Tom Harkin: Health Care Is On The Ballot In 2020
Tom Harkin, a former Iowa senator integral to passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, implored voters to think of the November elections not only as political contests, but as a referendum on health care in the United States.
“While I’ve said recently that Trump and Biden are the names on the ballot, what’s really on the ballot is health care and the future of health care for all Americans,” said Harkin, who retired in 2015 after 30 years in the U.S. Senate, Thursday afternoon during a virtual event with Progress Iowa and Protect Our Care.
When the Affordable Care Act was crafted during the Obama Administration, Harkin served as chair of the Senate Finance Committee and as a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, providing him the opportunity to lead hearings drafting the monumental health care law.
“The goal was very simple of the Affordable Care Act: that every American, regardless of income or health status or zip code, would have access to affordable, dependable, quality health care,” Harkin said, noting a “public option” — the ability for working adults to choose a public insurance plan like Medicare or Medicaid, instead of private health insurance — also was a goal for the bill that ultimately was not included.
https://iowastartingline.com/2020/10/02/tom-harkin-health-care-is-on-the-ballot-in-2020/