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You probably haven't noticed, but the Biden position on health care has changed substantially in recent weeks. #1 reason is the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force, the recommendations of which are bolder than Biden's prior campaign plans. 1/
https://joebiden.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/UNITY-TASK-FORCE-RECOMMENDATIONS.pdf
https://joebiden.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/UNITY-TASK-FORCE-RECOMMENDATIONS.pdf
Biden is now committed to a COVID-19 response that includes "a platinum-level, federally administered health insurance option with low fees and no deductibles, so that everyone will have access to this high-quality, low-cost plan" -- that is, an immediate robust public option! 2/
"Platinum-level" means generous (the highest tier on the ACA marketplaces) and the public option would also "automatically enroll...[low-income Americans] at zero cost to them." (How this would work isn't 100% clear, but it's a huge step toward guaranteed universal coverage!) 3/
And that's just the COVID-19 part of the plan, which would be tied to economic and health conditions (and thus could automatically kick back in in the future). 4/
The "permanent" public option now envisioned is robust: there must be a no-deductible option, administered by Medicare, that covers primary care without any co-payments, uses negotiated prices, & is available to those who have employment-based insurance if they want it. 5/
Not only will this plan be offered on the ACA marketplaces; it will also be available without premiums for those who would've had Medicaid if their states had expanded the program (roughly 5 million Americans caught in the "coverage gap" in GOP-controlled states). 6/
The unity document, in short, moves Biden's position dramatically toward the kind of public option I've advocated. 7/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/opinion/joe-biden-health-care.html
Currently the plan envisions automatic enrollment for those with incomes below 200% of the poverty line (around $48k for a family of 4), but it doesn't have automatic enrollment for everyone. 8/
Ultimately, we need to commit ourselves to true universal insurance in which ALL AMERICANS are presumed covered by Medicare (I've argued for a new Part E, for "everyone") but can opt out if they have good alternative coverage. 9/
The public option should be fundamentally different from private insurance, controlling costs by negotiating better prices rather than by using restrictive networks or shifting costs onto patients -- the successful model found in other rich democracies! 10/
But the unity task force recommendations -- and they go well beyond the public option -- are an important step in the direction of affordable quality health care for all. 11/
