Still, the Harris plan would be disruptive to the system, moving the roughly 150 million Americans with employer-based coverage onto a new system set up through Medicare. It would give employers, providers and individuals a decade to transition, while immediately allowing all Americans to buy into Medicare.
“At the end of the 10-year transition, every American will be a part of this new Medicare system,” Harris wrote on medium.com. “They will get insurance either through the new public Medicare plan or a Medicare plan offered by a private insurer within that system.”
Biden’s plan, by contrast, would preserve the private and employer-based system under Obamacare while allowing Americans to buy into a Medicare-like plan if they choose.
A NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll taken in mid-July found that 41% of Americans support a Medicare for All plan that replaces private health coverage, while 70% support allowing Americans to choose between a government-run plan and private insurance.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.