2019 Democratic Debates, Night 2: Full Transcript

(APPLAUSE)

So, on that point, part of the issue that is at play in America today, and we’ve all been traveling around the country, I certainly have, I’m meeting people who are working two and three jobs. You know, this president walks around talking about and flouting his great economy, right? My great economy. My great economy. You ask him, well, how are you measuring this greatness of this economy of yours and he talks about the stock market. Well, that’s fine if you own stocks. So many families in America do not. You ask him how are you measuring the greatness of this economy of yours and they point to the jobless numbers and the unemployment numbers. Well, yeah, people in America are working. They’re working two and three jobs. So, when we talk about jobs, let’s be very clear. In our America, no one should have to work more than one job to have a roof over their head and food on the table.

(APPLAUSE)

DIAZ-BALART:

Thank you very much, senator. Yes.

HOLT:

You have all—you’ve all expressed an interest in talking about healthcare. So, let’s—

WILLIAMSON:

—I’d like to say something else—

HOLT:

—Let’s—let’s talk about healthcare. And this is going to be a show of hands question. We asked a question about healthcare last night that spurred a lot of discussion, as you know, We’re going to do it again now. Many people watching at home have health insurance of their employer. Who here would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government run plan? All right.

(APPLAUSE)

Kirsten Gill—Gillibrand. Senator Gillibrand.

UNKNOWN:

Can I—

GILLIBRAND:

—Yeah. So, now, it’s my turn.

HOLT:

Go ahead.

GILLIBRAND:

So, this is a very important issue. So, the plan that Senator Sanders and I and other support Medicare for All is how you get to single payer, but it has a buy in transition period, which is really important. In 2005 when I ran for Congress in a two to one republican district, I actually ran on Medicare for All and I won that two to one republican district twice. And the way I formulated it was simple. Anyone who doesn’t have access to insurance they like, they could buy it in a percentage of income they could afford.

So, that’s what we put into the transition period for our Medicare for All Plan. I believe we need to get to universal healthcare as a right, not a privilege to single payer. The quickest way you get there is you create competition with the insurers. God bless the insurers if they want to compete, they can certainly try. But, they’d never put people over their profits and I doubt they ever will.

So, what will happen is people will choose Medicare. You will transition. We would get to Medicare for All. And then your step to single payer is so short. I would make it an earned benefit just like Social Security, so that you buy in your whole life. It is always there for you and it’s permanent and it’s universal.

HOLT:

Senator, your time is up. I want to put that same question to Mayor Buttigieg.

BUTTIGIEG:

Yeah, we’ve taught look, everybody who says Medicare for All, every person in politics who allows that phrase to escape their lips has a responsibility to explain how you’re actually supposed to get from here to there.

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