9. Do you support the importation of prescription drugs from other countries?
Yes.
We pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. It does not have to be that way. Bernie introduced the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act, which would allow the importation from Canada and other major countries.
10. Do you support allowing the federal Medicare program to directly negotiate drug prices with manufacturers?
Yes.
If the pharmaceutical industry will not end its greed, which is literally killing Americans, then we will end it for them. Bernie’s Medicare for All plan will allow drug prices to be negotiated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under Medicare Part D. Bernie also introduced the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, which will index the price of prescription drugs in the U.S. to the median price of the same drug in five other major countries.
Eric Swalwell
1. Do you support a “Medicare for all” system — similar to the bill sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders — that would eliminate private health insurance, including employer-provided coverage, and be paid for by taxes?
No.
I support coverage for all, i.e., Medicare for all who want it. This would serve as a public option for any American, operating alongside and competing with private insurance plans, in order to drive prices down for everyone. If you’re sick you should be seen, and if you’re seen you shouldn’t go broke.
But we also should do what we do best as Americans: Find the unfindable, solve the unsolvable, and cure the incurable. We must invest in and commit to finding cures and more effective treatments in our lifetime, an initiative to publicly invest in genomics, targeted therapies, and data sharing. We’ll drive down the cost of care, increase our quality of life, and put a new generation of scientists to work while we’re at it.
2. Do you support Americans having the choice between a “public option” health care plan run by the government, and private health insurance?
Yes.
If you support a public option, should it be available to: only Americans over 50; only Americans without employer coverage; or all Americans?
All Americans.
Americans should have a choice between coverage provided by private companies and that provided by the government. While I do not want to bring an end to private insurance, I support coverage for all, which would be a public option that would drive down the pressure on the private insurers and ultimately lead to more affordable plans for all Americans.
3. Would you favor only modifications to the Affordable Care Act, including extending premium assistance to more middle-class Americans?
No.
It’s not the only solution, but we can and must protect, restore, and improve the protections that the Affordable Care Act gives all Americans regarding coverage for pre-existing conditions, coverage for maternity care, allowing people to remain on their parents’ plans through age 26, and so on.
4. If you support more than one of the above, which of the options do you believe would be the best way to improve the health care system?
Public option.
Public option, while restoring/protecting A.C.A. rules for private insurers.
5. Should all Americans be required to carry health insurance?
Yes.
Requiring all Americans to have insurance, either public or private, means our health care system no longer has to bear the cost of treating uninsured patients.