(Yahoo)
When Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) unveiled her long-awaited health-care plan on Monday, some of her opponents criticized it for going too far while others said it lacked ambition. But there was one criticism that seemed to unite both sides: Its long phase-in window would leave the proposal deeply vulnerable for whoever might succeed Harris’ presidency.
Harris’ “Medicare for All” plan differs from Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) legislation in the Senate—which Harris has also supported—in that it allows for private insurers to offer plans in the Medicare system that adhere to strict regulatory requirements. Her plan also seeks to avoid hitting middle class families by setting the threshold for those who would be taxed at $100,000 per household. And then there is the phase-in. Under Harris’ proposal the full implementation of the law would only come after a 10-year phase-in (compared to Sanders’ proposed four-year glide path) in order to alleviate concern over quick and dramatic market changes.
That latter point was not the main topic of contention on Monday, as health-care wonks debated the specifics of Harris’ proposal. But it is one that left many Democrats questioning the viability of her plan.
“If President Obama had passed a health-care bill that called for a 10-year horizon, he would have left it to Donald Trump to execute,” Faiz Shakir, Sanders’ campaign manager told The Daily Beast. “Just think about the opportunities you give to the insurance industry and political opponents to water down and chip away and morph and cut the plan you’ve passed,” he said. “That is our historical experience with Obamacare.” Read more