2020 Vice Presidential prospects: on Health Care

Kamala Harris: Supports single-payer without private insurance

Ms. Harris co-sponsored Bernie Sanders's Medicare-for-All legislation, and at a CNN town hall, she responded to a question about private health insurance by saying,ÿ"Let's eliminate all of that." Sheÿcame under fireÿfor the statement, and the blowback was a signal of the political sensitivity surrounding the issue of abolishing private coverageÿunder a single-payer system. On the debate stage, the Democratic candidates were asked who would abolish private health insurance. Ms. Harris was among thoseÿwho raised their hands. Mr. Biden -- who wants to build on the Affordable Care Act -- did not raise his hand. Source: New York Times on 2020 Veepstakes Jul 21, 2020

Gretchen Whitmer: Be nimble, follow the science, be smart on reopening

We've got to be really smart about taking a step forward, measuring, understanding what it's meant, before we take another step forward, or sometimes might have to take a step backward.

We've got to be nimble, and we have to follow the science and

Source: NBC Meet the Press interview for 2020 Veepstakes Apr 26, 2020

Stacey Abrams: Increase production for coronavirus testing; expand Medicaid

I think what Congress has put in place, the investment in testing equipment and funding for our front-line workers, especially for our hospitals, is critical. I would also be encouraging states like Georgia and the other southern states and Midwestern states that have refused to expand Medicaid to do so immediately. Part of testing is making sure people trust that they can go and be tested. And right now, there is an inadequate equipment, an inadequate strategy. We should increase production. Source: NBC Meet the Press interview for 2020 Veepstakes Apr 26, 2020

Mike Pence: Coronavirus testing is state managed but federally supported

While the president has made it clear that we want the governors to implement and deploy testing where they deem it's most appropriate, we're going to continue to fully partner with states to make sure that they have the reagents and test kits necessary to perform those tests. It is state managed. But it's federally supported. The federal government at the president's direction will continue to support governors as they deploy the testing resources in the time and manner of their choosing. Source: NBC Meet the Press interview for 2020 Veepstakes Apr 19, 2020

Mike Pence: Smoking doesn't kill; 90% of smokers don't get lung cancer

On public health: "Despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn't kill. In fact, two out of every three smokers do not die from a smoking-related illness and nine out of 10 smokers do not contract lung cancer," Pence said in 2000. Additionally, Pence has advocated teaching creationism in American public schools and, as governor of Indiana, had an HIV outbreak explode on his watch because he moved too slowly on approving needle exchanges. Source: The Daily Beast on 2020 Veepstakes Feb 26, 2020

Susan Rice: Ebola crisis: would have resigned if Obama closed the border

This was in 2014, when we were wrestling with the Ebola epidemic. Lawmakers here were freaking out and demanding the closure of the border. One of the proposals on the table wasy to restrict the ability of anybody who had traveled to the three affected countries to come to the United States. It would have meant that all legitimate travel from that region would have been cut off, which would have been the economic death knell for the countries of West Africa, plus it would have grossly stigmatized West Africans here in the United States. I said to myself at that moment, if he were to make the wrong decision, this would be a point where I would have to part company. He did not make the wrong decision. As usual, he applied reason and science and resisted the political pressure. But it was for me a brief white-knuckle moment. Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2020 Veepstakes Nov 14, 2019

Keisha Lance Bottoms: Keep ObamaCare without giving up private health insurance

Bottoms said "there are millions of Americans who don't want to give up their private health insurance" in response to a question about former Vice President Joe Biden's opposition to Medicare for All. "To think that we have to start over on health care and add that to the many challenges that we have, I think really is unsettling to a lot of people. We have the Affordable Care Act and what better person to repair the damage that's been done than the person who helped create it?" Source: Washington Free Beacon on 2020 Veepstakes Mar 7, 2019

The above quotations are from Vice Presidential possibilities for 2020. Click here for definitions & background information on Health Care. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Stacey Abrams on Health Care. Click here for more quotes by Mike Pence 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)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org! Click for details -- or send donations to: 1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140 E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org (We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Nov 01, 2021