Bernie, Hillary, Trump, Cruz, and HealthCare

How to Understand Where the Primary Candidates Stand on Healthcare Reform

We break down, in simple terms, what Bernie, Hillary, Trump, and Cruz mean for American healthcare. We present basic overviews of the candidate’s healthcare plans, and then provide detailed explainer videos (including some awesome vlogbrothers videos).

Keep in mind this opinion article is written from a “pro healthcare reform” stance (you are in the blog section of our facts site, see our facts page). That means that we will tend to favor policies that are good for expanding and improving healthcare and healing sick people, and are much less favorable to those who want to repeal, defund, or profit off healthcare reform by exploiting the good intentions of the American people.

TIP: See our breakdown of American politics, our breakdown of political parties, the history of the parties switching, and the our left-right paradigm for more insight into how history is repeating, and what you can learn from it.

The Democrats on HealthCare: How to Understand Bernie and Hillary on Healthcare

Generally, if you like progressive policies, and don’t want the free-market to “handle it” (like it did in the industrial revolution when our forefathers worked long hours in the ol’ steel mill without unions or benefits), then you’ll want to support Bernie or Hillary:

Bernie the Consistent “Progressive”, Today’s Roosevelt

Bernie is a progressive-socialist running as a Democrat. He’ll be pushing for single payer, but he’ll likely settle for a reigned in ACA with some single payer aspects. You can expect a more difficult battle with congress, but you can also expect he won’t settle for where we are at today. Single payer isn’t off the table, if everyone #FeelingTheBern remains active in politics for the next X years. To be fair, this has never really happened in the history of America (which is why old-timers are weary of Mr. Sanders).

Learn about the Bernie healthcare plan from feelthebern.org or check out an overview of his voting record for a deeper look.

Hillary: the Wise Establishment Liberal, Today’s… Clinton

Hillary is a progressive-liberal Democrat, also running as a Democrat. She has a long and impressive list of accomplishments under the Democratic party, and this point can’t be understated. What Bernie has in populist gusto, Hillary has in experience dealing with powerful interests. There is wisdom in that, but that also literally makes her “the establishment”… and we know people are turning up against that in the election. With that said, on healthcare, we can expect ObamaCare 2.0 which addresses the major sticking points. The degree to which changes are made under a Hillary Presidency, likely depend upon how active the current Bernie supporters would be in getting behind her and pushing for progressive polices.

Learn about Hillary’s healthcare plan here, or check out an overview of her voting record.

The Democratic Party and Healthcare

The Democratic party hasn’t always been on the right side of history, but since FDR, and especially since Kennedy / LBJ and 1964’s Civil Rights, they have. At times the populists (AKA Democratic-socialists AKA progressives) and establishment liberals join forces to ensure social justice, and keep the oligarchs in line…. and sometimes the party breaks in two over a distrust of “establishment” politics. This election is such a time. The worst thing that can happen is for Hillary to crush Bernie, go on with business as usual, and then lose the Bernie supporters to Trump. This is in my opinion would be bad for healthcare (as we should all be drifting toward single payer one way or another, and not backpedaling or pushing for profits over people). Therefore, our primary concern is all getting behind the right Democrat (be it Democrat by name, or by a lifetime of hard work).

TIP: ObamaCare is based on HillaryCare. She would have likely taken single payer if she could get it, but where she is old and wise… she is also weary. Bernie is willing to bite off more than he can chew, but you still have to get congress to play ball. American history tells us this is easier said than done.

The Republicans on Healthcare

Generally, if you want to deregulate and defund government here in 2016, you’ll need to go with today’s right-wing. One part of the right-wing, is the talk-media Powell memo folks and then we have the small government Libertarians, and the traditional conservatives (who tend to favor religion or big business). The big tent-ness of the party, has in the modern day, led to healthcare polices that favor big business, religion, and small government. This can be good for business owners, but tends to be lackluster for those with low incomes or preexisting conditions. Considering the mantra has been “repeal, repeal” it is hard to say to many nice things about the Republican’s healthcare plan:

Cruz: the Ivy League Son of Lucifer, Today’s Nixon (UPDATE: Cruz is no longer running, but this platform is telling of one side of the right so i’ll leave it).

Cruz is a well trained Ivy league powerhouse, he is well versed in rhetoric. In another day he would have been a traditional conservative, but the tea-party colored the past X years, and the right was forced to embrace tea-party-like candidates. So Cruz moves forward with this rhetoric. He has promised to dismantle ObamaCare over a reading of Cat in the Hat while about 2% of America went without pay in a Government shutdown. As a would-be establishment Republican (sort of), he will 100% just put through the Republican healthcare plan they have been trying to put through for years. Insurance across state lines, no coverage for the poor, religion-based rules, little to no regulation, and tax breaks for businesses are the name of the game.

Learn about Cruz’s healthcare plan here, or check out his voting record.

UPDATE: Luckily Cruz is out of the race. Guess I wasn’t the only one feeling the (what is the opposite of Bern?)

Trump: the Rich Libertarian-ish Wildcard, Today’s Reagan

Trump is a wildcard who bought his way into the Presidency with literal money and a powerhouse personality, and you can thank Citizens United v. FEC for him and Bernie (but unlike a Bernie or Teddy Roosevelt, Trump doesn’t want campaign finance reform). He is sort of a Liberal-Libertarian from New York, but he is a friend to no establishment candidate. He wants to build a wall, which would be profitable for the real-estate mogul. If he passes single payer, or if he just repeals ObamaCare is anyones guess. People are correct, he is not establishment, but he also seems to lack respect for America and Americans in his speeches. He even insulting the office of President by calling the job easy. If you want to vote “anti-American” your #1 choice would be Trump. But, to be fair, he is a talker, he could pull a 180 after rallying the base. We just don’t know. He could go rouge and do absolutely anything. My bet is he would rather be remembered than make a party happy, he could be a good President, the problem is we can’t tell, and some of his words so far have been toxic.

Trump has only ever been on TV. You can buy a Trump steak here, or see old episodes of the show where he calls people “losers” here.

The Republican Party on Healthcare

The Republican party is split, just like the Democrats. The true Libertarians want reduced government in a Jeffersonian sort of way, and the true conservatives might long for a Nixon, but neither will get their way. Instead, the base that Nixon’s southern strategy ignited, the base taught to hate by fairness doctrine-less right-wing media, that base will be choosing the direction of the Republican party for the next X years until they un-wash them or entropy kicks in, those are the ones who will choose the direction of the party. This is the truth, it is called laying in the bed you made. I hope that we all don’t have to lie in it, but long story short you can pick between the longstanding GOP healthcare plan under Cruz, or PotLuck under Trump. The GOP already picked Trump here in May 2016, so I guess, “that is that”.

TIP: The Republicans don’t actually want to repeal the ACA. They want to replace it with tax cuts for big business. They have no intention of reducing spending. They never do, historically speaking, they just favor businesses over people (at least this is true for the establishment right). Literally, look it up. Doesn’t make it wrong per say, just dropping some truth for those who want to listen. Pick up any respectable Econ rag (economics publication) and they will explain.