to do that that's rational and will cost a hell of a lot less and will work.

Q: Would you bring back the individual mandate?

BIDEN: Yes. Yes, I would bring back the individual mandate.

Q: You think that will be popular?

BIDEN: Well, it's not -- yes, now it would be, compared to what's being offered.

Source: CNN "SOTU" 2019 on 2020 candidates Jul 7, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Legalization of assisted suicide should be left to states

Q: Would you support federal legislation to legalize assisted suicide?

SANDERS: That's a very difficult issue. I think that is an issue right now that I am comfortable seeing in the hands of the state. It's a controversial issue. And the fear is, obviously, that it could be taken too far. But I think, probably, it is best dealt with at this point at the state level which is where it is right now.

Source: CNN "SOTU" 2019 interview series Jun 9, 2019

Seth Moulton: Provide troops and vets both physical and mental health care

It's just like when you get a physical, and the doctor says, "you should go to the gym, you should go on runs, you should eat healthy." That's exactly what I believe about mental health care. That's why I'm introducing these policy goals to talk about making sure that every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine gets regular mental health care checkups, just like they get physicals, that it becomes routine, both for active duty and for veterans at the VA.
Source: CNN "SOTU" 2019 interview series Jun 2, 2019

Seth Moulton: Treat mental health like physical care with regular checkups

It's just like when you get a physical, and the doctor says you should go to the gym, you should go on runs, you should eat healthy. That's exactly what I believe about mental health care. That's why I'm introducing these policy goals to talk about making sure that every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine gets regular mental health care checkups, just like they get physicals, that it becomes routine, both for active duty and for veterans at the VA. I hope that that will be a model for the rest of the country. I will make sure that every high schooler in America gets a checkup with a mental health care professional and learn how to proactively take care of themselves mentally.
Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls Jun 2, 2019

Seth Moulton: Expand mental care at VA, rest of country

I'm introducing these policy goals to talk about making sure that every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine gets regular mental health care checkups, that it becomes routine, both for active duty and for veterans at the VA. I hope that that will be a model for the rest of the country. That's why I will make sure that every high schooler in America gets to get a checkup with a mental health care professional, and not only that, but learn how to proactively take care of themselves mentally.
Source: CNN State of the Union 2019 interview Jun 2, 2019

Kamala Harris: Supports Medicare for All, even undocumented aliens

Q: What about Medicare-for-All?

A: I support Medicare-for-All, and the vision of what it will be includes an expansion of coverage. Medicare-for-All will include vision. It will include dental. It will include hearing aids.

Q: You support giving universal health care to people in this country illegally?

A: I'm opposed to any policy that would deny in our country any human being from access to public safety, public education, or public health, period.

Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 12, 2019

Cory Booker: Support Medicare for All but do what's possible now

We have a system that's designed more towards the back end of problems, when they're more expensive, the hospital emergency room, dealing with things when they become acute, not dealing with them in preventative care. I stand by supporting Medicare for all, but I'm also a pragmatist, I'm going to find the immediate things that we can do, because we're not going to pull health insurance from 150 Americans who have private insurance who like their insurance.
Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 5, 2019

Eric Swalwell: Support public option, but let people keep private care

I support a bill that would give Medicare to all. That's the title of the bill. The part of the bill that I would strike would be to give a public option, the Medicare portion, but allow people to keep plans that they like. Union members like to keep their union plans. Employers may offer a better plan. I think it's very much in our DNA to have choice. And so I will support that.
Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls Apr 14, 2019

Michael Bennet: Prefers public option to Medicare for All

I think about it in terms of what Colorado families want, maximal choice for themselves and their families. They want to have a robust, strong public option, because not all of them want to be subject to private insurance. I developed Medicare X with Tim Kaine, because I think it does create the robust public option we should have passed as part of the Affordable Care Act, and we didn't.
Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls Apr 7, 2019

  • The above quotations are from CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2019
    (Jake Tapper and Dana Bash 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 Cory Booker 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)
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)
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: Jan 12, 2020