Michael Bloomberg unveils a health care plan that echoes those of Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled his proposed health care coverage plan on Thursday, the first policy he's rolled out since announcing his presidential bid last month.
The plan itself is not so much an overhaul of the current system but rather a series of tweaks. He includes a "Medicare-like public option" that would be run by the government but paid for by consumer premiums. It would act as an extension of the Affordable Care Act, which a federal court partially struck down on Wednesday. Both former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg also have a similar "public option" in their proposed health care policies.
Bloomberg advocates for the existing ACA in his plan and is proposing expansions like dental and vision coverage. He also wants to lower drug costs by working with Congress to create caps on drug prices.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Health care is a top issue for Democratic voters and it's also a very divisive among the Democratic candidates. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are advocates of Medicare-for-all, while more moderate candidates think a public option would be more achievable. Bloomberg won't have a chance to publicly discuss the merits of his proposed plan just yet, though — he didn't qualify for Thursday night's Democratic primary debate.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brielle Diskin is an Associate Editor at The Week Junior. Her writing has appeared in Men's Health, Popsugar, Girls on Tops, Wondermind, and other publications. A reluctant Jersey Girl, Brielle has a degree in journalism from Rutgers University. She lives in Hoboken and loves movies, Nora Ephron, and cooking viral TikTok recipes.
-
Democrats push for ICE accountabilityFeature U.S. citizens shot and violently detained by immigration agents testify at Capitol Hill hearing
-
The price of sporting gloryFeature The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off this week. Will Italy regret playing host?
-
Fulton County: A dress rehearsal for election theft?Feature Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is Trump's de facto ‘voter fraud’ czar
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
