Billionaire activist and Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer unveiled a health care plan Monday that would cost $1.5 trillion over a decade — and the early analysis is that it's mostly in line with the plans offered by other moderate Democratic candidates, like former Vice President Joe Biden.
Steyer, like Biden, is aiming to strengthen the Affordable Health Care Act which was achieved under the Obama-Biden administration. He's proposing a public option for the uninsured (who would be automatically enrolled when they engage with public assistance programs) and for people who aren't satisfied with their private insurance. So, Medicare-for-all isn't on the table for Steyer.
Steyer's plan firmly positions him among centrist Democrats, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, who have similarly pushed health proposals that guarantee "access." Here's where all of the candidates stand on health care https://t.co/u5MvVdbZMe
— POLITICO (@politico) November 18, 2019
Tom Steyer is out with a public option health plan. Many similar features to the Biden plan, though a few differences. https://t.co/7cCY217JdP
— Margot Sanger-Katz (@sangerkatz) November 18, 2019
Another major aspect of the program is Steyer's proposal to lower prescription drug costs. He says he'd do so by having Medicare and the public option negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers and extend those prices to private insurers, as well, which his campaign predicts will save more than $50 billion per year. Read the full plan here.
