Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) made one of the most salient points about healthcare at tonight’s Democratic presidential debate.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden were volleying back-and-forth on the issue of how to pay for universal healthcare—and whether people could keep their health insurance providers—when Warren dropped this dime: “I’ve never met anyone who liked their health insurance company.”
Warren added that while she’d met people who like their healthcare providers, doctors, nurses, etc., nobody sings the praises of the companies that provide coverage based on a schedule of benefits that would’ve confounded Alan Turing, despite that being a common refrain from opponents of Medicare for all.
The internet cheered.
Elizabeth Warren: “I’ve never met anyone who liked their health insurance company. I’ve met people whom like their doctors,” their nurses, their pharmacists, etc.
— jarrett hill 🫶🏽✨🍉 (@jarretthill) September 13, 2019
She’s right. #DemDebate
As someone who has been navigating the health-insurance “no” recently, I think Elizabeth Warren has a better grasp of the average American’s health-care experience than Joe Biden does. #DemDebate
— Jeff Chu 朱天慧 (@jeffchu) September 13, 2019
“I haven’t actually met anybody who likes their health insurance company.” – Warren with the TRUTH!
— Renee Bracey Sherman (@RBraceySherman) September 13, 2019
I love my docs. I can’t stand how my insurance company comes between us denying everything, from appointments, size of prescriptions, and procedures. #DemDebate
While some noted that people who actually have health insurance that doesn’t suck do approve of their carriers, or made bizarre arguments for protecting health insurance companies’ bottom lines, the overall mood was “yes, finally.”
The healthcare debate has dominated much of the 2020 presidential campaign, with Warren and Biden carrying the standard for universal coverage.
https://twitter.com/shawn_quixote/status/1172306563630977031?s=20
Warren was the first on the Democratic stage to voice what many Americans feel about health insurance in the most recent era of rising deductibles, confounding coverage plans, and out-of-network denials.
Agree with her or not, Warren is the best policy communicator the party has seen in a long time, and it shows how little practice more experienced D pols have in talking about actual policy instead of choice or freedom or whatever
— Christopher Hooks (@cd_hooks) September 13, 2019
Warren is right! No one likes their health insurance companies. We like our providers (sometimes!) and access to healthcare. That’s it! #Warren2020 #DemDebates
— Preston “Side Bunk” Mitchum (@PrestonMitchum) September 13, 2019
YES ELIZABETH WARREN. People don’t like their health insurance companies, they like having health care!
— Robyn Pennacchia (@RobynElyse) September 13, 2019
“let’s be real, i’ve never met anyone who likes their health insurance company”–@SenWarren. AMEN. People like providers, or are appreciative of coverage-NOT THE COMPANY. #DemDebate
— Erin MacDonald (@ErinKEbert) September 13, 2019
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