Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Medicare for All" health care plan has become a key issue in the Democratic presidential race. VPR's Bob Kinzel joined Vermont Edition to discuss why some candidates have started to distance themselves from the plan.
Sanders' proposal enrolls everyone in Medicare after a four-year transition period, and it totally eliminates the private insurance market.
But three candidates who are sponsors of the Sanders plan are concerned because they say some people might not want to give up their private coverage. So they've created a public option to give individuals a choice about signing up for Medicare or private insurance coverage.
Many of the other candidates have also endorsed the “public option” approach.
Listen to the full interview above to hear more about how "Medicare for All," the public option and other health care policies are changing throughout the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
Broadcast live on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
