Bernie Sanders in National Public Radio

On Civil Rights: Supports reparations, but targeted to distressed communities

Q: Would you support a reparations plan?

Sanders: "Yeah--but not if it means just a cash payment or a check to families. I would not support that. I am sympathetic to an idea brought forth by Congressman Jim Clyburn. And he has what he calls a 10-20-30 plan, which says that 10 percent of federal resources should go to communities that have had 20 percent levels of poverty for 30 years. In other words, the most distressed communities in America."

Source: NPR Morning Edition, "Election 2020: Opening Arguments" Mar 18, 2019

On Health Care: Medicare-for-all: no more private insurance plans

Senator Sanders reintroduced a "Medicare-for-all" bill, the idea that fueled his 2016 presidential run. As with its previous iterations, Sanders' latest bill would establish a national, single-payer Medicare system with vastly expanded benefits. Sanders' plan would also prohibit private plans from competing with Medicare and would eliminate cost-sharing. New in this version is a universal provision for long-term care in home and community settings.

But many of the candidates--even official "Medicare-for-all" co-sponsors--are at the same time edging toward a more incremental approach, called "Medicare for America." This proposed Medicare for America system would guarantee universal coverage, but leave job-based insurance available for those who want it. Unlike "Medicare-for-all," though, it would preserve premiums and deductibles, so beneficiaries would still have to pay some costs out-of-pocket.

Source: NPR, "Medicare-For-All," on 2020 Democratic primary Apr 11, 2019

On Welfare & Poverty: Sanders supports economic help for blacks, not reparations

Sanders said he supports reparations, but the specific policy he describes here doesn't fit what experts say is the definition of such a policy. The point of reparations is to address the wrongs of discriminatory policies, including slavery, Jim Crow laws and redlining. "Something that is economically inclusive but has a racial bent to it--those may or may not be good policies," Ohio State University professor Darrick Hamilton told NPR, "but let's be clear: It's not reparations." Source: NPR Morning Edition: Election 2020 Special Series Mar 18, 2019

The above quotations are from National Public Radio election coverage. Click here for other excerpts from National Public Radio election coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Bernie Sanders. Click here for a profile of Bernie Sanders.
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