Hillary Clinton is calling on her opponent for the Democratic nomination to explain how he would pay for the proposal, which some have given a $15-trillion price tag. Meanwhile Bernie Sanders is frustrated by her statements that his “Medicare-for-all” policy could be vulnerable to Republican governors. And NBC takes a look at what this fight is really all about.
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations.
McClatchy: Clinton Blasts Sanders For Failing To Say How He Would Pay For Costly Health Care Plan
With the race for the Democratic nomination tightening, front-runner Hillary Clinton is criticizing her chief rival Bernie Sanders for failing to say how he would pay for a health care plan some have estimated to cost $15 trillion. Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon told reporters Wednesday that it’s “alarming” that he will not say where he will get the money for the plan before the Iowa caucuses Feb. 1. (Kumar, 1/14)
Politico Pro: Clinton Escalates Health Care Attacks On Sanders
The Clinton campaign intensified its attacks on Bernie Sanders’ plan for a single-payer health care system on Wednesday, alleging that he would raise taxes on middle-class families while scrapping Obamacare in its entirety. Clinton’s campaign accused Sanders of trying to hide the cost of a single-payer plan, which would guarantee health care for all Americans and is traditionally favored by liberals. (Cook, 1/13)
CBS News: Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Puts The Pressure On Bernie Sanders Over Healthcare
Hillary Clinton’s campaign called on Bernie Sanders to outline how he would cover the cost of his plan to provide universal healthcare to Americans through a single payer, “Medicare-for-all” program. “From our perspective,” said Clinton senior adviser Jake Sullivan on a call with reporters on Wednesday, “the campaign owes an explanation about why it is that they are touting a healthcare plan for which they won’t provide any details.” (Fraser-Chanpong, 1/13)
CNN: Bernie Sanders May Break Health Care Pledge
Bernie Sanders could break his pledge to release details on how he would pay for his health care plan before the Iowa caucuses, according to a top aide. (Keilar and Merica, 1/13)
The Washington Post: Under Fire From Clinton On Health Care, Sanders Chides Those Trying To ‘Demagogue’ The Issue
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, who’s been taking flak from his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton over his call for universal health care, expressed frustration Wednesday night with those “who want to demagogue the issue.” Sanders is advocating moving to a single-payer health-care system under which all Americans would be enrolled in Medicare, and private insurance would become a thing of the past. The Vermont senator introduced legislation with that aim in 2013 and has said he is working on an updated version as a presidential candidate. (Wagner, 1/13)
NBC News: Making Sense Of The Democratic Fight Over Health Care
In the latest volley of her multi-front January offensive against Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton is zeroing in on his single-payer health care plan. The Clinton campaign launched an all-out assault on Wednesday, flooding cable television with surrogates to attack Sanders for not releasing details of his plan. The Clinton campaign also held a conference call with reporters to ramp up the pressure on how the proposal would raise taxes. (Seitz-Wald, 1/13)
