In 2019, then-Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a Democrat presidential candidate, bragged that she had “always” supported the single-payer Medicare for All program.
“I have always supported Medicare for All, I was very happy to sign onto Bernie [Sanders’] bill, and I give Bernie, frankly, a lot of credit for moving the conversation to where it is now,” Harris said in 2019 when running for the Democrat nomination for president.
However, she said her version of Medicare for All, wherein Americans would still have the option to receive a private insurance plan, was similar to Medicare, where seniors can choose traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage, which allows for seniors to shop their preferred private insurance plan.
Harris then claimed that her plan would not increase taxes on the middle class.
PBS then noted that President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign at the time said her plan would create a “huge” tax increase on the middle class.
Stat News wrote:
Harris in a Medium post laid out her vision for Medicare for All. First, she proposes expanding Medicare’s services to include vision care, dental care, hearing aids, mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, and comprehensive reproductive health care services.
She also outlines maintaining a role for private insurers, as long as they follow rules set by Medicare.
“This preserves the options that seniors have today and expands options to all Americans, while also telling insurance companies they don’t run the show,” Harris wrote at the time.
As Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Joel Pollak has noted, Harris has flip-flopped multiple times on the issue of ending private insurance to implement her Medicare for All vision.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.